Етапи на инициативата

One educational idea. Hundreds of participants. Thousands of children and audience members. And an entire country that brought Money Carousel to life!

In spring 2026, the national initiative “Let’s Spin the Money Carousel – Together!” brought together schools, kindergartens, libraries, community cultural centres and local communities around an unusual idea – inviting children to create and perform their own financial literacy lesson-theatre.

What began as an invitation to take part in Global Money Week grew into a nationwide movement. From large cities to small villages, from classrooms to theatre stages, children brought the characters of Money Carousel to life and told the financial stories in their own way.

And no two performances were alike.

Money Carousel brought together not only children, teachers and local communities. The initiative also gained the backing of leading public institutions, financial sector organisations, companies and partners from the education sector.

The initiative was held with the official support of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Finance, the Financial Supervision Commission and the Bulgarian Stock Exchange.

It was also supported by leading financial sector associations and individual companies – the Association of Banks in Bulgaria, the Association of Bulgarian Insurers, the Bulgarian Association of Asset Management Companies, the Bulgarian Association of Supplementary Pension Security Companies, the Bulgarian Association of Licensed Investment Intermediaries and the Bulgarian Fintech Association, as well as Concord Asset Management and Doverie Pension Assurance Company.

This broad support gave the initiative national visibility and demonstrated that children's financial literacy is a shared priority capable of bringing together public institutions, businesses and civil society organisations.

On 26 January 2026, the national initiative “Let’s Spin the Money Carousel – Together!” was officially launched. We invited schools, kindergartens, libraries, community cultural centres and other organisations to take part by staging their own performance of the Money Carousel lesson-theatre.

The organisers provided the script, methodological guidelines, educational resources and communication materials, while local teams took on the most exciting part – bringing the story to life through their own productions.

Rehearsals began, roles were assigned, and costumes and stage sets took shape. Children drew, crafted, sang, danced and came up with new ideas for the stage.

But the creative preparation had another, equally important dimension – it was part of the financial learning process itself. As children got to know the characters, discussed their decisions, took on roles and acted out real-life situations, they developed an understanding of financial concepts and connected them with everyday life. They were not simply preparing to demonstrate what they had learned – they were gaining financial knowledge and skills through the very process of creating the performance.

The performance was the finale. The learning had begun long before.

During Global Money Week, 16–22 March 2026, Bulgaria became a stage for financial literacy.

Dozens of performances took place across the country, and the initiative continued beyond that week. The characters of Money Carousel came to life in school halls, libraries, community cultural centres and public spaces.

There were songs, dances, poems, original stage sets and unexpected creative interpretations. The same script took on dozens of different forms, shaped by the children's ages, their ideas and the resources available to local teams.

Each performance was an event in its own right. But together, they created something much bigger – a nationwide stage that brought financial literacy to thousands of people.

The shared calendar brought together performances from across the country, while participants shared their experiences through photos, videos and stories from their own productions in the NATIONAL MONEY CAROUSEL ONLINE GALLERY.

EXPLORE THE ONLINE GALLERY TO EXPERIENCE THE EXCITEMENT AND SPIRIT OF THE DOZENS OF PERFORMANCES HELD ACROSS THE COUNTRY!

Following the performances, participants shared their stories, photos, videos and impressions in the initiative’s National Online Gallery. The 117 documented implementations revealed an impressive diversity of ideas, creative approaches and local interpretations of Money Carousel.

On 24 April 2026, the national awards ceremony celebrated the success of the first edition and gave participants the recognition they deserved.

15 organisations received awards in four categories – Jury Awards, Audience Awards, Prize Draw Awards and Special Awards for Outstanding Achievement.

JURY AWARDS

• Nikolay Vranchev Regional Library – Smolyan

• Petko Rachov Slaveykov Primary School – Roman

• Kiril i Metodiy Primary School – Zamfir village

AUDIENCE AWARDS

• First Place: Elin Pelin Primary School – Plovdiv (805 votes)

• Second Place: St. Paisiy Hilendarski Secondary School (737 votes)

• Third Place: Chernorizets Hrabar Secondary School – Plovdiv (450 votes)

PRIZE DRAW AWARDS

• Mati Bolgaria Primary School – Kazanlak

• St. Kliment Ohridski Secondary School – Zverino

• Valentina Tereshkova Kindergarten – Batanovtsi

• Ivan Vazov Primary School No. 4 – Targovishte

• Panayot Volov Secondary School – Shumen

SPECIAL AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

• Kozma Trichkov Secondary School – Vratsa

• Nikola Belovezhdov Secondary School No. 108 – Sofia

• Yuri Gagarin Primary School – Sliven

• Prof. Dr Ivan Shishmanov Special School for Students with Visual Impairments – Varna

But recognition goes far beyond the awards. Every participant contributed to the success of Money Carousel through their energy, imagination and dedication. Together, they turned the initiative into a nationwide celebration of financial literacy.

After the first edition, we asked ourselves an important question: What actually happens when children learn about money by creating and performing the story themselves?

To explore this question, we conducted a systematic qualitative analysis of the open-ended comments and observations shared by participants across 117 documented implementations.

The analysis revealed several important findings:

• Children do more than simply have fun – they actively engage with the financial content. They interpret it, make sense of it, recreate it through roles, dialogue and action, and present it to others.

• Active participation is strongly associated with financial learning. In 66 of the 117 implementations, we identified explicit evidence of children understanding financial concepts, connecting them with everyday choices, and demonstrating or explaining what they had learned.

• Engagement extends beyond the stage. Classmates, parents, educators and local communities become involved, creating ever-wider circles of engagement with financial topics.

• The educational format can be adapted to different ages and settings. From kindergartens to secondary schools, from large cities to small towns and villages, participants created their own interpretations of a shared story.

One of the most important findings is that the performance is not simply a way for children to demonstrate what they have learned. Creating the performance is itself part of the learning process.

The findings also reveal the initiative’s wider potential – to engage not only children but also the people around them, turning financial education into a shared experience within local communities.

READ THE ANALYSIS “MONEY CAROUSEL: FINANCIAL EDUCATION THROUGH THEATRE, PARTICIPATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT” →

EXPLORE THE “MONEY CAROUSEL” 2026 BROCHURE – RESULTS AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS →

What did Money Carousel mean to the children who stepped onto the stage? To the educators who prepared them? To the parents and communities who supported them?

The answers lie in the participants’ own stories – heartfelt, inspiring and sometimes surprising.

SEE MONEY CAROUSEL THROUGH THE EYES OF ITS PARTICIPANTS