Project Phoenix is launching "Constellation", a unique social innovation lab and entrepreneurship space co-created with the refugee community in Nicosia, Cyprus. The space will serve as a workspace and community space for refugee-led projects to develop and sell their products. In addition to providing a entrepreneurial hub and safe space, Constellation will organize mentoring and coaching sessions, workshops and events. In the future we plan to add a community kitchen, a cafe and more.
Cyprus is home to many talented and motivated refugees who have what it takes to become entrepreneurs. But the potential impact they could have is being neglected: there are not enough resources and support mechanisms to mentor and coach these refugee entrepreneurs and allow them to reach their full potential. There are no adequate physical spaces for them to develop their ideas, meet their peers, work with mentors and become mentors themselves for more recent arrivals.
Through co-creation between Project Phoenix and our Fellows (refugee entrepreneurs), Constellation will serve as a social innovation lab, a coaching/mentoring hub, a workspace and a pop-up store for refugee-led, entrepreneurial projects. It will provide refugee entrepreneurs a place to work, access the internet, meet their mentors, and allow more energy for developing new ideas and pay it forward by becoming mentors to others. Beyond a place to work, it will provide a safe community space.
Supporting refugee entrepreneurs in their projects will lead to successful, self-sustaining projects, allow for the mentoring of future leaders and creating a new generation of change-makers. The refugee-led projects could provide income to the entrepreneurs, as well as innovation in the heart of the old town and provide bridges between the refugee- and local communities. This is phase 1 of the project: we want to add a community kitchen, a cafe and other co-created features that are truly used.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
