Dreamworkshop, Temelko Nenkov School in Pernik, Bulgaria

The school principal Marin Nikodimov, of the Temelko Nenkov School tells us that this is a historic place: the first developed neighborhood in the history of this area. Because Pernik was a mining town, in 1938 there was the need to open this school for the children of the mineworkers.

Nowadays this united secondary and high school has a population of 90% Roma children, and the school wants to give these children the chance to develop themselves after primary school, which is not common in their culture, so there are extra creative activities in the curriculum to keep them motivated. The 20 clubs that children can attend are called ‘The Dreamworkshop’. This project was funded by EU Cohesion fund.

“We are trying to give them an interesting life. Unfortunately, that is not possible with mathematics and literature. We keep them motivated with the different creative clubs. We started with this 8 years ago and it works. We see every diploma as a great success.”

In the various clubs the children learn to dance, sing, sew, design clothes, make candles and play instruments. All in the Bulgarian tradition, so they can integrate easier. 

In the club Children helping children, the kids make masks called ‘kukeri’. The idea is that children make those masks from ceramics and glass with their hands to sell and with the money they earn they help children from poor families when they are sick and don’t have money to go to a doctor. The principal is telling us an example of a sick child that got healed because of the children raising money by selling the masks.