Abstract:

In today's dynamic reality, non-formal education enables the application of alternative learning methods that outline a wide range of opportunities for the development of the personal and social competences of young people. Therefore, this type of education is increasingly present and appears in different versions as a field in which the experiment and the stimulation of creativity are a provocation to unfold the intellectual and creative potential.

This text presents the activities of the educational and research laboratory "Cultural-Historical Heritage", which has been uniting bachelor students, majoring in "Bulgarian language and foreign language" from the Silistra Branch of the "Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse for the past 10 years. It is a community of future teachers who have a strong interest in the humanities. The aim is that through various research and creative activities they enrich their knowledge and develop skills that contribute both to their personal development and to their future professional realization, since a large part of the activities are carried out in partnership with various cultural and educational institutions, who could also be future employers of the students.

The existence of such a group makes it possible to initiate and implement various events, ideas and projects related to the cultural and historical heritage, the knowledge and preservation of which is a mandatory condition for the implementation of the motto of the European Union - "United in diversity".
The research work and creative activity of the students find expression in the organized seminars; in the developed reports presented at conferences; in creative meetings with eminent scientists, as well as with guardians of folk memory; in the thematic meetings held with students. The created multimedia presentations, films and memoranda promote the results achieved and make them publicly available.

The participation of young people in this research and creative group stimulates their initiative and the desire to be involved in activities that complement and enrich their specific academic duties and professional training. Through the opportunity to work in a real research environment, outside the classrooms - in the museum, in the archive, in the library, in the gallery, in schools, during an expedition or on a study trip, they develop their communication skills, their research abilities and put into practice their theoretical knowledge. Non-traditional learning and teamwork stimulate practical skills - field work, the collection and processing of authentic material, striving for scientific clarification of facts, the creation of a scientific text, presentation of achieved results, public activity. This makes the students of the educational and research laboratory "Cultural-Historical Heritage" more adaptive and more adequate to modern educational trends, which require the formation of cultural, social and civic competences as well as the ability to apply knowledge practically in real-life situations.

Keywords:

Non-formal education, alternative, cultural-historical heritage, creativity, activity.