First Primary School 'Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov' is situated in Berkovitsa- a small town in the north-west of Bulgaria.
The north-west region is an undeveloped region which is economic unsteady and unemployment is common for most of the families. A great number of families are made to leave their children at relatives and set off to look for their living in big cities and even abroad.
220 students from the first to the eighth grade study in our school.
42 children are from ethnic minorities (of Roma and Karakachans origin)
11 children need special educational necessities.
Some of them live in an orphanage; others are from the segregated Rome neighbourhood Rakovitsa, situated in 3 km. off the school. They are at risk to be socially excluded.
For their better integration we introduced a series of initiatives at school.
A specialist from a Resource centre in Montana works with students that need special education and help..
Following extracurricular activities function at school:
1.Elective training- weaving and applied arts.
We have 11 vertical looms to weave Chiprovtsy carpets and a pottery wheel. A teacher -priloghnik reveals children the local crafts secrets in weaving and pottery.
2. Elective training- folk and sport dances.
3. Exept in music, dance and traditional crafts, our students are interested in sport, IT and foreign languages. We offer our students a modern gym, a fitness club, a football ground, a basketball court and a sports ground, two computer rooms with Internet. Students learn foreign languages at mandatory and obligatory training lessons. They study English and German.
We only miss experience in participating in European projects. That's why students and teachers decided to accept this new for us challenge. We are motivated and believe that our participation in the project will be a good start to introduce European dimension as in our institution so among the whole community in Berkovitsa.
Activities in the project are interesting and important to students. They are integrated in the regular activities at our school and are included in our school curriculum.
In this way we want to:
-stimulate accumulation of knowledge and understanding among young people about values and diversity of European cultures and languages.
-assist them in acquiring basic personal skills and for active European citizenship
