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Help needed in Nature School of Gratitude in Bulgaria ( city or Yarlovo 2029)
ReportLocation: Yarlovo, Bulgaria
Hello, my name is Ivan, and I’d like to share our project with you: the Nature School of Gratitude. It’s an innovative creative center in the mountains that unites culture, spirituality, healthy living, and nature-based activities for children.We are a family of four—my wife Mari, our daughter Viara (4 ½ years old), and our son Boris (1 ½ years old). Our main goal in life is to be as helpful to people and society as we can. About 7 years ago, we began building this place from scratch in the mountains, starting from what was just a wild and empty field.
Our mission is to strengthen the connection between people and nature, as well as the connection between individuals and their higher selves. We organize a wide range of enriching events for both children and adults, including concerts, lectures, spiritual practices, educational activities, crafts, music, creative and scientific projects, permaculture farming, flower growing, healthy cooking, and workshops focused on physical and mental well-being.
All of our events have always been free of charge because we take great joy in working on a volunteer basis. The nature school is our way of contributing to society by promoting culture, creativity, and a deeper connection with the natural world. We are united by our love for children, people, art, culture, beauty, and nature.
We receive no funding from governments or organizations; instead, we strive to support our work independently. Visitors are welcome to contribute through donations if they wish, but all events remain free.
I moved to the United States at age 15, where I completed high school and worked various jobs for about 10 years before returning to Bulgaria. Around 15 years ago, I made a significant life change—I bought a caravan and moved into the mountains to live close to wildlife. This experience deepened my connection with nature, purified my spirit, and reshaped my priorities.
After three years of living alone, I began inviting like-minded people to join me, forming a small community. Our first location was remote, accessible only via a 4–5 km dirt road. It wasn't long until I realized I wanted to share the experience of living close to nature with more people. That desire led to the idea of creating a nature school that would be easily accessible and open to everyone, free of charge. Voluntary donations were welcomed but never required.
A friend who supported this idea donated a small piece of unused land. I built a dome house there for the community members to live in. Over the next three years, we developed a lake, gardens, a greenhouse, another dome, and a workshop. As school groups and families began visiting, interest in our activities grew.
However, unexpectedly, the friend who donated the land asked for it back. Despite my willingness to purchase it, he refused to sell. This was a painful but valuable lesson about trusting verbal agreements without legal documentation. I had to decide whether to give up or start over. I chose to start over because of the positive impact this lifestyle and these activities had on people, especially children.
I knew I needed to buy land first. This was my fourth time building from nothing—creating water and electricity supplies, buildings, gardens, workshops, and more. This time, I carefully considered location and accessibility. Since a large percentage of Bulgaria’s population lives in the capital, Sofia, I decided to establish the project near the city.
So this was about seven years ago when I found a beautiful piece of wild land near the village of Yarlovo, just 30–40 minutes from Sofia. At an altitude of over 1,100 meters, it’s surrounded by wildlife, forests, and a national park. I also decided to end my experiment of living in a community, as it required too much of my time and energy. Instead, I dedicated myself to building the nature school. Around this time, I also started my family, and this project became our shared mission.
My wife, Mari, is a professional musician with a master’s degree in classical flute. She also studied Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics. Her passions include music, writing, poetry, gardening, drawing, family life, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. She has experience teaching in private schools and frequently performs classical concerts. She manages the Nature School’s social media presence and fills our events with creativity and music.
Music is a major part of our project, which is why we built a large dome called Acapella with beautiful acoustics. Another key part of our work for over 14 years has been growing einkorn, the most ancient variety of wheat. At our events, we often teach children how to prepare and bake their own bread.
We are vegetarians striving to live in an environmentally friendly way. It’s essential for us that our volunteers and collaborators value honesty, respect, and positive relationships.
I mainly build everything myself, gaining experience in areas like innovative construction, solar power, electrical and water systems, mechanics, permaculture, gardening, and building various structures like lakes, domes, workshops, and greenhouses. I’ve also gained experience in creating and managing communities, organizing large-scale events, and working on diverse projects. I’m always happy to share my knowledge if it can be helpful.
Since we don’t rely on external funding, I focus on making everything as affordable as possible. During construction, I primarily use recycled or defective materials. Our house is built on a trailer, and I also have experience with other cost-effective housing solutions, such as container homes. Wood and glass are my favorite building materials. We prefer living a simple life with low expenses as this gives us more freedom and time for creativity and work on things we believe in.
For our visitors and volunteers, we have several accommodation options, most of which are caravans with extension rooms and 3 domes.
If you are interested in our project, you can visit our website at blagodaria.org, where you will find more information, videos, photos, and details about our events.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our project. If you find our work inspiring, we would love to meet you someday!
WORKING ARRANGEMENT
We have different work tasks in the school. Gardens, building, cooking, cleaning, events. Work hours a week 25 and we are very open to fit your schedule.
LIVING ARRANGEMENT
WE HAVE 5 caravans and a couple of domes for volunteers.
