Four new workshops, covering employment skills, as well as a basic understanding of how to live an independent life, have been organised by the experts of the psycho-social centre in Sofia

During the workshops, young adults, who have grown up in institutions for children, deprived of parental care discussed with the team of FSCI the topic of work opportunities.

The workshops also included the opportunity to apply for different jobs. The team discussed with the young adults the most appropriate jobs for them by relying on the organisation’s direct contacts with the employers.

Apart from running these practical workshops, the Social Centre has been offering advice and guidance to twenty-three more young adults, nine of which are, as a result, accommodated in the observed “Houses of Opportunity”or have been redirected to other social services.

Thanks to the funding that the project received, FSCI was able to afford the materials used in making the soaps. Some of these soaps were distributed in several cities in Bulgaria in order to advertise the social enterprise HOPe SOAP.

The social enterprise gives young people the opportunity to fill their time with productive activities by making soaps and allows them to develop work and social skills. The enterprise also generates financial support for the House of Opportunity Programme.

Address of the Social Centre Opportunity:

Sofia,bul. “Dimitar Petkov” 75, floor 1, ap.3

Find out more about the Centre or about Air Liquide Foundation!

The financing includes not only maintaining the psychosocial centre, but also purchase of furniture for the centre, as well as support for further development of the social enterprise of the foundation – “Workshop for soaps – HOPe SOAP”.

The main focus of the work in the psychosocial centre “Opportunity” is:
• Consulting, redirection and escorting of the clients;
• Development of social and employment skills through work in the social enterprise of FSCI for soap production;
• Increasing the knowledge and skills of the young people through trainings in several key areas: social skills, commercial skills, personal development and training for searching, finding and keeping a job;
• Create and maintain a network of stakeholders – NGO sector, government institutions and business organizations.

For the two years in which center “Opportunity” has been working, it managed to achieve impressive results:

• 114 beneficiaries have been trained (many of them have gone through more than 1 training);
• 2719 pcs. produced and distributed soaps;
• concluded 18 partnerships in three key areas – public institutions, businesses and NGOs;
• an online store has been developed for distribution of the production from the social enterprise;
• systematic manual for operation and management of psychosocial centre has been written and published;
• 4 training modules to work with the target groups in the social centre have been developed;
• 5 trainings have taken place outside the centre (ex. in central prison);
• 16 people were been redirected (accommodation) and 16 people have started work with our help;
• a website/platform was created;
• systematic package of documents has been created that describes the working processes at the psychosocial centre/ model for providing social services in the community with references to existing residential and other services;
• promotion of the problems of the target groups – wider public, social media, websites;
• Improving access to education and labor market of the representatives of the target groups;

The goals for the next five months are also ambitious:

• 15 consulted clients;
• 6 groups with a minimum of 4 ppl;
• 4 new partnering organizations;
• sales of the production from our social enterprise (HOPe SOAP);

* Center “Opportunity” relies on an innovative approach in providing services whose final result is to improve the welfare of the members of the target groups.
** Since its establishment in year 2008, Air Liquide Foundation works to encourage and develop philanthropic initiatives with focus on environment and life.
*** Learn more about psychosocial centre “Opportunity”: www.vazmojnost.com 
**** Learn more about Air Liquide Foundation

HOPe SOAPs again at Coca-Cola’s charity bazaar

Once again, the products of the social enterprise the aim of which is to support the “House of Opportunity” Programme, were presented at the charity bazaar of Coca-Cola.

The handmade products have fresh spring colours and delicate scents of lavender, rose, lemon and apple.

Shortly the foundation will launch an online store in which the lovers of noble causes and bio products can purchase soaps directly.

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.

On Valentine’s Day the young people from FSCI’s “House of Opportunity” Programme created HOPe SOAPs with a love theme. The aromatic handmade gifts are wrapped in special boxes with hearts symbolising love and harmony.

These lovely soaps would be perfect gifts and can be purchased at the FSCI office (Aksakov Str. 11, fl. 2 appt. 9) upon request: v.ivanova@fscibulgaria.org.

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.

The handmade soaps, produced at the “Houses of Opportunity” will be presented at this year’s Beglika Festival. Between 28th and 30th of August, the visitors at the festival will have the opportunity to meet representatives of FSCI’s team and find out more about the production and the idea of the social enterprises in general.

The soap workshops, which are part of FSCI’s “Houses of Opportunity” programme, aim аt providing productive activity to disadvantaged young people and to generate funds in support of programme.

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.

The group from the youth home of “SOS Children’s Villages” produced soaps by the technology of the “Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion”

As a result of the partnership between FSCI and “SOS Children’s Villages” on the project “Innovative approach in matching social services with social entrepreneurship – Social Centre “Opportunity””, the educators from the foundation for social change shared their valuable experience in social entrepreneurship, social and employment skills. The young people used their imagination and created various soaps with different shapes, colour and scents.

