Join our Mentorship Program
What is our aim?
All our activities have the same goal: to work actively with deaf and hearing people to partner for all Bulgarians to be fully engaged members of our society, with as many rights as responsibilities to ourselves and others. Through our Mentorship program we aim to assure that a certain number of deaf people will not only get just new knowledge , but also will participate in the practicing on-the-job duties at socially responsible businesses and institutions as well as Listen Up Foundation offices, where all Deaf Studies & Research are performed.
We believe that on-the-job-training program is the most appropriate way to build an empathetic, diverse, and socially responsible community, where the interaction between deaf and hearing people becomes an equal and full-fledged partnership.
The normal dreams and desires that young people have can be blocked for deaf citizens who have not had access to language, education, and empowerment.
To remove these barriers, the Deaf NOW! Mentorship Program offers partnerships between deaf and hearing people in work environments, with the main goal of improving communication and social skills of its participants. Deaf participants will have the opportunity to engage social and communication skills in hearing-centric environments and share insights into Deaf culture and Bulgarian Sign Language–with the ultimate goal that both groups will become more accessible to each other.
An exciting macro-partnership has been formed with the Listen Up Foundation, the Vzaimno Foundation and the Active Deaf Youth Organization to establish the Deaf LAB (Deaf Leaders Academy in Bulgaria), an incubator for young deaf leaders and professionals who have the ambition to contribute to the development of a better future for their community. This will lead to a better understanding of the values of equity, social entrepreneurship, effective empowerment practices through deaf studies research activities and quality inclusive education for deaf people.
What do you earn?
Diversity in the workplace is a buzz word in the corporate world in Bulgaria. More and more good practices from other countries are applied in our country, partly thanks to the example of foreign companies with offices here. In addition, from 2019 the employment of people with disabilities has become mandatory with the Law on People with Disabilities, as companies with 50 to 99 employees must hire 1 person with permanent disabilities, and those with more than 100 employees – 2% of the total number of employees.
The Deaf NOW! Mentorship Program offers a different, innovative and profitable model of inclusion and empowerment of young deaf people with potential for development. It is a win-win model for deaf people and for the business. The law opens up opportunities to create programs that will enrich the experience, knowledge and development of both sides, removing barriers to differences and turning them into advantages. By providing opportunities for professional realization of young deaf people, the company gets a chance to raise its reputation above other market participants. Employees are brought up on empathy, cultural diversity growth, and comfort zone challenges.
On-the-job training program
On-the-job training program
The main goals of the on-the-job training experience is to find talent in the deaf person as they are actively involved in the work of the Deaf NOW! organization, conducting awareness training, organizing events, participating in community research, and providing services in and for the promotion of sign language. By sharing their rich life experiences, deaf participants will be the inspirers of those employees who will likely become volunteers and future mentors, entering into the world of deaf people and sign language.
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Awareness training
Thanks to this training the DEAF NOW! will create deaf-hearing mentor/mentee teams, each functioning in both roles, and who will collaborate regularly. This model will contribute to a better understanding of the principles of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and will become evidence of building empathetic equity for deaf and hearing people working together.
Apply nowThe mentors in your company
The future mentor/mentees of DEAF NOW! are your employees who, after the training, express a desire to become part of a deaf/hearing team. They will undergo practical training in Bulgarian Sign Lanaguage mentoring, and being a mentee of Bulgarian Sign Language and Deaf Culture, after which they will create and engage in partnerships and projects with their Deaf mentor/mentee.
Apply now