The summer vacation is near its end and school will soon open again. Children will enter the classrooms and would be telling stories about their summer experiences. For some summer was full of trips and fun, for others it was a time of work and helping their families. In small towns and villages life has a different pace; priorities and goals of people are different but this does not stop them from dreaming and developing. The “Summer for Fun, Autumn for Joy” Campaign helps people believe in their abilities and adopt a different attitude towards themselves. We get more about the campaign from coordinator Anna Milanova from the BCause Foundation:

“We have organized this initiative for a third year. It is gradually getting bigger and includes more schools and towns. We have been working with students and elderly people in tobacco growing regions. This year we also started working with young entrepreneurs who have ideas for business and want to achieve them. We organized summer academies and children had the opportunity to have a week of adventures and games, learning more about themselves and their relations with people. They also learn about the environment and why studying is something good.”

Since the beginning of July the summer academies have been visited by more than 600 children from the regions of Blagoevgrad, Silistra, Kardzhali and Haskovo. This year they go under the motto “Super heroes in vacation.” Children are separated into teams and each of them has its task such as cleaning the school yard, painting the benches or planting flowers. This way they work together contributing to cleaner environment.

For the first time this year organizers help young entrepreneurs start their business. In September individual consultations will start with 60 participants. Those with good ideas will be competing for a prize of 10,000 euro.

The initiative is supported by the creators of the "I Read" internet platform, as well as three Bulgarian children's literature writers - Radostina Nikolova, Nikola Raikov and Diana Petrova. They reveal to children the magical world of tales, motivating them to invent their own characters and stories. In their view, this is the best way to provoke their interest in books and reading. So far, five meetings have been held, which are very well received. The questions children have are countless and their desire to learn something new is great.

The second part of the campaign is aimed at the elderly and their problems. Free medical examinations will be organized. According to Milanova, the benefit to people in small towns and villages is great, so she hopes they will continue. The care towards the elderly and the attitude towards children show the progress of society. That is why the "Summer for Joy, Autumn for Care" initiative should not be the only one and should be followed by other good examples of social engagement and real action in order to improve the lives of people in need.

English: Al.exander Markov