Fun and games with an educational twist – what can you pull off in the depths of winter in a snowbound city in which traffic has ground to a halt?

We needed something to take minds of malfunctioning school boilers, iced up pavements and the ice crashing off the eaves of buildings. In cooperation with our colleagues from the social welfare centre and mates from local outdoor clubs we organized the “igloo festival” on the 18 January 2008.

By cutting…

EQ is participating in an international project, part-financed within the Youth and Culture programme of the European Union.

Seven organizations take part – from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Italy and Finland and the main goal is the reinforcement of informal education and social interaction among young people in community centres or youth clubs. The project is designed to help move away from ad hoc youth activity and to give youth work, especially that undertaken among underprivileged youngsters, shape and purpose.

EQ’s…

This year, Christmas in Ruse’s social welfare centre was both traditional and highly novel. EQ designed and organised the event with a lot of help from the centre’s personnel.

On 19 December, guests made a magical journey through fields and forests, across continents and back through the centuries to the time of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. This was a Nativity play with a differencе in the manner in which it skillfully linked past with present, exploited the appeal to non-Christians…

The unique “Forest in the city” eco-path was created by EQ in March 2006 with a great deal of assistance from local children and financial support from the British government.

Wooden information plaques were manufactured and distributed along a designated route leading from Ruse’s central square to the city’s main park. Ruse is known for its parks and tree-lined boulevards and there are a number of rare and interesting trees among the plethora of species represented in the city.

Brochures…

In cooperation with Ruse’s regional history museum, EQ treated to all their friends in the city by hosting a Christmas party.

It was held in the upper floors of the nature and wildlife department on the 15 December, 2005. This part of the building was still under construction so making a mess wasn’t a problem. It also meant that the organiser’s could cleverly create the sense of being in a dark wood by means of special décor and the judicious…

During the years 2005 and 2006, EQ ran a project – “Green Schooling as an Alternative to the Summer Green School’ – with the support of the British Government.

The team works in close proximity to the Bulgarian educational establishment and is aware of the ever-present resentment demonstrated by those working in the state system towards other ‘educators’ and a widespread tendency to denigrate informal youth work. The project was an important component of our ongoing campaign to help eradicate…