Cinema for development of social and emotional skills

The project “Cinema for development of social and emotional skills” of ARTE URBANA COLLECTIF is funded by the Trust for Social Achievement and began its activities in November 2019.

Early learning of the Bulgarian language and the full social and emotional development of young children are key prerequisites for children’s equal start in life. Early language skills include the ability to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences through words and images; these skills help children communicate with the world around them and learn about elements of their own culture. And cinema educational activities are a powerful tool for developing these skills and attitudes that will make children successful in the future.

Developing socio-emotional skills through cinema workshops for elementary school children will focus on developing children’s ability to recognize, express and manage their feelings, to recognize others’ feelings, and to make meaningful connections with them. These skills reflect the success of cognitive processes such as decision making, persistence in achieving goals, thinking of rules and norms, seeking support or negotiating cooperation. And cinema is just that – cooperation and solidarity towards common goal.

Ultimately, the most pressing need addressed in the project is the lack of motivation to learn – in school and out-of-school contexts, as well as throughout life.

The project will involve children from grades 1 to 4 from “Neofit Rilski” Secondary School in Dermantsi. Screenings of European films from CinEd’s platform, discussions, ateliers for animation and feature films, preparation and shooting of short films, a final presentation of the films made by the children at the end of the school year in the village of Dermantsi, as well as a visit by the students and their parents to Sofia to participate in the seventh edition of the festival “Meetings of Young European Cinema.”

A booklet will be published with best practices related to cinema education at young age.

The project will also fund the equipment needed to make the short feature films, which will allow the school to continue its work towards film education for children where access to culture and art is extremely limited.

For more details and news about the project, please follow its Facebook page.​​