6 Maliovitsa Str.
1000 Sofia
Bulgaria
- Youth and education
With a team of 6 scientists, educators, communication and management staff, Muzeiko works to inspire children for knowledge by sparkling their interest in science, technology and art. The Foundation supports the activity of Children’s Science Center" Muzeiko" - the largest science museum for children in Eastern Europe, and specializes in organising interactive spaces, interdisciplinary educational formats, training of teachers and educators in formal and non-formal education. We enjoy high visibility and good relationship with central and local authorities, academia, civil society and corporate sector in Bulgaria. Our membership with ECSITE (the European network science centers & museums), Hands On! International Association of Children in Museums and the Association of Children Museums (USA) gives us access to vast expertise and resources in science, education and work with children. Muzeiko has a free platform for parents and teachers MyMuzeiko with child-friendly articles related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths (STEAM) topics and lesson kits linked with the educational content for primary age children. The foundation supports interactive travelling exhibitions “Black Sea Map” and “Inventions” (Discover America), thus providing access to educational information and inspiration for children, parents and teachers nationwide. The organization's annual budget hovers around 210-270,000 euro and is secured through: project grants, renting out spaces, sponsors and donors.
Muzeiko works to inspire children and young people to explore the wonders of science, technology and art; to provoke them to think, ask questions, experiment, create and learn (through encouraging educational strategies based on play, experience, hands-on activities, object and enquiry- oriented instruction). Believing that every child has the right to humane, high-quality and inclusive education, Muzeiko is dedicated to making the world of science and knowledge attractive and accessible to all. We aim to: - inspire children for knowledge by excitement of their interest in the world, science and art through self-directed complex play; - work for improving the quality of education in Bulgaria by supporting communities working in this field; - create conditions for improving the well-being of children, by reviving their curiosity and their interest in the educational process; - support the high academic achievements of students; - establish methods for prevention early leaving the education system; - encourage the creativity and thinking of children and create better opportunities for them in the future; - positively influence the early development of the youngest (0 to 3 years old) by providing protected environment learning and playing space; - support the process of creating the right environment for kids, which takes into account their specific needs in order to have a special place to express themselves in their early childhood; - support the process of establishing this place as a center for creative meetings and discussions between parents and specialists dealing with the issues of early childhood development and support its potential by creating conditions for a positive change in thinking about early childhood; - influence the local economy, infrastructure and cultural development as a catalyst for economic development in the city; - motivate public engagement, to provide families with a unique place to share their talents and perspectives, to be a starting point for action by social groups in Bulgaria and around the world towards problems in the sphere of education and child development; - be a catalyst for the convergence of social groups by encouraging and supporting the process of exchanging ideas for the creation of an enlightened, healthy and prosperous living environment.
- Development of interactive STEAM educational programs - since 2015 our team and external experts have developed more than 15 thematic programs and 60 workshops for children and family audiences, school groups; it has co-created a four-lingual 75-hour online training GardensToLearn for early childhood teachers and educators with resources, technical and pedagogical advice for developing and using inclusive school gardens; Muzeiko has co-produced resources for distance learning related to ocean literacy (videos, quizzes, presentations, leaflets) through its participation as a partner in the Horizon 2020 SeaChange multinational project; - Support and organization of professional communities in museum education - Muzeiko is a co-founder of the national professional community “Together with children” which has been holding regular meetings since 2014; - Methodological support and advice for educators in formal and non-formal setting - over the past year Muzeiko hosted a national conference on school gardens with 120 educators in November 2019 and a practical workshop in February 2020 with 60 educators; organising training for museum workers and creative companies in design and manufacture of museum exhibitions, conducted by international experts Paul Orselli (POW! / Paul Orselli Workshop) and Joe Cook (Hüttinger Interactive Exhibitions), as well as a series of practical workshops for museum educators on interactive methods for presenting academic content and linking primary curriculum with specific exhibitions in their museums. - Work with volunteers (currently we have a network of 40 young persons).
Since its establishment in 2014, Muzeiko Foundation has been working to create conditions for improving the well-being of children by reviving their curiosity and interest in the educational process, encouraging their creativity and critical thinking; creating a positive impact on the early development of the youngest (from 0 to 3 years) by providing a safe and stimulating environment for learning and play; ensuring welcoming space for creative meetings and discussions between parents and specialists dealing with the issue of early childhood development; providing families with a comfortable place to share their talents and perspectives. Through fundraising activities and own resources, Muzeiko Foundation aims to give kids from underprivileged and low-income families in Bulgaria and those deprived of parental care an opportunity to approach science and experimentation by visiting the only children science center in the country MUZEIKO, or by participating in its outreach program. Since the end of 2017, free admission to Museiko Children's Science Center has been provided for nearly 3,000 students from poor areas of the country and from social services for children with and without disabilities. Two girls from a center for social rehabilitation and integration received scholarships for participation in the Summer Academy "Games of Science”.
Muzeiko recently embarked on a new challenge to engage deeper around issues of social and cultural inclusion, with the intention of creating a safe and meaningful place for children (and families) of diverse backgrounds. In these pursuits, we are developing an outreach programme seeking to reach out to children from communities that traditionally remain excluded from science due to geographical location (poor rural regions), disability, minority/ migrant origin, status (children deprived of parental care living in social services), self-stigma and self-discrimination. They perceive higher education as an undefeatable stronghold reserved for a group of exceptional people, and rarely develop a self-image of a future scientist or engineer. We would be happy to upgrade our expertise in cooperation with various organizations, and at the same time share our experience and knowledge in multi-faceted partnerships to work on problems of empowerment through science, technology and art.