EMPATHEAST - EMPATHY DRIVEN SOCIAL CHANGE IN EASTERN EUROPE - 2015

Claudian Dobos will speak at EMPATHEAST on Nov. 14 (Saturday). He is a speaker on sustainable development, climate change, transition towns and community building, organizational development and many other. He co-founded the movement “Terra Livre - free land”, the Research in Permaculture Institute of Romania, ARISE.EDUCATION, the Aurora Circle - a hub for eco-socio entrepreneurship, and the community driven initiative “Aurora”, all of which were established in Romania. Claudian is co-creator of the movement “Communities Convergence” and also co-manager of the “1st Danube Communities Convergence” held in 2013 in Romania. 

Consultant and trainer with an extensive experience in advertising, marketing and trade. In 2011, he left the corporate world and took on projects and collaborations with social entrepreneurial focus. He started with projects and activities for the Bread Houses Network, consulted the team of Farmers markets Hrankoop and from 2014 is representative for Bulgaria of one of the most established social enterprises in Europe Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH, Germany. He is also a Fellow Scholar for the international network for social entrepreneurs Ashoka and founder of Synergy Foundation and the Society for Organizational Learning in Bulgaria.

Patricia is a co-founder and board member of World Café Europe, a non-profit organization which builds multi-stakeholder partnerships to strengthen both the effectiveness and sustainability of large group dialogues designed to foster creativity, collaboration and innovation.Patricia’s know-how as a facilitator and graphic recorder has been used for strategic planning meetings, presentations, speeches and conferences throughout Europe.

Stefan Cholakov has a very curious biography - in 1997 he became known as the youngest bank robber in the world. He managed to outwit the system by taking advantage of loopholes in the bank security. The drained money  weighed nearly 1,000 kg. He surendered to the police when he understood that for the theft was detained an innocent cashier of the bank.

Almost 20 years later, he is a chef at the restaurant, which he owns.

The "AKo si dal" initiative was launched on June 21st 2015, when was the first distribution of food to the elderly and needy. One of the main initiators of the project is Stefan Cholakov. The aim is the residual food from restaurants to be distributed, instead of thrown away. Since then, every night the number of those wishing to receive hot food grows. Another 20 restaurants have expressed interest to participate in the campaign.

Filipa Simoes Dobos is portuguese, born in Lisbon, based in Romania since 2013. She is a co-founder and dreamer at Aurora Community and Terra Live Movement projects. Together with her husband Claudian Dobos, Filipa will lead a workshop called “Work that reconnects” on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 14th).

“Taratanci” is an organization with a cultural focus based in Sofia, Bulgaria.

It was founded with the mission to promote the dance art in Bulgaria in an alternative way – through urban installations. The installations depict basic dance steps made of stainless steel on the ground in parks and other meeting points for young people (and not only). The steps are marked in two different colours, one for the right and the left foot, respectively. Furthermore, each step is been labelled with a different number. Following the numbers and the colours for right and left foot the urban inhabitants can learn basic dance movements. Main aim of the dance installations is to raise the interest of the ordinary people for dance art. Usually, dance can only be seen if the viewer is on the spot of the happening. However, the dance installations leave a sustainable long-term mark in public surroundings and remind of the dance art every time they are been viewed. The installations depict typical folklore dances and in this way they turn into cultural artefacts as well.

Every installation will be unveiled with an event, which will provide the young artists with a scene for expression and will give them the opportunity to show their creative work.

The Institute for silence research deals with the study of the subject quite literally. Situated in space BEYOND WORDS it is a new type of institute - with open access for all who are willing to enter into the unknown and to engage in self-examination, communication and co-creation. The researchers of silence are called Silencers. You can be one of them ...

The essence of the Institute is experimental and the methods - "scientific-poetic". Its structure is flexible, allowing its materialization in various forms: music practice sessions "Live Trance Circle"; interactive show "Institute for silence research" by "The theater of the senses - Sofia"; the sensory space "Island of Silencers" at Beglika fest; room for contemplation, creativity and non-verbal communication during the event "Chill Station - in the sky of Sofia", as well as the concert maze "Butterfly in the bell."

