The World in Children's Hands
This past summer the international English language festival “The World in Children’s Hands” took place in Balchik – a Bulgarian town situated on the coast of the Black Sea.
Boys and girls from Russia, Bulgaria and Turkey demonstrated their skills in English and their love for art.
The Festival competition had three categories: declamation, acting and singing. Both individual performers and groups took part. The performances were evaluated by an international panel of judges which included professional linguists and cultural professionals.
The programme of the festival was rich and varied. Besides the performances that all the participants gave on the stage of the local cultural centre named after Paisiy Hilendarski, the days were filled with interesting excursions and socializing with friends. The opening ceremony which took place in the main square of the town was festive and colourful. There were warm greetings and dances performed by Bulgarian children’s dance groups dressed in bright folk costumes. The closing of the festival was also an unforgettable event. It took place on the premises of the palace which once belonged to the Romanian queen Maria and is now considered the landmark of Balchik...
“It’s the third time we’ve been to Balchik and we hope it’s not the last,” says Olga Borisovna Ivanova – head teacher of the English language club “Lingva” (a learning centre for children and youth “Lefortovo”). “At the festival ‘The World in Children’s Hands’ Russia was represented by prize-winners of the ‘Young Talents of Moscovia’ festival which we hold every year. Creative work is a great help in learning foreign languages; it gives motivation to the educational process.
Children and teens enjoy singing, dancing, acting, staging plays. Some of them are very gifted. Besides, practically all our teachers have artistic talent and they take part in the festival with great enthusiasm.
We are grateful to the director of our centre “Lefortovo”, Tatiana Viktorovna Medvedeva, who helps us implement all our creative initiatives. Without her this journey to Bulgaria would have been impossible. We are also thankful to the Moscow Department of Education, to sunny Bulgaria, and to our dear Svetlana Atanasova, who undertook the organization of this non-profit event (working alone and at her own risk) and who succeeded brilliantly…”
And of course there were some funny incidents. For example the luggage of one of the groups had been accidentally sent to Teheran instead of Varna. So the teachers and parents had to promptly buy swimsuits and T-shirts wholesale for themselves and the children. When in the long run the luggage arrived the owner of one of the suitcases couldn’t get his property back for a long time because of a suspicious object inside the suitcase – a toy pistol used in the theatricals. But even such incidents could not spoil the happy atmosphere of a fairy-tale which surrounded us at the festival, in Balchik, Bulgaria.