Sofia , Pozitano sq. Tel. / fax

Znanie Association: Main Priorities: Teacher Training Analysis and Consulting Services Education and Training

 more than 200 lecturers, experts and specialists. The Staff:  Managing Board  22 full-time employees  50 part-time tutors  40 volunteers

International Cooperation Unit IT Unit

Educational services for various target groups: Znanie Association: Young people with special training needs or disabilities Minorities, socially excluded people Adult learners: people with low qualification, long-time unemployed

Basic skills: IT, using Internet, foreign language competencies Computers in the everyday life: for beginners and advanced Motivation and vocational guidance for unemployed and disabled

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS: Leonardo da Vinci Mobility projects: Improving the Professional Skills of Foreign Language Teachers - in cooperation with Management International – UK; Vocational training in hotel and restaurant management – in cooperation with Case Depart – Montpellier, France  MNEMOSYNE - a partner in a Culture 2001 Project for emphasizing the importance and value of local cultural heritage and safeguarding European cultural wealth for future generations, with a promoter – The City of Torremaggiore, Italy  JOYFLL – Join Your Grandchildren in Learning a Foreign Language, Socrates Lingua pilot project, giving raise grandparents’ awareness of the advantages of learning a foreign language by motivating them to join their grandchildren in doing so. Partners from Spain, Portugal, Greece. Training and Employment – a SMAEP Phare & MLSP project for vocational qualification in agrobusiness, public utility services, and wood protection and preservation, and encouraging the employment in the municipality of Pirdop MOSEL - Methods for overcoming social exclusion by learning: a Socrates-Grundtvig project, promoted by Lancaster & Morecambe College, UK CIAO! - Communication via IT for Adults On-Line: a Socrates-Grundtvig project, promoted by Ridge Danyers College, Marple, UK IMTDS - Innovative Methodologies of Teaching for Disable Students: a Socrates-Grundtvig project, promoted by Associazione Centro Gamma, Naples, Italy NT Crafts - New access to continuing vocational training for isolated labour market groups through self-training in traditional crafts – a Leonardo da Vinci pilot project with partners from Spain, Greece, UK, Finland and Czech Republic Leonardo da Vinci pilot projects: “ROI – Return on Investment in Training”, promoted by CECOA – Portugal; “RIPERIJO – Right Person in the Right Job - Train the Trainers in the Field of Career Guidance”, promoted by FO.FO.S. - Austria A Life Chance – a project for vocational guidance, language and computer training of children with physical disabilities (Cerebral palsy), with the financial support of the National Rehabilitation Fund – Bulgaria

A Life Chance – a project for vocational guidance, language and computer training of children with physical disabilities (Cerebral palsy) Started in 1998 as a project for vocational assessment and guidance for the children with physical disabilities, the project now continues with a training program for foreign languages, computers, art and drama, for giving the children the possibilities for wider communication and contacts

The specific approach concentrates on:  Building a team of experts, including medical specialists, educators and psychologists, for observation and assessment of the specific personal potential of each child  Individual consulting for the results of the observation and drawing practical approaches for developing the child's potentials  Close collaboration with the parents and the families for further observation and analysis of the child's development

Realizing the positive effect of the project activities over the children and their families, Znanie Association continues its implementation with own funds and additional support from the Queen Juliana Foundation, and with small support from the families of the children. Teams from the Mathematics and Informatics Department – Sofia University, developed special software for educational purposes for the children with special needs Znanie Association started to offer some qualification courses for adults with special training needs Future impact of the project