This was the focus for 20 young people and the storytelling workshop we conducted as part of the EcoGuardians project.
The workshop was designed in two parts.
– The first one was an online lecture where the young influencers could dive into what makes a story something you remember and that drives you for action. That was the start of the journey where the participants could start learning the theory behind effective stories and information campaigns.
– Then the second part was a an in-person workshop where though could dive even deeper, explore further examples of amazing campaigns and start using their own creativity to create stunning materials.
Participants met with photojournalist Aleksandar Nikolov and journalist Dimitar Panayotov from the independent journalism platform “Den”, who shared their recipe for a compelling story—from the initial idea to the impactful text or photograph. 
In the first (theoretical) part of the in-person training, we discussed how a good story is “built”—how to begin with emotion, how to use vivid language, and how to awaken the audience’s love before presenting the facts and data that often underlie environmental topics.
The practical part took place at the “Magnet” space, where Rumyana Ivanova and Yordanka Slavova from the BBF team presented four cases related to Vitosha Mountain:
- the waters supplying Sofia
- the high-mountain peatlands
- the mountain’s biodiversity
- the protected territories
And the young people split into groups to work on creating stories and campaign ideas connected to nature conservation.
Aleksandar Nikolov and Dimitar Panayotov gave practical guidance on creating content for social media:
- focus on emotion
- clear and strong messages
- support with reliable facts and data
- the right visual materials to grab attention
To our delight, among the participants were young people who are already active volunteers in environmental organizations or planning to create their own initiatives, and the training will truly benefit them. Some groups even chose to work on additional topics—for example, how human presence affects the Rila Lakes.
At the end of the day, everyone was tired but satisfied with the work done—and charged with new story ideas.
Because nature is an immense treasure worth talking about.
And sometimes a story is the first step toward change.
Here are some of the amazing stories the young people created!
