PART 3: Involvement of the Community 

The Art activities with teenagers from a Center for children with disabilities “St. Vrach”, organised by Irina Apostolova, includes art-therapy methods applied by specialists – consultants in art therapy. The practice implemented various visual arts tasks, which were combined with theatrical elements. The children drew, modeled, applied and in the end got the opportunity to present (with the help of a specialist), to play as a pantomime or simply to tell what they have created. Easing the expression and communication skills of children with disabilities is a tool for making their integration and inclusion easier, as their behavior would become more socially acceptable for their peers.

Also, the activity named Saturday family ateliers (for children and parents) is organized as a pleasant activity for family members; aiming to spend time together in artistic activities; developing the relationships within the family; expanding the individual talents of the family members; creating friendship bonds between different families through sharing of common interests and activities; forming a neighbourhood community of families with similar interests.

A series of Saturday ateliers were conducted, each of them was based on a different art technique: collage, installations, decoration, painting, applications construction and others. The different art tasks/operations were allocated spontaneously among the family members, depending on their preferences, skills, dexterity and talents. The ateliers were joined by families with children of various ages, sometimes they were even joined by their grandmothers and grandfathers. The practice provided a safe space for common work between families with various interests and status. It is an excellent example of how the setting should be organized in order for the involved participants to create bonds and to bring out the best out of all participating children – giving them the possibility to pick their tasks, to work alone or in cooperation with someone, establishing rules of acceptance and friendship. This practice could be most beneficial for tackling exclusion due to social, cultural and socio-economic reasons.