The PLOUTOS Project, dedicated to fostering the social and economic integration of Third-Country Nationals (TCNs), has successfully concluded its mission with a final event held on December 6 in Brussels. Under the theme "Building Communities Together," the event celebrated the project's achievements and brought together stakeholders to reflect on the initiative's profound impact on TCNs and local communities.
Since its inception, the PLOUTOS Project has delivered meaningful results, empowering TCNs to overcome barriers to integration and enhancing local communities through economic collaboration. The key outcomes include:
· An Innovative Learning Platform: The PLOUTOS Practice Business Virtual Environment has provided a unique platform for hands-on learning and business development.
· Comprehensive Training: Over 250 TCNs have been trained in essential skills such as financial literacy and business language, while an additional 40 TCNs received training in community interpreting.
· Curriculum Development: The project developed extensive curricula, including a Business Language Curriculum featuring 24 modules and a Financial Literacy Curriculum comprising 12 modules.
· Business Acceleration Program: More than 30 TCNs completed the Business Acceleration Program, which included practical simulations designed to enhance their entrepreneurial skills.
The tools and programs developed by PLOUTOS addressed linguistic, financial, and cultural challenges, empowering participants with skills essential for economic independence and social inclusion. Beyond numbers, the project fostered meaningful community engagement and inspired innovation, collaboration, and resilience among its beneficiaries.
The Final Event in Brussels gathered support organizations and experts to showcase the project's impact and discuss strategies for continued TCN integration. During the first panel, lead project partners from work packages 1 through 6 presented their results. In the second panel, Anna Zurek from the European Investment Bank (EIB) outlined European-level instruments and programs aimed at promoting TCN integration. She emphasized the critical role of providing TCNs with tailored Business Development Support (BDS), including mentoring, coaching, and specialized training initiatives.
A highlight was the "Third-Country Nationals Entrepreneurs – Opportunities and Challenges" panel, where entrepreneurs like Sally Ghannoum and Yolanda Bilé shared their success stories and lessons learned. Notable speakers included representatives from organizations dedicated to supporting TCNs, such as BAPA Bxl, Shedidit, Microstart, Singa, and European Network for Migrant Women. The event concluded with a diploma ceremony recognizing participants' achievements.
QUOTES
Sally Ghannoum, TCN entrepreneur
We started in 2016 although most of my friend told me that it is very expensive. I opened my business. Then I closed it. I have restarted it through the help of Microstart.
Anita Zigah, TCN entrepreneur
I received coaching from Microstart (Business Acceleration Program). With their help I have improved my cost calculation, my business plan, my sales strategy. Microstart (Business Acceleration Program) helped me to also improved my "Why" - during the journey I tend to forget my why and the help of David from Microstart I manage to remind why I started my business
Christelle Sermon from BAPA BXL
Most of the challenge the public faces are the language barrier to satisfy the basic needs like a stable house, a job. The social support is personalized to each person due to the different profiles. We offer free language courses. Another challenge is recognising their diploma and experience. It is a complicate procedure in Belgium. It is difficult to have a job and access to market with these kinds of challenges.
Frohar Poya from European Network for Migrant Women
As a network we play a crucial role in shaping the social policy for migrant women. We offer legal, social, support, shelter for women that run from domestic violence
As the Ploutos Project concludes, its achievements will continue to resonate within the communities it served, paving the way for future initiatives aimed at supporting Third-Country Nationals.
PLOUTOS is implemented with the support of the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
On January 24, 2025, the first training session of the SINCLUSIVE project, "Career Opportunities for People 50+," dedicated to Artificial Intelligence (AI), took place at SofiaLab. This marked the beginning of a series of four training sessions aimed at acquiring valuable digital skills.
What Did the Participants Learn?
During the training, led by expert Plamen Petrov, participants took their first steps into the world of AI. They learned the basics of working with artificial intelligence, how AI can facilitate everyday and professional tasks, and explored its applications and opportunities for career development through digital technologies.
Why Is This Training Important?
As technology evolves, digital skills are becoming increasingly essential for professional growth and labor market adaptation. Through initiatives like this, the SINCLUSIVE project supports people over 50 in acquiring new competencies and expanding their career opportunities.
Organizers and Partners
The training sessions are organized by the Sofia Development Association in partnership with ARC Fund and Young Talents 50+ as part of the SINCLUSIVE project. The project is funded under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program.
Този проект се финансира от програмата за научни изследвания и иновации Хоризонт Европа на Европейския съюз съгласно споразумение за безвъзмездна помощ № 101094526
On January 24, 2025, the first training session of the SINCLUSIVE project, "Career Opportunities for People 50+," dedicated to Artificial Intelligence (AI), took place at SofiaLab. This marked the beginning of a series of four training sessions aimed at acquiring valuable digital skills.
What Did the Participants Learn?
