"Festival of Generations"

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

TARGET GROUPS

ACTIVITIES

RESULTS

In October 2014, Platform AGORA - branch Burgas started the implementation of the project "Festival of Generations"(FoG) in partnership with Secondary School "Episkop Konstantin Preslavski" - Burgas , Bulgaria and Lüleburgaz High School, Turkey. The project is supported by the Bulgaria-Turkey IPA Cross-border Programme (CCI NUMBER: 2007CB16IPO008-2013-3-040) under the third call for proposals, priority axis 1: Sustainable social and economic development and area of intervention 1.1: Improvement of the social development and social cohesion links.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The overall project objective is to create joint communication environment on the base of accumulated social and cultural experience of representatives of different generations for achievement of social development and creation of social cohesion links in the cross-border region.

Among the specific objectives are:

Reinforced social and cultural links among generations based on the key strengths of the cross-border area cooperation.
Improved and more efficient communication among people and communities in the cross-border region leading to joint artistic and cultural events and expressions.
Enhanced skills and knowledge of both generations enabling them to adapt to change - youth for transition to the labor market, the elderly - to social inclusion.
Establishment of a dialogue, mobility of people for cultural reasons and employment of unused potential for community development realized on cross-border basis through cooperation.

TARGET GROUPS

The project target groups are:

Bulgarian and Turkish students and community members - visitors of the photo exhibition and two editions of the "Festival of Generations";
Elderly community members in both countries involved in the project activities;
Management, staff and students of Secondary School "Bishop Konstantin Preslavski", Burgas and Luleburgaz High School, Turkey;
Representatives of local authorities in Burgas and Luleburgaz, "Culture" Units at Municipalities and Inspectorates on Education;
Members of creative formations and individual artists from Bulgaria and Turkey - participants in two editions of the "Festival of Generations".

ACTIVITIES

The key project activities are implemented for a period of 12 months and envisage:

Research Methodology Development - Development of a Methodology for research, identification and addressing of deficits in communication between generations in fields such as: technologies, communication (words with foreign origin, archaisms), historical and social terms, adapted for secondary school students and meeting the specifics of the educational systems in Bulgaria and Turkey. The aim is on closing the gap between generations through acquiring knowledge about the main family values, the customs transferred from one generation to the next, as well as the lifestyle changes due to various social factors.
Youth Units - created Youth Units in both schools working in 'generations teams' with elderly people on topic of their choice, research and record their family history, build genealogical trees, collect material for compilation of "Generations' Vocabulary", document their work by researching or taking pictures for the Photo exhibition "Generations". Two research study visits realized in the region of Tcarevo and Malko Tarnovo.
Artistic Ateliers - functional at both schools the Ateliers create cultural products based on the family stories researched and recorded, namely: a theater performance by the students from Secondary School "Bishop Konstantin Preslavski", Burgas and music and dance show by the students from Luleburgaz High School, Turkey.
"Festival of Generations" - organization and holding of two editions of the festival with international conference in Luleburgaz and Burgas. During the conference information on cross-border level is exchanged on topics such as: contemporary significance of knowledge and continuity between generations, language evolution, sharing of teachers' experience from both schools on the positive effects of youth - elderly interaction, presentation of the methodology and the work for compiling the "Generations' Vocabulary". The second festival day is the premiere of the cultural products: a theater performance from Bulgaria, music and dance show from Turkey and the joint photo exhibition "Generations". At an open air locations the youth present their experience through sharing with the visitors „How to Make a Family Tree?" and let them know about the results of their work.

RESULTS

Reinforced social and cultural links among generations in the cross-border area;
Improved and more efficient communication among communities in the cross-border region leading to joint artistic and cultural events and expressions;
Joint Photo exhibition "Generations" BG & ЕN
Photo exhibition leaflet "Generations" BG & EN
Project Leaflet "Festival of Generations" BG, ЕN & TR
Poster "Festival of Generations - Luleburgaz" TR
Poster "Festival of Generations - Burgas" BG & EN
Agenda "Festival of Generations - Burgas" BG & ЕN
"Knowledge for Generations - Family stories from the cross-border region" BG, ЕN & TR
"Generations' Vocabulary" BG & TR

Except directly on the participants the project implementation significantly influenced the development of sustainable partnerships in the field of cultural and educational cooperation in the cross-border region.

GALLERY

Photos from the Youth Units and Artistic Atelier work process
Photos "Festival of Generations - Luleburgaz "
Photos "Festival of Generations - Burgas"
Photo exhibition "Generations"
Video "Festival of Generations" - Turkish participants' perspective BG и TR
Video "Festival of Generations" - Bulgarian participants' perspective BG и TR

PARTNERS

Secondary School "Episkop Konstantin Preslavski" - Burgas , Bulgaria
Lüleburgaz High School, Luleburgaz, Turkey

FUNDING

The total project budget is 114 086 € and is implemented within the Bulgaria-Turkey IPA Cross-border Programme (CCI NUMBER: 2007CB16IPO008-2013-3-040) under the third call for proposals, priority axis 1: Sustainable social and economic development and area of intervention 1.1: Improvement of the social development and social cohesion links.