Gergana Pencheva, Bulgaria

What’s your name?

My name is Gergana Pencheva.

Where are you from?

I live in Sofia and work as an administrative secretary at Adam Smith College of Management.

Why and how did you get Skillability platform? Why do you think is important?

I accepted without hesitation to work on the Skillabiliy project because I liked the idea and hoped I could assist disabled people who have talent and desire to show it. I was involved in the creation of the platform, in testing it , went through mentoring training and thought I was ready to start real work. My sessions with people with disabilities have been exciting, emotional and exhausting. After each conversation, I realized that people with disabilities are talented, strong, fighting… and distrustful. It took time for them to trust me, to talk about their talent, to show and shoot the wonderful products that came out of their hands. Contrary to all the advice from training, not to become close friends with the person you are going to mentor ( because you lose your objectivity), I hunted their friendship. I was interested in their lives, in their work, in their daily life, in their children… It probably sounds cliché, but I learned a lot from these people and I am proud to know them.

Why do you want other mentors to join in the project?

I believe that participation in the platform will increase the confidence of creators, help them for better communication, give them the opportunity to retrieve details of online commerce that they have forgotten or learn new ones. Being a mentor is a serious responsibility and not always easy, but the satisfaction you feel after a successful day, session, meeting – is incredible.