👩‍🏫 Our Team

Mariana Trenkova's Bio:

A Bulgarian teacher of English with over 36 years of professional teaching experience in both Bulgaria and Australia. She is the founder of Delphin Educational Centre in Petrich, established in 2006, which offers year-round language programmes for learners of all ages, as well as summer adventure camps for children.

Sessions

1. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Matrix Reimprinting and dōTERRA Aromatherapy

Overview:

This session presents practical applications of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Matrix Reimprinting, and aromatherapy in an educational context. Participants will explore ready-to-use strategies for reducing student anxiety, supporting emotional regulation, and helping learners effectively manage fears in the classroom.

2. Traditional Bulgarian Outdoor Games

Overview:

This interactive session introduces a variety of traditional Bulgarian outdoor games that promote teamwork, physical activity, and social interaction. Participants will actively engage in selected activities that can be easily adapted to different educational settings.

 3. Using AI Tools to Create Interactive Learning Materials

Overview:

In this session, participants will gain insight into the use of digital tools, including Canva and AI-based applications, for designing engaging and interactive educational content. Practical examples and ideas for classroom implementation will be shared.

Meet Yesim Guner Tunali — an educator who brings learning to life through nature.

With a deep passion for early childhood education, Yesim creates spaces where children feel safe, inspired, and free to explore the world around them. Her approach blends creativity, outdoor learning, and emotional development, helping children grow not only academically, but also as confident and curious individuals.

She believes that some of the most powerful learning happens beyond the classroom — in nature, through hands-on experiences, meaningful play, and real-life connections. Whether it’s designing permaculture projects, exploring forests, or engaging with animals, Yesim encourages children to think independently, ask questions, and discover their own potential.

A strong advocate of holistic education, she integrates Equine-Assisted Services into her practice, supporting children’s emotional well-being and strengthening the connection between learning, nature, and personal growth.

Education and Qualifications

Yesim Guner Tunali has completed her CACHE Level 5 and Level 3 SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordination) qualifications in the United Kingdom. She is a certified Equine-Assisted Services Practitioner and Permaculture Designer, and holds additional certification from Finland to teach permaculture to children.

She has also completed Forest School and Pedagogy training in Flensburg, Germany. In addition, she holds a Master’s degree in Financial Economics, bringing a unique interdisciplinary perspective to her educational practice.

Sessions

1. The Forest School Approach and Its Application Across Different Countries

Overview:

This session explores the Forest School approach and examines its application in various countries. Participants will reflect on a variety of international practices, observe children in a real learning environment at Delphin Educational Centre in Bulgaria, and engage in guided analysis and discussion.

2. Implementing Permaculture Ethics and Principles in the Forest School Approach

Overview:

This session focuses on the relationship between ecosystems and permaculture, and how these principles can be integrated into Forest School settings. Participants will explore how to design permaculture projects together with children and discuss sustainable practices and their impact on the future of education.

3. Practical Skills: Using Tools and Creativity in Nature

Overview:

A hands-on session where participants will work with natural materials and explore creative outdoor activities. The session includes safe and practical guidance on using tools such as knives and saws, with a focus on how to confidently teach these skills in an educational setting.

4. Safeguarding, Risk Assessment, and Health & Safety Procedures

Overview:

This session addresses key aspects of safety in outdoor learning environments. Participants will learn how to assess risks in nature, create effective risk assessment forms, and understand the importance of first aid, including the qualifications required for first aiders.

Nergis Satıcı – Professional Profile

Nergis Satıcı is a professional with an engineering background and over 25 years of experience in corporate governance, sustainability, and leadership. Her work combines analytical thinking with human-centred learning approaches, creating development experiences that connect structure with meaning.

She is also a drama facilitator, certified coach, and experienced mentor, having supported young professionals, women, and students through both individual and group development processes. Her coaching practice focuses on building self-awareness, helping individuals recognise their potential, and supporting value-driven decision-making.

By integrating drama-based methods into learning environments, Nergis creates safe and engaging spaces where participants can explore emotions, roles, conflicts, and multiple perspectives through experience. Her sessions are participatory, reflective, and closely connected to real-life situations, encouraging both insight and meaningful action.

She believes that learning is most powerful when grounded in human stories, lived experience, and authentic interaction—and this philosophy underpins all of her work.

Sessions

1. Recognising and Transforming Conflicts in Relationships (60 minutes)

Overview:

This workshop explores both visible and underlying barriers to effective communication in relationships through drama-based methods. Drawing on real-life experiences, participants will examine communication patterns on physical, emotional, and cognitive levels.

Through role-play, enactment, and reflective activities, conflict is approached not only as a challenge to resolve, but as an opportunity for awareness, growth, and transformation. Participants will gain insight into their own communication styles and explore more constructive and mindful ways of relating to others.

