Before Christmas, social networks brought us the news that a group of students was organizing a Christmas market in support of the "Gift a Fairytale" campaign. We tracked the young people who had chosen TSA’s Christmas giving drive to unite ideas, effort and energy to organize the first Christmas market of the university newspaper FATUM, the new student publication of Burgas State University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov". The team behind the publication is comprised of students studying Bulgarian Philology, backed by the Student Council and university management.
At the end of the” Gift a Fairytale" campaign in January, we met some of the students who are the driving force behind the newspaper - editor-in-chief Victoria Delcheva, as well as part of the editorial team - Todor Stoyanov and Dilyana Hristova. We wanted to find out more about the Christmas Bazaar, the FATUM newspaper, and the ideas that motivate the new generation to contribute their time, thought, skills , and funds.
The newspaper was launched in 2023. On the eve of the holidays at the end of 2024, the team decided to make a loud and clear statement about the publication’s role both in academic life of the university and in contributing to solving deep social problems. They decide to back "Gift a Fairytale", which for the sixth consecutive year set out to collect and provide books for the youngest children at the age of up to 2 years old from poor families, which we support with the Nurse-Family Partnership home-visiting program. The students say that as philologists, they were guided by their love of words and the importance of language in choosing a cause. That is why they chose to support a cause that, through books, will sow such love in children, regardless of the capabilities of their families.
While crafting the items to be offered for sale at the bazaar, they mobilized the newspaper's editorial team and spent long hours making Christmas souvenirs. They say they stayed up until the early hours of several December days to prepare what was needed. In the process while creating the Christmas souvenirs, decor
ations and toys, they discovered and developed new, unsuspected talents in creative arts and crafts.
The bazaar itself, held between December 11th and 13th , was also a new challenge for the small but energetic team. In between their commitments and lectures, the young journalists took turns selling at the stand in the building of the Faculty of Social Sciences. They say that the bazaar attracted enormous interest. They raised 660 leva for Gift a Fairytale, and in the process they showed that with initiative, energy and desire we can all contribute to change and create opportunities. Opportunities for parents – to take good care of their children, and opportunities for children – to grow healthy and strong, and to dream with inspiration from the books.
This year, the "Gift a Fairytale" campaign collected a record number of children's books, over 1,200. This will allow for the funds of 2,100 BGN donated in support of the cause to be used to purchase daily essentials for the families.
To our new friends from FATUM, we extend our wishes for strength and inspiration to keep the publication at the center of academic life and the city of Burgas! We believe that with the example they set, they will continue to ignite the fire of charity and doing good among their readers - the future generations of Bulgaria!