Here are the new heroes in LET’s GO 2025

Do you remember the last time you met a person who is ready to do anything to change the world so that it is a better place for all of us? This is a difficult, and some would say unrealistically utopian mission. When we talk about this type of character, the proverb “One bird does not bring the spring” pops up in many people’s minds as if uninvited, they wave their hand and say to themselves “Well done to that person, but he is unlikely to succeed…”

Well, we are one of the lucky ones who have the honor of working with such heroes – social entrepreneurs – the drivers of change in organizations that solve some of the most complex social problems. Problems for which there are no solutions at first glance. They may go unnoticed, and often no one wants to take on solving them.

And the heroes we are telling you about do not waste time waiting and wondering who will come to the rescue. They simply act.

Here are our doers – the new batch of entrepreneurs in this year’s edition of the NGO Entrepreneurship Program: LET’s GO 2025! We have discovered a new band of brave innovators for whom this is not just a business! This year, our LET’S GO training and mentoring program includes 12 organizations that, having firmly grasped the reins, do not wait for problems to solve themselves.

Here are who they are and their ideas for value-added business:

Integro Association

Their idea is to develop and offer catering services with a quality and diverse menu for various events and organizations. Through this business, they will provide sustainable jobs for people from minorities in order to combat economic isolation and unemployment among the Roma community, by providing new opportunities for work and professional development.

Campaigns and Activism for Animals in Industry

They enter LET’s GO with the idea of ​​creating a social cente. The plan is to combine a cafe, a library and a charity shop – a cozy space where visitors can learn about the cause of SAY, buy ethical merchandise and make a donation. The place will offer a shared kitchen for vegan catering and will organize culinary workshops for training and preparing plant-based foods. The place will also combine a space for events and generating wider support.

PULSE Foundation Kardzhali branch

They have an idea to tempt us with Turkish sweets in the social enterprise “Sladotvorilnitsa”. In the confectionery, citizens and guests of Kardzhali will be able to taste traditional dishes for the region, such as kupana banitsa, baklava, ashura, kadaif, katmer, kunefe, kazandybi, syutlyuach, revane with cream, homemade biscuits and others. The goal of the enterprise is to support women who have suffered violence in getting the opportunity to express their creative potential through the preparation of traditional dishes for the region. By working with dignity, they will be empowered and encouraged to develop and thus cope with the traumatic events in their lives.

Synergy Foundation

The foundation team enters the Program with the idea of ​​creating an “Escape Room in the Dark”. It will offer an innovative and unique experience for participants, placing them in conditions of complete darkness, where they will have to rely on their remaining senses, teamwork and creativity to escape. The main goal is to create a social product that not only entertains, but also raises awareness about the lives of blind people. With this business idea, the foundation will create jobs for blind people and increasingly raise public awareness about their lives, while at the same time the foundation will be able to achieve financial sustainability.

Global Initiative in Psychiatry Foundation-Sofia

They have a clear idea – currently, there is no company in the town of Lovech that offers catering for the residential services in the area. The food is delivered from the town of Sevlievo, which makes the service expensive and reduces its quality. Therefore, they plan to create a kitchen as part of the organization’s business activities, which on the one hand will satisfy the need for healthy and varied food for the social services in the area, but on the other hand will provide employment opportunities for some of the users of the social services in the town.

Society and Security Foundation

The foundation aims to create a children’s safety academy – an educational platform aimed at building a culture of safety among children through interactive training, practical activities and role-playing games. The academy will offer weekend camps, training in schools and kindergartens, as well as specialized programs for parents and teachers. The goal is to form basic skills for responding to risky situations (fires, disasters, aggression, incidents), to increase trust in institutions and to encourage active civic participation from an early age.

“The Gang of 1500s” Association

The mission of the association is to change the attitude of society towards stray animals in Bulgaria, promoting greater understanding, awareness, education and responsibility of citizens towards pets and stray animals. Their main business idea is the creation of a workshop for dog accessories (bandanas, bibs, cosmetics, etc.), made by people from marginalized groups and/or those in disadvantaged situations. Thus, the idea provides employment opportunities and develops skills for marginalized groups, and on the other hand, directly engages young people with the problems of stray animals, preventing future abandonment and promoting responsible pet ownership.

Multi Kulti Collective

The Sofianer is an art brand that represents Sofia through contemporary illustrations inspired by the style of The New Yorker magazine. The collective creates and sells art products and souvenirs with high artistic value – posters, cards, books, magnets, t-shirts, craft chocolates, puzzles, etc. The problem they are fighting is the lack of modern, artistic souvenirs that represent Sofia and Bulgaria in a contemporary way. The project combines social entrepreneurship and cultural identity, aiming to support local artists, providing them with a sustainable source of income and creating a new face for Bulgarian souvenirs, aimed at a modern audience.

Concordia Foundation Bulgaria

Since August 2024, the Social Enterprise CONCORDIA has been developing a catering service, which is currently used by the foundation’s employees and one external client. The enterprise now aims to expand the service and offer quality service to more companies, organizations, events or individual clients.

BRIDGES COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

The team of the association does not yet have a specific business idea, but they would like to offer services related to consulting people with disabilities about their rights, assistance in solving problems, as well as consulting people with rare and ultra-rare diseases about the various methods for diagnosing and managing the disease, information campaigns about rare diseases. They have an idea for publishing books related to people with disabilities and changing attitudes.

FOUNDATION “FOR OUR FUTURE”

The foundation believes that every child deserves a space to feel accepted and valued. They entered LET’s GO with the idea of ​​creating a workshop for making products with a cause. The children the foundation works with need this space to feel accepted and significant, and the team will continue to help even more families of individuals with brachial plexus disabilities.

Trembling Heart-2011

They have an idea to create a cozy and inspiring space that unites people through books, culture and shared moments. This place will combine a bookstore, a cafe and an event area, providing an opportunity for meetings, relaxation and the implementation of events for the community of parents and their children. The project aims not only to be a cafe-bookstore for relaxation, but also to establish itself as a social center that builds an active, supportive community.

Well, here they are – the heroes of Let’s GO 2025. We wish them best of luck! Their journey has already begun. On the way to the realization of a business activity related to their mission, we will introduce them to mentors and trainers from the business world, who will flood them with invaluable knowledge on business planning, financial forecasts, legal issues, accounting cases and information on other important topics for entrepreneurship.

We are in this adventure together. It will probably be difficult one and full of challenges, but we always have one thing in mind – this is not just business!

We are following the progress of our entrepreneurs with thrill, because it is them who will give back to society a lot by starting to support their causes in a sustainable way.

The program is implemented with the support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation.