My lame attempt at being a lecturer - or what NOT to do when you want to have a lecture

Being a bit ahead of time in terms of the assignments, my admission to the RPS gave me the opportunity to be a lecturer at the Sofia University's photography club. Naturally, when they invited me, I was overjoyed and took things really seriously.

I didn't know what the public would be like so when I was added to the closed group of the club (prior to that, I have never ever been a member) I had a look at the profiles of the others. It turned out that there are people who are quite advanced and some that are just beginning. So I created not one presentation but two, to cater for the two types of audience. The one aimed at the beginners was about popular myths about photography and photographers - after all, when you do something, you would like to know the truth about it, right?

So I compiled some of the most popular myths and put some images of mine in the presentation to illustrate my point. Then, I created another presentation, with some tips and tricks I know and again used some of my images. Decided that when I go on location, I will let the public decide which one to have. We could even have both, if there is enough time. The idea was after that to have a workshop around the building so that I can show them how I work on location. 

It was supposed my first-ever lecture. I have lectured before, during a session with the Bulgarian UNESCO club. Then I talked more about what you do during an expedition and how to behave on location. I have some experience in making presentations on different topics - academic topics, related to my studies. But never on photography. So, truth be told, I was much more than nervous and expected a lot of the whole experience.

This is a pic of me lecturing during one of the UNESCO club events:

So I went in early to find the location and set up. Imagine my dismay as there were only three people present, two of them being part of the club and the other just a friend. With the whole club numbering about 30+ people, I took the lack of people as a personal insult. So I got angry and decided to use the academic rule - no lecture unless at least 6 people show up. Imagine how many showed up? Four.

So, basically, the lecture was called off since I saw no point of presenting in front of 3 people from the club (out of 30+). I promised to be around in case they had any questions or ideas BUT refused to present as I felt let down and deceived.

This experience, though not the most amazing, taught me a few things about how to do my next photography lecture (because I am keen on doing another presentation, not for this club though).

First of all, the audience - I left all organization to the club - since I was a guest, I guessed they have some means of letting people know and having an audience. It turned out they didn't and at that Sunday afternoon almost all students have found something else to do. Next time I do something like that, I will promote it not only within the closed group but among my friends as well. It's always good to have a helping hand.

Timing is also important - from the very beginning I doubted that I will have a vast audience if we have a lecture on a Sunday but the decision was not mine. Next time I will insist on a saner time than Sunday afternoon.

As for the topics I wanted to present, I plan to record the presentations as videos (in Bulgarian with English subtitles, hopefully) and upload them on my YouTube channel.

Collaborations - a step further

I finally made up my mind to start marketing my project beyond the internet so I started looking for like-minded people to help me make Culture Crossroads greater.

University Dimitrie Cantemir, Bucharest, Romania (March 2018)

Conference - „Culture of Peace and Sustainable Development Education in the Pre-school and Primary School” co organized by the Romanian National Commision for UNESCO

At this conference I was invited as a speaker and I naturally chose the world heritage panel. The topic of my paper was Cultural heritage as a tourism booster and it was closely connected to my project so I took the opportunity to share ideas and insights as well as get some new connections and look for opportunities for future collaboration.

The conference brochure

I was honoured to be given the word and to have the opportunity for discussion with students, all very passionate on the same topic.

Me at the conference at the end of my 2-hour lecture on the cultural heritage of the Balkans and how to market it in such a way so as to promote the tourism on the Balkans. 

Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, Sofia, Bulgaria (April 2018)

Conference -  'Science, technology and humanities: interdisciplinary perspectives'

This was a student conference at the Philosophical faculty of the university. I presented my ideas for changing the status quo of Bulgarian museums drawing on good practices in the field. The topic of my paper was 'The interdisciplinary approach as means of attracting more people to museums' and I also managed to talk about Culture Crossroads attracting more audience to it.

In March 2018 I became a member of  The Changemakers alliance, which is a global network of young and passionate people aiming at changing the world. I became a member because of Culture Crossroads and the rest of the community promised support (I will need a hand in reaching out to more people and in marketing). 

More information can be found on their website:

http://www.dhillonmarty.org/global-call-to-change-makers/ (visited 23/04/2018)

I also applied for another international organization that unites people from all over the world but I am still waiting for them to respond with information about my application.