site.btaSchool Children Give MPs Book on History and Civilizations for March 3

On the eve of Bulgaria's National Day, March 3, the Bulgarian Memory Foundation led by its founder and Chairman Milen Vrabevski, and students from the Tsar Simeon Veliki Secondary School of Sofia launched their latest socially oriented campaign in Parliament. The initiative titled "Patriotism: A Worthy Cause," is intended to show that patriotism is nurtured by telling the truth from the earliest age, said the Foundation.

The event took place in the Library of Parliament and was attended by Irena Atanasova, Chair of the Parliamentary Education and Science Committee, and MPs Elisaveta Belobradova and Hristo Petrov.

Viktoria Petrova (Year 2) and Nikola Borissov (Year 5) gave those present "My Bulgaria," a handbook on history and civilizations, and talked about why patriotism is important to them and how they learn about it at school.

The book, which is a joint project with the Bulgarian Memory Foundation, has 51 illustrated chapters which provide a concise yet in-depth description of historical events from Prehistory to Modernity. Emphasis is on the new events and personalities that make it possible to reconstruct history in a thorough and truthful manner. 

The idea behind the book, published by the Prosveta Publishers, is to offer a new interpretation of past events so as to attract and educate young people. Moreover, the book can help anyone broaden their knowledge of Bulgarian history.

Launching the campaign, Vrabevski said the book reflects the work of Bulgaria's most reputed historians over many years. It presents the country's authentic history without bowing to foreign state doctrines. Patriotism: A Worthy Cause is the latest initiative by which the Foundation reaffirms the importance of teaching children to love their country in an easy-to-understand language, he said.

The Foundation recalls that last year MEPs were given the English-language version of the first edition of the book for May 24, celebrated as the Day of Bulgarian Letters, Education and Culture.