Teach for Bulgaria opened its eight Summer Academy

For the eight year in a row Teach For Bulgaria’s Summer Academy is going to help nearly 1000 students from Sofia and the region to learn how to be successful while having fun.

The Summer Academy starts today, July 30. The official opening took place at 90 Secondary School “Gen. José de San Martín” in Lyulin neighborhood and 125 Secondary School “Boyan Penev” in Mladost neighborhood. The opening ceremonies welcomed students, parents, teachers, and official guests.

Some of the official guests this year were Head of the Regional Management of Education for Sofia City Vania Kastreva, Chairperson of the Bulgarian Union of Teachers Yanka Takeva, Mayor of Lyulin Milko Mladenov, Member of Municipal Council Nina Chaneva, President and CEO of the America for Bulgaria Foundation Nancy Schiller, and Desislava Talyokova. The opening ceremonies also celebrated some long-term partners of the academy who make it possible for Teach For Bulgaria to provide this service to children completely free of charge. Some of these partners who attended the opening ceremonies were Maya Metodieva, Vice-President of the IWC-Sofia, and Irena Tsakova, Director of Permits and Legal at Dundee Precious Metals. Ultra Runner Krasimir Georgiev attended the opening ceremony in Lyulin.

Additional information about the Summer Academy

Teach For Bulgaria’s Summer Academy aims to improve students’ motivation to learn and to help them advance in their studies during the long summer break. The academy is also the final stage of the intensive preliminary summer training of the new participants in Teach For Bulgaria’s program who are going to start teaching at schools in 11 regions of the country in September of 2018.

“The Summer Academy gives many families in Sofia, who cannot afford paid summer activities, the opportunity to do something useful during the long vacation. The academy gives children the opportunity to meet peers from different backgrounds, learn more, work together, and explore the world we live in. This makes the academy an initiative with a great social value,” Ivan Petrov, Training Specialist at Teach For Bulgaria, shared.

Hundreds of students have participated in the academy throughout the years and more and more children sign up every year. Many of them have participated 3, 4, and even 8 summers in a row. Nearly 1000 students from 1st to 12th grade are going to take part in this year’s academy. They are going to spend the first three weeks of August with their new, motivated Teach For Bulgaria teachers. The teachers are experts in different subjects and come from various professional backgrounds. They are all trained in alignment with the international model called Teaching as Leadership which has been developed to ensure that every student is successful.

Teachers teach classes especially designed and planned for the students of the academy. They also work with a team of coordinators – experienced professionals – who observe their classes, give feedback, and provide guidance, so that teachers improve their performance in the classrooms.

Price?

The academy is free for all students. This is possible thanks to the support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, the International Women’s Club of Sofia, Bankia Mineral Water, Dundee Precious Metals, Titan Zlatna Panega Cement AD, Sofia Municipality, individual donors, and supporters of Teach For Bulgaria. The Summer Academy is supported by many NGO partners such as Caritas Bulgaria, UNHCR Bulgaria, the Health and Social Development Foundation, etc.

Take a look at some pictures from the opening ceremonies here: