Children and teenagers have all kinds of interests, and, of course, in the digital world of today, they look for answers online. Can information be presented in a way that is interesting, using videos that have an educational and social element as well? Yes, say vloggers* Stan and Slavi, and they have proved it.

It may look as if the video Stanislav Koichev, aka inStanT made with another vlogger, Steffie is just a bit of fun, but in actual fact it touches upon many questions close to a teenager’s heart, which they have no problem discussing. “How should we behave on a first date?”, “How do boys and girls think?”, “What you should never tell a girl”, “Don’t judge!” – these are just some of the videos on topics that matter to teenagers.

“They are interested in all kinds of different things from their own lives – their relationship with their parents, with their classmates, the environment at school, but most of all how to cope with communication,” Stan says. “To my mind vlogging is an effective way of saying important things, but it is also a dangerous place, there is a very fine distinction.  One thing is certain, young people need to have someone young as a role model.”

Offline, Stan has published two novels which quickly became a hit among teenagers because of the answers they give. The principal character in “Invisible” is a 16-year old boy with problems at school – violence and bullying. His character is developed in “Duped” – a book that goes even deeper: cyber violence and fake identities on social media. In 2017 and 2018 he released the two parts of “The organizer”, in which Stan gives advice he has tested himself, on how to cope in class, the principal rules in the Bulgarian language, maths formulas etc., as well as 20 bits of advice on how to be successful at school.

“That is something children are interested in and they want to find ways to cope better. The advice is sound, it works, it comes of my own experience. I believe that education must be something the children themselves reach out to, seek out to find whatever interests them”, says Stan.

They call Slavi from the Clashers the most intelligent vlogger in Bulgaria, and fans – children and adults alike - are always eager to see his new “Top 10” mystery episodes. The choice of format - “Top 10 mysteriously lost civilizations”, “Top 10 secret messages in famous paintings”, “Top 10 weird places in Bulgaria you have never heard of” – is no coincidence.

“This is a really fun way to learn things,”  Stan explains. “There are fascinating facts that really grab the attention, and children can demonstrate knowledge at school, in their families, when they are with friends.”

The vlogger says that he has found the right approach to spark the curiosity of children in a more unorthodox way:

“I think that vlogging will be playing that role more and more because presenting content interactively always makes it more interesting,” Slavi from the Clashers says.

* A person who regularly posts short videos on various topics online.

English version: Milena Daynova