Yerevan, Armenia. The Mayri Center in Armenia trains teachers in the field of special education. Its work is supported by the Mahle Foundation.
At the Mayri Center for Special Education and Social Therapy, teachers learn how to best support children with special needs in their educational journeys. The training concept combines Waldorf pedagogy with artistic work. “Mayri” means cedar in Armenian, a tree that is regarded as a symbol of resilience. Resilience is a key focus at the educational center.
Even today, people with special needs in the former Soviet country face prejudice and discrimination. The Mayri Center offers them a safe space where their individual potential can be nurtured. In recent years, a close collaboration has been established with the Yerevan State Pedagogical University. As part of their studies, aspiring teachers can complete a multi-month internship at the Mayri Center. The goal is for them to finish the internship with a healthy self-confidence and concrete skills in working pedagogically with children and adolescents with special needs.
The learning environment at the Mayri Center stands in strong contrast to the academic training at the university, which focuses on theoretical-intellectual approaches to pedagogy. At the center, artistic work is prioritized: theater, singing, and visual arts are fundamental components of the program.
“The internship broadens the students’ horizons in many ways,” says Zaruhi Manukyan, head of the Mayri Center. In the creative areas, they discover various personal forms of expression, and with regard to their future professional work, they develop greater openness and curiosity. Despite the successful collaboration, the university plans to remove the internship from the curriculum in the future. At the same time, the Mayri Center is to be officially certified by the state as a recognized training institution for inclusive education.
Source Mahle Foundation
Translation Charles Cross
Image Jude Infantini
