This is Denitsa – a young woman with a non-common type of thinking for our current society. She is smart, creative, but most of all – POSITIVE. We hope that people like her are the future face of Bulgarian journalism! Denny is a volunteer in “the most positive media in Bulgaria”, but let her tell you more about it 

Hello! How are you?

Hello! I feel more than great. ☺

Introduce yourself in a few words!

My name is Denitsa Sabeva, 23 years old. I was born in the town of Pernik. I am currently a bachelor’s degree student, but in a few months, I will be a graduate journalist of Sofia University. My hobbies are music, literature, and writing in all its dimensions. I am also a creator: I love graphic design, creating things with my hands, and most of all discovering new curious stories around the corner.

Have you been a volunteer before?

Yes, I have volunteered for a number of cleaning campaigns, donated food, clothes, toys, and money to those in need. But my participation in the European Solidarity Corps program is my longest volunteering so far.

Tell us about the place where you volunteer!

For the last 6 months, I have been a part of the “Creator of Good News” project of the “Step Forward” Association. To be a volunteer and part of the team of the most positive media in Bulgaria – “Uspelite” is probably one of the most meaningful decisions I have made for myself! I believe that the news and stories we discover and tell every day have the ability to change people’s lives and the present for the better.

What motivated you to apply for this project?

As a future journalist, I observe daily the coverage of the news during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, many of the mass media chose to emphasize the negative examples and statistics in this period, in an attempt to be useful to society. So day after day, the audience received another dose of black chronicle, which, according to my observations, over time, managed to distance people from the media.

I have been confronted more than once with the statement that “good news is bad news”, which I consider being downright untrue. My conversations with people of all ages, professions, statuses, and backgrounds have proven over the years (and especially during a pandemic) that society needs to learn about the good examples that surround us, but unfortunately, they often go untold.

The news for me is multifaceted. The news is that you have the opportunity to adopt a beehive, to support blood donation, to learn how to stop illegal logging in the forest, to know that the first Career Center for people with different abilities in Eastern Europe opens in Sofia.

I want to be informed about every news from the above, but the traditional media rarely broadcast this side of our lives in Bulgaria. Therefore, we often forget that the good really exists.

“Uspelite” is one of the few media that show the other side of the coin and despite the phrase, “good news is bad news”, a different trend started in Bulgarian journalism and managed to impose the new model in society and among the audience. It was this philosophy of theirs that prompted me to contribute to the positive trend by being part of the change in the media.

Tell us about your experience as a volunteer! What were your main tasks?

As a volunteer, my main tasks are: to follow the communication channels and social media, to select and research news, people, and stories to tell, propose and prepare entirely my own topics, to communicate directly with our editor-in-chief- Desi, who always gives great advice on how to best cover the current topics of the day, to check sources, to edit and translate, to transcribe texts from audio and video recordings, to prepare columns, and to write PR materials.

Were there any challenges you faced during the project?

Challenges are an important part of life that prepare us to find the best possible solutions for everyone. Of course, not every day in the newsroom goes according to plan, but without action, you can not learn the necessary lessons from situations.

Do you have a favorite moment of your volunteering?

I will admit that I have been thinking about this question for a long time and I have not been able to find a specific moment that surpasses the others. The truth is that every day shared with the Uspelite team is a gift. The people with whom I have had the honor to spend the last months are full of ideas, from which you can always gain experience, get support, advice, and another view of reality. It was these people who created my favorite moments from the volunteer program.

Has the pandemic affected your project?

If someone claims that the pandemic has not affected his personal or professional path, he/she is certainly wrong. I guess despite the difficulties surrounding the emergency, most of the stories we show would not exist without it now. I believe that extracting positivism even in the most negative moments is my superpower.

What would you say to young people to motivate them to volunteer?

Volunteering has the ability to create smiles, both in the human soul and in the ones in need. The feeling of being satisfied with your actions and seeing people happy thanks to you is irreplaceable. Don’t miss the chance to feel this emotion!

What awaits you after the end of the project? What are your plans for the future?

I am about to graduate, after which I intend to establish the genre of “good news” in the traditional media, where positive storytellers are not many. I hope in the future to find more positive-minded people who believe in the cause of good!

 

The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.