18 children and 6 mothers tested today the magic of working together.
A talented young artist from Latvia – Ieva Krivma, has made a celebration this afternoon of the patients at the Children’s Hospital in Sofia. With a smile and a set of instructions in the Bulgarian language, Ieva invited small patients to dare not only to draw, but also to allow other children to finish their drawing. In the process of work, the participants passed through several different emotions: at first slightly jealous [“How do I give my drawing to someone else?”], later surprise [“How do I paint on someone else’s sheet?”], On the final happiness [“Bingo – my sheet is already with me!“] and wishes to continue to paint and work the same way.
The technique that Ieva used is a multi-layered: it allows participants to overcome their shyness and see that painting can be a funny process. By constantly changing the field of drawing – they can see a lot of different techniques and “steal” those who like it. They see that painting can be fun, there are no barriers and a pre-set model to compare and evaluate their drawing. But the strongest element is that children see the effect of working together – the result is much more colorful, richer and much more interesting than they themselves expected.
You probably had to work in a team and experience the difficulties of working collectively. Experts are of the opinion that group work on a particular task allows participants to get to know each other very quickly and develop tolerance among themselves. Unfortunately, however, there are several factors that can not only frustrate the achievement, but can terribly strain many solo players or those who are more confined and difficult to convey their ideas to other members of the group. By choosing appropriate techniques, however, from the very early age, we can begin to educate small children about tolerance, tolerance to other positions and qualities, and above all to see the power of diversity and work together. And as Winnie the Pooh says, “What is better than a pot of honey? Two pots of honey “. Even today the kids saw that when many people working together, the outcome in the end can be colorful, magic and rich.
Here’s what the kids asked Ieva in the final: “When will we paint together again?”, “Can we play this game with our friends or at home with Mom and Dad?“.
We thank Ivanka Stavreva – another young artist from Sofia, who translated the children and help of children to communication with Ieva. This situation, of support from colleague, is not a typical situation in artistic circles, and make our team work real magic.
The workshop is realized within the project “Freedom of (Hate) Speech”, funded by the EU program “Erasmus +”, Key Activity 1: Mobility for citizens.
