Social entrepreneurs told their stories
Bursa Eskisehir Bilecik Development Agency (BEBKA) Social Entrepreneurship Talks Series started with “Social Entrepreneurs Making a Difference Seminar”.
Bursa Eskisehir Bilecik Development Agency (BEBKA) Social Entrepreneurship Talks Series started with “Social Entrepreneurs Making a Difference Seminar”. In the seminar organized in cooperation with Symbiosis Activity Social Entrepreneurship and Social Development Center, successful social entrepreneurs shared their stories.
The “Social Entrepreneurs Seminar” led by BEBKA Planning Unit Head Elif Boz Ulutas was attended by Muhim Olan Co-Founder and Academician Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tuba Ustuner, Joon Co-Founder Duygu Vatan, Genc Haber-Two Books-Acayip Isler Atolyesi Co-Founder and Author Ismail Hilmi Adiguzel, Simbiyoz Aktivite Co-Founder Hulya Aras as speakers. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tuba Ustuner said, “There are incredible developments both at home and abroad regarding social entrepreneurship. It started a little earlier than our country abroad. When we talk about social entrepreneurship, we call groups that generate at least 50 percent of their income from commercial activities and try to create a social impact and distribute their profits accordingly as social entrepreneurs.”
Joon Co-Founder Duygu Vatan said, “Joon actually creates an alternative livelihood model by providing design and sales support to disadvantaged producers. I can say that my journey started in my student life. The idea of doing a business that produces social benefit after student life was an area that I could not position myself, which was in my mind from the very beginning. At first, I used to complain about the market after the department. I stopped complaining and found myself doing a minor in industrial design at METU. After this process, I can say that I found myself. Joon is a capacity building platform for disadvantaged people with basic production skills but limited income and opportunities. The platform provides design and sales support to beneficiaries by bringing together designers and potential customers.”
From corporate life to social enterprise…
Simbiyoz Aktivite Co-Founder and Electrical Engineer Hulya Aras said, “Most of entrepreneurship revolves around software and overlaps with many areas of digital transformation. Finally, I established an innovation laboratory, where we worked with university students for a long time. I started to collect a lot of positive energy in these studies with young people. I had been volunteering as a trainer in associations in the field of civil society for years. Now, social entrepreneurship in the social-oriented, social benefit-oriented field started to attract my interest. Finally, after saying how many more years I will work in the corporate sector, I decided to become a social entrepreneur after various trainings.”
Ismail Hilmi Adiguzel, Co-Founder of Genc Haber-Iki Kitap-Acayip Isler Workshop and Author, said, “I met social entrepreneurship a little by coincidence and a little by worrying. We established an association under the name of Youth Platform in 2009. We had representatives in 85 universities. We were carrying out social responsibility projects in universities. This association has carried out many national and international projects for five years. It carried out social responsibility projects. Then I founded my own agency. Two years ago, I developed a project. We were earning financially, we did very good work nationally and internationally. And when that emotional hunger started to hurt me, the desire to produce social projects arose and I could no longer suppress it. I developed a project. Under the name Donation Piggy Bank, this project meets the needs of both brands and non-governmental organizations. When I researched this, I learned that the name of this event is social entrepreneurship in the world.” – BURSA
Source: Sosyal girişimciler hikâyelerini anlattı – Son Dakika