The handmade soaps are now available at “NadEzhko” bakery

Since it has been opened last year, 48 young people have used the services (trainings and consultations), provided at the Social Centre of the “Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion”.

For more information about Social Centre Opportunity, click here or visit the official website of Social Centre “Opportunity“.

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.

The soap, which is made by disadvantaged young people, is attracting the attention of customers at the bakery for traditional bread

Starting this week, handmade “HOPe SOAPS”, products of the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion’s (FSCI) Social Enterprise Programme, can be found at “Nadezhko” Bread House in Sofia (str.12 Beethoven, Geo Milev Park). The handmade soaps tempt the bakery’s customers with their fresh colours, shapes and wide variety of aromas.

HOPe Soap is now available at this bakery as a result of a partnership between the network of Bread Houses and the FSCI, under the title “Innovative approach in combining social services and entrepreneurship– Centre Opportunity”. In addition to the production of soaps, the groups at Social Centre “Opportunity” are being trained in basic skills for independent living.

Earlier this month, representatives of the donor organisation EEA Grants and the operators of the project personally visited the Social Centre to get acquainted with the project and the activities included in it, and congratulated the team for their dedication and innovative approach to social services for disadvantaged young people and people at risk of poverty.

The social service, which has been available since last November, now has its own website: vazmojnost.com. The website (vazmojnost.com) provides useful information not only to the young people who come from institutions for children deprived of parental care and people at risk of poverty, but also to representatives of businesses and the social sector.

The new website is an essential part of the project; the idea of the platform is to unite and build a network of representatives of the NGO sector, government institutions and business organizations.

For the five months since it was opened, Social Centre “Opportunity” has proven to be a successful idea. Over 50 young people, who have left specialized institutions for children deprived of parental care and people at risk of poverty (including people from Roma communities) have sought help from the Centre. Some of the young people were involved in groups for training sessions, while others – due to a lack of permanent housing – were redirected to the “House of Opportunity” programme or to night schools or directly to employers.

Next week the team of Social Centre “Opportunity” will start two training sessions at Sofia Central Prison: the groups will go through two separate training modules, one motivational and one for acquiring job skills.

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.

For the five months since it was opened, Social Center “Opportunity” has proven to be a successful idea. Over 50 young people, who have left specialized institutions for children deprived of parental care and people at risk of poverty (including people from Roma communities), have sought help from the Centre. Some of the young people were involved in groups for training sessions, while others – due to a lack of permanent housing – were redirected to the programme “House of Opportunity” or to night schools or directly to employers (three out of five were hired!).

  There are currently four separate groups that are being trained at the Social Centre – each of the groups has passed through several trainings/modules – some groups are still at the beginning, while others are already producing soaps and discussing the ways to promote and sell the products.

Within the project “Innovative approach in matching social services with social entrepreneurship – Centre “Opportunity”” groups of up to ten people will pass through a total of 5 modules: first Motivational module (10 astronomical hours) and 4 other modules, each of which consists of 10 hours of theory and 30 hours in which the young people and their trainers will focus on the practical side of things.

The project aims to support care leavers and people at risk of poverty in their transition to independent life. FSCI implements therapeutic individual and group techniques, training in social skills and personal development with focus on social entrepreneurship and training in key skills, such as sales skills and business planning.

The project gained support from society as well – more than 50 people took part in the donation initiative of the “Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion”. The mission was launched on the platform for volunteering and good deeds – www.TimeHeroes.org – the initiative lasted for one month and aimed at equipping the newly opened centre for social services “Social Centre Opportunity” with office supplies and products.

As a result of the initiative, FSCI managed to equip the centre with everything needed – printer, scanner, desks, several computers, monitors, keyboards, laptop, tablet, headphones, router, various stationery materials, radio, cups, towels, 200 notebooks, electric kettle and many other practical items. Most of the donors visited FSCI’s office and Social Centre personally to meet the team and find out more about the foundation’s activities and programmes that support young people leaving specialized institutions for children, deprived of parental care and people at risk of poverty.

For more information about Social Centre Opportunity, click here.

This document was created with the financial support of the programme that supports NGOs in Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area. The entire responsibility for the contents of this document rests with the Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic area and the Operator of Programme for support of NGOs in Bulgaria.

The Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion will take part in Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria’s charity bazaar, organized on the occasion of one of the favorite holidays of all Bulgarians – “Baba Marta”.

*Baba Marta (Bulgarian: Баба Марта, “Granny March”) is the name of a mythical figure who brings with her the end of the cold winter and the beginning of the spring. Her holiday of the same name is celebrated in Bulgaria on March 1 with the exchange and wearing of martenitsi. Baba Marta folklore is also present in southern and eastern Serbia where it is a reference as to a freezing weather change after a spring break.

The young people that are part of FSCI’s “Social Centre “Opportunity”” project have decided to be innovative – this year Pizho and Penda will not be made out of wool or yarn – they will be soaps! The soaps will be in the colours of the spring, according to the Bulgarian traditions – white and red.