On October 17, during the 6th International Tele’Drama Conference, we experienced a truly special event – “The Friendship Camp”, a session that united three different spaces in real time:

• the children from “Veselite Kambanki” (The Joyful Little Bells) kindergarten and nursery in Sofia, guided by their inspiring facilitator Borislava Petrova and translator Maria Asenova,and Hristina Papazova as TVA
• the students from the Adler Psychology Club at Thracian University,
• and the online community of psychologists, therapists, and facilitators from different countries around the world.

The session was made possible thanks to the open-hearted support of Tatyana Raykova, director of “Veselite Kambanki”, and with special appreciation to Dragomira Pavlova, who helped connect the Adler Club and the kindergarten.

The smooth technical coordination was ensured by Zdravko Tahirov and Eng. Radoslav Angelov, who seamlessly linked the three spaces into one shared virtual field.
The TVA (Tele’Drama Virtual Assistant) for the session was Hristina Choleva, who skillfully coordinated the communication between the online space and both on-site locations.

This was a fully hybrid Tele’Drama session, where children embodied the roles of animals, students took on supportive and educational roles, and online participants engaged as counter-roles and ideal roles — creating a rich field of interaction, creativity, and spontaneity.

At the heart of the scene was the Skunk, who gets scared and starts to smell bad when afraid. Soon after, the Pig joined the campfire and said:

“When I get nervous, I roll in the mud. But when I am calm and among friends – I don’t smell bad.
That’s why I like the Skunk – we have something in common.”

This simple yet profound metaphor opened a space for exploring acceptance, empathy, and connection through difference — all through play, imagination, and the language of roles.

In fact, this hybrid workshop beautifully demonstrated the potential of the Tele’Drama method for integrating children with special educational needs or difficulties in live interaction, by providing a safe, playful, and supportive environment for connection through role and symbol.

The session concluded with a ritual of connection – “making hot chocolate together.”
Children, students, and online participants all stirred their imaginary chocolate and said in unison:

“Friendship is sweet when we make it together!”

The finale was full of smiles, gestures, and one closing word from each participant – a symbol of what they took from this shared experience.

📸 Photos by Bojana Glušach Drasler, Desislava Klochkova, and Tatyana Raykova –here

The Friendship Camp showed how Tele’Drama can connect generations, spaces, and cultures, creating a living, empathic field where therapy, education, and the art of human connection meet.

Text: Daniela Tahirova, Director of Tele’Drama Bulgaria