Teddy is one of the youngest members of the RAISE Graovo Weaving Workshop, but her talent and tenacity are in no way inferior to the other members of the team.
The head of the Regional RAISE Youth Center - Desislava Alexandrova introduced her to the magic of embroidery. The two agree that if the young girl doesn't like the craft, she can always quit. Teddy admits that she was skeptical at first, but then she fell in love with the embroidery and turned it into her new hobby.
"It's never too late for a new beginning. Fancywork is not a very popular job/hobby these days, but I would urge everyone to try it because you are reviving, preserving and passing on traditions," Teddy shares.
In addition, the craft has well-known properties to calm the nerves and act therapeutically.
Anita Asenova taught the young girl the intricacies and various techniques, and Teddy's favorite seamstress became the kuker, a symbol of the entire Pernik region.
Recently, students from Turkey visited Vasil Levski Secondary School, Breznik, and Teddy and Milena-Beloslava Borisova decided to show them what Bulgarian embroidery means. The guests are pleasantly surprised at what and how it is made and try to create something of their own, although it is not at all easy. The girls set them easy tasks as for beginners, so that everyone is satisfied that they have learned something new and that they have touched a part of the Bulgarian culture.
"There is nothing better than passing on something useful to someone," says Teddy, and she is firmly convinced that she will continue with this venture not only as a hobby, but also as a job. "I believe there is nothing better than doing what you love." The young girl dreams of developing her own business in this field and hopes that the youth center will help her with this.
For her, embroidery is real magic - the jewelry she makes are not only incredible ornaments, but also a way to revive Bulgarian traditions. In addition to exquisite and high-quality embroideries, they are also time-consuming, require a lot of work, which the consumer also buys as an added value to the product.
Teddy believes that embroidery is a way to be useful to yourself and society, and we at the Regional RAISE Youth Center believe that the region needs more small and quality jewels like Teddy to preserve the traditions of the region!
The RAISE Youth project, implemented by the Center for Development of Sustainable Communities, covers over 500 young people aged between 18 and 29, living in the municipalities of Pernik, Breznik, Trun, Radomir, Zemen and Kovachevtsi, who are not currently involved. Within its framework, various trainings for career and personal development are passed, and the most active 20 participants will be provided with additional training and mentoring assistance to start their own business.
The RAISE Youth project is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment.