Local commitment: The Berlin Social Academy enters the 7th round

• From 21 to 24 October 2019, experts from companies will pass on their know-how to non-profit organisations and social start-ups
• The Berlin Social Academy was founded in 2013
• Berlin State Secretary Sawsan Chebli is patroness of the initiative

Berlin, 25 September 2019 - The 7th round of the Berlin Social Academy will take place from 21 to 24 October 2019. Around 50 experts will pass on their knowledge to non-profit organisations and social start-ups in 40 workshops and lectures. Since its launch in 2013, the Berlin Social Academy has had more than 1,900 participants. The initiative is organised as a partnership between BearingPoint, B.Z., Capgemini, Scholz & Friends Reputation, Scout24, the Volkswagen Group and Zalando. In addition, speakers from other companies such as vostel.de will support the event with their expertise. The focus is on social media, marketing, communication, fundraising and project management.

Sawsan Chebli, patroness of the Berlin Social Academy and State Secretary for Citizenship and International Affairs at the State of Berlin: "If the Berlin Social Academy did not exist, it would have to be invented. It brings together companies and social institutions that would otherwise hardly meet in everyday life and creates something that benefits everyone in the end: the companies themselves, the NGOs and: Berlin! Thank you for your valuable work. I am very pleased to be able to support this project as a representative of the Berlin Senate".

The Berlin Social Academy will end on 24 October with a social networking event at which the participants will discuss how civic engagement can be further promoted in Berlin. The event will take place in DRIVE. Volkswagen Group Forum.

In 2018, the Berlin Social Academy received the special prize for civic engagement and the German Volunteer Program Award. The initiative is currently nominated for the Audience Award of the German Commitment Award. Online voting will run until 22 October 2019 at www.deutscher-engagementpreis.de

Berlin Social Academy

Many employees of nonprofit organizations need specific expertise for their volunteer work, but do not have sufficient funds to pay for training. Due to the increased demand of many social partners at Scout24, the idea of a Social Academy was born in order to provide non-profit organisations with expert knowledge from the companies on a pro bono basis. The first Berlin Social Academy took place in 2013. The organisers in 2019 are BearingPoint, B.Z., Capgemini, Scholz & Friends Reputation, Scout24, Volkswagen and Zalando. Other companies support the BSA pro bono with workshops and lectures. The BSA is the first Berlin-wide cooperation project of the business community to support local civil society. In 2018, the initiative was awarded the special prize of the Berlin Enterprise Prize and the German Volunteer Program Award. The patron of the BSA is Sawsan Chebli, State Secretary for Citizenship and International Affairs at the State of Berlin.

More information can be found at www.berlin-social-academy.de

Media Relations

Viktoria Döderlein
Senior Manager Corporate Communications & PR
Phone +49  89  444 56-1555
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