2. Create Your Personal Vision (60 minutes)

Overview:

This workshop supports participants in integrating their learning and connecting it to their personal and professional future. Through a guided reflective and creative process, participants will clarify their intentions, identify key insights, and define what they wish to carry forward.

The session provides space to translate learning into personal meaning, helping participants leave with a stronger sense of direction, ownership, and continuity beyond the training experience.

Lauren Kenney – Professional Profile

Lauren Kenney is an experienced early years educator and leader, currently working as a Nursery Manager with over a decade of experience in Early Years Education. She has spent the past 12 years working in the United Arab Emirates, where she has held a variety of teaching and leadership roles across Early Years and Key Stage 1.

She holds a PGCE in Early Years Teaching, along with CACHE Level 3 and Level 5 qualifications. Through her classroom and leadership experience, Lauren has developed a strong understanding of child development, curriculum implementation, and effective team leadership.

In her role as Nursery Manager, she is dedicated to supporting educators in creating engaging, hands-on learning environments that nurture curiosity, independence, and confidence in every child. She is particularly passionate about inclusive education and empowering teams to deliver developmentally appropriate learning experiences that meet the needs of all learners.

Lauren also places great importance on building strong, trusting partnerships with parents, recognising that collaboration between educators and families is key to ensuring that every child feels safe, supported, and happy throughout their early learning journey.

Sessions

1. Creating Belonging in the Early Years

Overview:

This session explores inclusive practices in early years education, with a focus on supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Participants will examine practical strategies for creating environments where every child feels valued, included, and able to thrive.

2. Leadership that Children Can Feel

Overview:

This session highlights the impact of leadership in early years settings and how it shapes children’s everyday experiences. Participants will explore how intentional, reflective leadership practices influence learning environments, staff dynamics, and children’s emotional well-being.

Dominika Brozynska – Professional Profile

Dominika Brozynska is an educator with experience in international and alternative education settings across Poland, the United Kingdom, and Dubai. With a background in philosophy and early years pedagogy, she explores how philosophical thinking, dialogue, and the values of freedom can be meaningfully integrated into education.

Her work focuses on supporting children’s holistic development through approaches that emphasise critical thinking, communication, and reflective dialogue. Dominika has experience in a wide range of educational contexts, including traditional school environments, university conferences, professional development workshops, and alternative education projects.

She has a particular interest in democratic education, viewing children as capable and active participants in their own learning. Dominika believes in creating learning environments where children feel safe, respected, and inspired to explore ideas. Her approach highlights the importance of trust, relationships, and freedom in helping children develop their thinking and engage with the world at their own pace.

Sessions

1. LEGO-LOGOS: Thinking, Talking, Building

Overview:

This workshop introduces LEGO-LOGOS, an innovative approach inspired by philosophical dialogue, where logos represents reasoning, language, and shared meaning. Using LEGO as a tool for thinking, participants will explore how learners can express ideas, engage with different perspectives, and develop understanding through dialogue, collaboration, and creative exploration.

2. Democratic Education: Freedom, Responsibility, and Community in Learning

Overview:

This session explores the role of freedom in education as a foundation for meaningful learning. Through practical examples of democratic education and guided reflection, participants will examine how small shifts in teaching practice can foster children’s agency, responsibility, and sense of community within the learning environment.

Daniela Bakalova's Bio:

Daniela Bakalova is an educator from Petrich, Bulgaria, with a deep-rooted connection to nature and a strong passion for working with children. She specialises in supporting learners aged 6 to 11 through meaningful, nature-based educational experiences that foster curiosity, creativity, and confidence.

Her teaching approach centres on experiential learning, encouraging children to explore, question, and discover through hands-on activities in natural environments. Daniela believes that nature is a powerful teacher, offering rich opportunities for problem-solving, emotional development, and self-awareness. Through outdoor learning, children develop not only knowledge about the world, but also a deeper understanding of themselves.

She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Education, further strengthening her expertise in child development and learning theories. For the past four years, she has been working as a Forest School teacher at Delphin Green School, where she designs and delivers engaging outdoor sessions that nurture resilience, independence, and a sense of belonging.

Daniela’s work is guided by the belief that children learn best when they feel free, inspired, and connected to nature. She is committed to creating enriching learning environments that empower children to become confident, curious, and compassionate individuals.

Sessions

1. Animal Yoga Workshop

Overview:

This interactive workshop combines movement, creativity, and imagination through animal-inspired yoga and origami elements. Yoga supports children’s physical development, body awareness, and emotional regulation, while playful animal poses and storytelling make the experience engaging and enjoyable. The session encourages imagination, joy, and mindful movement.

2. Origami Workshop

Overview:

This session focuses on developing fine motor skills, concentration, patience, and cognitive abilities through the art of origami. Participants will learn how to create paper animals, inspired by the themes of the yoga session, and explore how such activities can be integrated into educational practice.