On 15 December 2020, the second in a series of webinars organised within the framework of our project took place. In December, the focus was on involving people with different talents and from all social groups, which in turn creates added value for the business, helping it to develop successfully in the long term.

At the event, we presented some of the data from a nationally representative survey on the educational achievements of Roma communities in Bulgaria and, in particular, talked about the hidden potential behind these numbers. Special attention was given to the many times higher percentage of graduates from higher and semi-university education among Roma youth. However, the transition from the education system to the labour market remains difficult. Speaking of hidden potential, attention was drawn to two rich pools from which companies can benefit – that of the so-called homemakers and of people living abroad. Each of these groups undoubtedly has its own specificities, but has an important role to play in addressing a problem that many organisations face, namely the lack of staff and the constant turnover of staff.

Often, however, businesses fail to reach this pool of staff. In order to overcome this problem, Social Achievement Trust Foundation has been testing various innovative models and ideas for the past 8 years, which aim to bridge the gaps in education and market activity of people from economically vulnerable groups. Through our experience and a number of partnerships with different sectors at national and local level, we at TSA have been able to bring out 6 good and workable practices to promote corporate sustainability, workplace diversity and improve the overall social climate.

To finish, we backed up all these data, experiences and numbers with the personal stories of two Roma girls we have worked with over the years on various projects and who have been successful. Phyllis and Sasha talked about their journey, the challenges and difficulties they faced, their motivation and their successes. Because a person is not what their ethnicity is, but it is what they stand for and what they fight and dream for.

You can listen to the webinar in the video: https://youtu.be/LSdtCFmYXdo