Local workshops in Bulgaria
In the period between 20th and 23th of July 2016, the National Management School implemented a training called “From initiative to your own business”. The training was part of the local group activities of the project and aimed to raise young people’s awareness towards active citizenship and unemployment problems. The process included design of a training programme, selection of 10 young people from Sofia to participate in the training, and carrying out training of 8 of them in social skills and how to design, plan and implement a youth initiative.
The training was organized in 9 workshops on different topics covering the main phases in planning a youth initiative. The main methods applied were role games, discussions and presentations. Within the training there was one case study made my Mr. Dragomir Kuzov, creator of Drag bicycles and president of Velomania Bulgaria (http://www.velomania-bg.com). He presented his practice in turning his hobby into successful business step by step. He shared his experience, and gave valuable advices to the young people in the room who would like to start their own business. The training was also joined online by Mr. Todor Raykov, Assistant Incubator Director at NextFab, USA, who presented his experience in helping start-ups to create sustainable and profitable businesses. He presented two methods to pitch a business idea: elevator pitch and pitch deck. His presentation stressed the important steps when applying or fund raising, as well pointed out some tips when presenting yourself and your business in front of an investor. The last day of the training Mr. Yonko Bushnyashki, Chairman of National Management School presented the main rules and important tips of financial management and reporting of a project or an initiative.
The training main intangible results were: increased skills on how to plan a youth initiative; increased knowledge on how to attract and report funds for a youth initiative or business; increased awareness towards active citizenship and youth unemployment. The main tangible result we are proud of is one youth initiative planned, called SkillShare. The youth initiative aims to improve the living conditions of elder people in the Sofia region by creating a model for shared collaboration between elder people and young people. The initiative is a work in progress and will be developed in the prospective months.
