Inter(action)-19: AUBG Student Estela Valeova on Staying Connected in Times of Social Distancing
The AUBG community has found a way to keep in touch even in times of social distancing. The Inter(action)-19 Facebook group, created by third-year student Estela Valeova, aims to build a supportive community where people can share their emotions and exchange advice. Aimed at the AUBG students, faculty and staff members initially, the group soon expanded beyond the university and now has hundreds of members from around the world. We reached out to Valeova, who studies Business Administration and Journalism and Mass Communication at AUBG, to learn more about the initiative.
How did you first come up with the idea of creating the Inter(action)-19 group?
Social distancing can lead to social isolation, which is what I was going through the first days of quarantine. I was feeling weird, sick when I was not. Everything was in my head. So I quickly got myself together. I started reading a lot about the virus, listening to podcasts about it and keeping myself well informed from reliable sources.
However, I started observing my friends and relatives also getting trapped in this "dark hole" of paranoia and change. This isolation was making us break from our routines and live in some kind of cultural shock. So I started hearing from them every day, supporting them, and trying to reinforce and inspire them to use this quarantine as an opportunity for self-growth. I saw it was working, so I decided to do а quick research on my Instagram account. I asked my followers how are they doing and feeling. Almost 40 people said they were not doing okay. I am really empathic and I was feeling the need to do something, the need to help, connect all these people. I thought for two days what was helpful for me, for my friends, and what could be helpful for the others. From there, I came up with the idea of Inter(action)-19.
What is your purpose with the group?
The purpose of the group is to create a supportive community. To stay together even when we are apart. To prevent social isolation, and to always have someone or somewhere to express your feelings and thoughts. I am really happy that it is working out. People are sharing their deepest emotions, asking for advice. Some are sharing their art, their projects. Every day someone posts a recommendation for a book/podcast/movie. There is a discussion, a feeling of closeness and togetherness. And this was my main mission.
Who was your target audience and had the group expanded beyond AUBG?
My target at the beginning was mostly the AUBG community and my peers. I was trying to reach people my age, and I thought it would be easier to connect with people that are in AUBG than with others. But then it started growing. In 24 hours the group already had 300 members: people from AUBG. Now, the group has been up for almost one week. It has around 500 members and it keeps growing. The members are from all over the place: Bulgaria, Malta, Spain, Italy, France, Romania, the U.S., etc.
What tips could you share on coping with the situation of social distancing?
I see this situation as an opportunity to discover a new type of ‘connectionship.’ We have not yet realized the potential of this type of communication. We have more time to work on our emotional intelligence, abilities, and skills. Social media is making the world so small so we should try to discover new people and to engage with them. This period is an opportunity for us to discover a whole other world full of opportunities. We have a lot of time to think about our connections with people and to improve them.
If you have not talked to someone for years and you miss them, this is the right time. This is the right time to re-connect and not to distance ourselves. Because this period will reunite us and make us re-think what really is important - like the importance and warmth of a hug, or of having a conversation with someone you meet on the street.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a Junior - majoring in Business Administration and Journalism and Mass Communication. I was born in Blagoevgrad but have lived most of my life in Milan, Italy and then I came back to Blago for AUBG. I consider myself a colorful person with lots of interests. I am President of Rotaract Club Blagoevgrad, an organization engaging with community services and volunteering. Recently, I also became part of Melanin, a conceptual clothing brand [created by AUBG students]. In my free time, I also teach English to children at Helen Doron Language School here in Blago. I am interested in digital marketing and journalism and I want to pursue a career in that field, so in my free time, I also take online courses for digital marketing, or I write stories/articles.