PAX Rhodopica Foundation is a Bulgarian NGO working actively in the field of European cooperation in education and training, including vocational training. PAX was established in 2016 with the main aim to support the sustainable development of businesses and communities through encouragement of entrepreneurship, sustainability, innovation, creativity and vocational training.
PAX is focused on development and implementation of project initiatives on local, national and EU level that aim:
- to support personal and professional competences development and life-long learning;
- to foster the enhancement of competences of university academia incl. professors, assistants, researchers, PhD candidates, etc.;
- to encourage dialogue and cooperation in intercultural and multicultural environment;
- to motivate the business to adopt greener and more sustainable approaches incl. promotion of blue & green economy, circular economy, corporate social responsibility concept, etc.;
- to raise awareness in the business sector and among local communities on the needs for more environment-friendly behaviour;
- to encourage sustainable agriculture and transition towards organic and clean production;
- to promote environment-friendly and sustainable tourism and responsible management of touristic business and services;
- to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly among young people and disadvantaged groups, through mentoring programmes, start-up support and networking;
- to design, develop and deliver training and mentoring programmes for the benefit of their stakeholders.
Being set up in Smolyan, a mountain region in Bulgaria with mixed population, other main focus of PAX is to develop and introduce different approaches for increasing the social inclusion in the region, enhancement of the economic potential and closing the significant gaps of the region development in comparison to the larger cities in Bulgaria.
PAX main areas of activities are:
- promotion of local, regional & national tangible & intangible heritage
- activities towards environmental protection & sustainability
- EU cooperation in economic development of rural and disadvantaged areas
- cultural activities & involvement of local communities
In order to accomplish the above mentioned objectives PAX experts work closely with various national and international partners including higher educational institutions, VET & adult education centers, research organisation, municipalities, NGOs and other stakeholders.
PAX founders are experts with significant experience in various EU programmes and in wok with different group incl. SMEs, start-up companies, socially disadvantaged groups, groups in risk of social exclusion, etc.
The team of PAX possesses extensive experience in working in multinational & cross-functional teams, in promoting multi-sector interaction, bringing together local communities and establishing interregional networks for lifelong learning, environment sustainability and active citizenship. PAX team comprises a group of individuals with substantial backgrounds in the field of EU project management, vocational training and knowledge management.
PAX experts work hard on the awareness raising and on promoting the importance of national cultural identity, cultural traditions, social and historical heritage as well as on developing and supporting ways to utilize their potential and to become economically efficient source of income for the local communities. Furthermore, PAX strives to foster innovative approaches in environmental sustainability through partners networking, sharing experience and engagement of all stakeholders.