During this year's EMPATHEAST 2015 the Institute for silence research will open doors on November 13 (Friday) at the Cinema House between 12.00 and 15.00. Eweryone who is ready to become silencer and to engage in nonverbal research-creation process of the Institute, can make it by a registerration in the site's section and indicate the start time of the session in which he wants to participate. Three sessions - at 12.00, 13.00, аnd 14.00. The seats are limited, sign up on time and be precise - since after the start of the sessions you will not be able to enter.

What will happen during the sessions we can not say in advance, as they are a real creative laboratory. The silencers will explore silence between them, and that within us through music, painting and sensory journeys.

FREE ENTRANCE

At Catapult we will introduce you to 15 socially innovative and socially entrepreneurial ideas, striving for positive and effective social impact. They are the result of two of our initiatives during this year - Baba Residence and Social innovation challenge.

Come and meet those who make positive social change happen. On spot you will find out what "catapulter" is or how we can create a community participating in the accomplishment of these and other ideas with a positive social impact.

How do you "translate" Social Impact investing in Bulgarian? Are there any Social Impact Investors in Bulgaria and who and how creates the value in which they would have invested? How to adapt the models for investment in social good? What innovative tools for ethical finance exist? What lacks un the Bulgarian investment environment for a positive social impact?

Answers to these questions will give the participants in Empathy talk Yanina Taneva (Ideas Factory), Zachary Wenner (Fulbright Commission), Yuri Valkovski (Reach for change), Luben Panov (BCNL) and Elitsa Barakova (BCAF). They will tell you what they do for the development of social entrepreneurship and what challenges and opportunities does it offer.

The event will be held on November 13 from 17:00 to 19:00 In SO Bar of 4 Iskar Str.

We are expecting you!

"Baba Pepi" is a project of the Bulgarian actress and author Irina Andreeva and the director Georg Genoux. This is a project about 85 year old woman who lived alone for years in the Rhodopi Mountain. In the video installation Baba Pepi (Garndma Pepi) and Irina Andreeva learn and empathize together the biography of grandmother Pepi. She has witnessed many periods in the development of Bulgaria: the time of Tsar Boris III, the communist era and the beginning of modern times, called "democracy."

The first premiere of the "Baba Pepi" installation was in the form of a documentary performance that took place on May 26, 2015 at the Centre for Culture and Debate "Red House" - Sofia. Baba Pepi was present on the stage and shared her experience of the life in Bulgaria during those 85 years. The video installation is a synthesis of the visits and conversations at the home of grandmother Pepi and her experience from the stage performance in Sofia. Between October 16, 2015 and October 31, 2015 the video installation was shown in the "Goethe Institute" Sofia. In 2015, Georg Genoux, together with a group of young playwrights and actors, created the "Old people" project. The actors and playwrights took care of old people during their everyday lives. They deal with the problems of old age, which are numerous and various. They will develop ideas about how to help the people, that they take care of and the old people in Bulgaria in general. The actors will cease being actors in the typical sense.

Here is what the author shared about her work: "I've known granny Pepi for about 20 years. She is the grandmother of my best friend. Every summer we went to her house in Dobralak village in the Rhodopi mountain. Subsequently grandmother Pepi continued to live there and now it is her home. When we started the work on the "Old people" project granny Pepi emerged clearly in my mind and I knew that I wanted her to be my character in the show. Since I was 15 and was visiting her house, she told me stories every day during lunch. They were emotional and shocking stories of her life and her childhood, of the atrocities that happened during the communism in our country. These stories were told during lunch and I became upset every time, my friend was laughing at those over-emotional outbursts (she already knew each of the stories by heart). I started going again to grandmother Pepi in Dobralak in the spring of 2015. We spent three days together and apart from the stories she told me, she shared with me her lifestyle and daily routine. We had to stand all day in her room because the cold outside was unimaginable. It was an extraordinary adventure for me to embark and relive with her all those memories and events accompanying her life. It made me a participant and witness of her life, it taught me to respect life. "

This is a project by The Institute of Rubbish, Theatre Replika, Goethe-Institute, Democracy.doc and The Red House Center for Culture and Debate.