BHAGAVAT EDUCATIONAL TRUST striving for social inclusion 2013 “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness ” " We are not in a position in which we have nothing to work with. We already have capacities, talents, direction, missions, callings.“ Abraham Maslow

The project in essence or how Mutual Assistance works… 2 marginalized groups in 2 Partner countries- Sending and Hosting… Disadvantaged UK young people  Ex offenders  Substance Misusers  Those in leaving care  The unemployed Renovate a center or school for Disadvantaged social groups abroad  Orphans  Street children  Children with Learning disabilities

BET- not only a charity, but an organization for Mutual Assistance whereby one disadvantaged group assists another to the mutual benefit of both…  BET wholly concurs with the EU 2020 strategy- Member States agreed to work together to meet targets in Education, Employment & Social Inclusion  Our main priority- implementing Mutual assistance or the idea of 2 marginalized groups assisting each other not only in Bulgaria but also in other countries in EUROPE  SPAIN AND ITALY- the first 2 countries adopted the idea of Mutual Assistance

BET in BULGARIA …  BET existing for more than 10 years in Bulgaria  Worked in more than 23 Orphanages and Social institutions in the country, setting up social enterprises  Instrumental in the establishment of the first ever charity shop in Bulgaria – “Traditzia”  Brought over 500 young disadvantaged British volunteers to work in favor of social inclusion “THE PROJECT” VIDEO – made in 2002THE PROJECT” VIDEO

BET – our results in Bulgaria …For the staff and orphans:  Learning new vocational skills such as candle making, sewing, carpentry, etc  Not feeling abandoned  Improved living conditions  Improved moral  Improved confidence and self esteem All of these leading to greater social inclusion and also raising awareness amongst the general public

Bhagavat and MA in Turkey The project in Turkey started in 2010 when a group of young British volunteers participated in a 2 weeks project working in favor of a Turkish social institution The Elements of the Project: What makes us different? Practical work in favor of a social institution Training in a vocational skill- candle making Producing items Establishing SMEs and selling the items… 2 marginalized groups from 2 different countries working together…

In essence: A workshop accommodated in the head quarters of Social services Shop in the Artist street- one of the most popular in Izmit Support from the local municipality Bhagavat in the Turkish media

THE NEW VISION OF BET WE ARE THINKING AHEAD Establishing SMEs WHY WHY WHERE WHERE WHEN WHEN HOW HOW “Social entrepreneurship is the process of recognizing and relentlessly pursuing opportunities to create social value” Centre for the advancement of Social entrepreneurship (CASE)

Our model: Hotel MA The concept A hotel promoting MA or how 2 marginalized groups assisting each other can run a Social Enterprise Management department Representatives of marginalized groups coming from social institutions, working, living there and getting qualification in order to get a job Visitors of the hotel, guests of conferences of different charity events

The HOTEL inside… What do we plan to offer… The HOTEL HOTELMA Training of the young people Hotel accommodation open for visitors and restaurant Conference rooms facilities  Tourism is 12% of the gross national product  2.5 %/ 5% growth in international tourism predicted for winter

Good examples of functioning SE HOTELS BET is currently in partnership with Care Co-ops who have established a training hotel called Eco Chateau in the Orne region of France, offering vocational training in catering and hospitality for marginalised groups. New four-star hotel in Inverness, Scotland to be run by area’s marginalized youth (The hotel is to open 2014) Art and Woonhotel Rotterdam

The END Thank you