During the training, led by expert Plamen Petrov, participants took their first steps into the world of AI. They learned the basics of working with artificial intelligence, how AI can facilitate everyday and professional tasks, and explored its applications and opportunities for career development through digital technologies.
Why Is This Training Important?
As technology evolves, digital skills are becoming increasingly essential for professional growth and labor market adaptation. Through initiatives like this, the SINCLUSIVE project supports people over 50 in acquiring new competencies and expanding their career opportunities.
Organizers and Partners
The training sessions are organized by the Sofia Development Association in partnership with ARC Fund and Young Talents 50+ as part of the SINCLUSIVE project. The project is funded under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program.
Този проект се финансира от програмата за научни изследвания и иновации Хоризонт Европа на Европейския съюз съгласно споразумение за безвъзмездна помощ № 101094526
The partners of the Environmental Effect on Health Care and Wellbeing and Active Interventions (ENACT) project gathered together on Jan. 22, 2025 for a kick-off meeting. SDA is part of the large European consortium and will work together with other two Bulgarian partners, Health and Life Sciences Cluster Bulgaria and Virtech Ltd., on the initiative. SDA will be involved in the project research, analysis, and public engagement activities in Sofia. The project envisions close collaboration with local hospitals and healthcare professionals to conduct studies on the effect of environmental pollutants on non-communicable diseases.
ENACT aims at building a pathway to generate clinical, technological and economic short & long-term impact targeting local and regional stakeholders and create impact by developing a state-of-the-art environmental risk score and analyser driven framework and platform to predict, monitor and prevent the exposomic risk of acute and chronic health conditions of chronic vascular and non-vascular NCDs.
The project is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action.
On December 6, in Brussels, was held the final event of the project. The conference brought together project partners, civil society representatives, policy and decision-makers to discuss the challenges to the integration of third-country nationals as well as to showcase good practices from Ploutos for building stronger and inclusive communities.
An AMIF-funded initiative that gathers a consortium of 11 partners from 7 EU member states, PLOUTOS aims to support migrants and promote social and financial inclusion throughout Europe. The conference offered an opportunity to present the project outputs, among them a business language course, a financial literacy course, a practice business program and an online support platform for would-be entrepreneurs.
Ekaterina Yordanova, a municipal councilor in Sofia Municipality and a chairperson of the Governing Board of SDA, was an invited speaker in the panel focused on policies and strategies for integrations. In her presentation, she emphasized the challenges that local authorities – and not just in Sofia – face in designing meaningful, resource-backed pathways for integration: a dynamic process of migration that makes long-term planning difficult, changing political priorities at EU and national levels, financial constraints to implement wide-scale integration measures, and shifting public support to local initiatives. At the same time, she also stressed that integration is a multisectoral issue and requires a multi-stakeholder approach and constant communication to society, to convey the benefits of integrating migrant talents in the local economy.
Anna Zurek from the European Investment Bank shared similar insights; she focused on EIB’s current work for introducing financial instruments for the integration of migrants, in three key areas: microfinancing, housing and social impact investing. Establishing one-stop-shops to support the coordination of such initiatives and the offer of business development services to migrants is a good practice, Zurek said. Sofia is proud to have established the first in Bulgaria such one-stop-shop, a bureau for integration and information to third country nationals.
Though PLOUTOS comes to an end, we at SDA will continue to collaborate with Sofia Municipality and local organizations to support integration initiatives. The resources created in PLOUTOS will enrich the database of knowledge, good practices, learning and training resources that we have gathered over the past five years, working on integration. Supporting the migrant communities in Sofia is an essential part of ensuring that we live in an open and inclusive society, built on dialogue and shared values.
PLOUTOS is implemented with the support of the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
On November 29, SofiaLab hosted the first local workshop within the framework of the international GenderED Coalition Project. The Bulgarian project partners – the Sofia Development Association and the Bureau for Integration and Social Innovations – welcomed students and teachers from the Public Administration program at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE).
The workshop brought together 24 young participants who engaged in dynamic activities focused on the topic of harmful gender-based stereotypes. This initiative is part of the GenderED Coalition Project's efforts to raise awareness and promote active measures against stereotypes that impact society and hinder gender equality.
What Happened During the Workshop?
The participants worked in four teams on practical and interactive tasks. They identified key stakeholders who could play a role in an upcoming initiative under the project and discussed strategies for effective communication with them. Additionally, the young people practiced their skills in challenging widespread gender stereotypes using examples from everyday life and various professional contexts.
The campaign the participants worked on will be implemented as part of the GenderED Coalition Project in the coming months. Its goal is to reach a broader audience and encourage a shift in attitudes regarding gender roles.
The workshop concluded with group presentations and a discussion of their results. The work on the project continues, and the Bulgarian team is already planning the next stages of its implementation.
The project GenderED Coalition is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), Creative Europe Program (CREA), under the call CREA-CROSS-2023-MEDIALITERACY.