When in 2018 Facebook launched its global support program for community leaders, it was looking for dedicated individuals capable of leading by example. These individuals would already be working hard to make a difference in their communities, and those selected to participate in the Facebook Community Leadership Program would receive training in the intricacies of online community building, funding to expand their offline activities, and network support to help them bring their communities even closer together.
Program coordinators quickly recognized Single Step founder Ivan Dimov’s leadership potential and invited him to join the program’s first 100 participants. Ivan left a career in investment banking in New York and, over the past year and a half, has been working to support and empower the LGBTI community in his native Bulgaria. Today, Single Step helps hundreds of young people and their families throughout the country.
Single Step is also working to improve the business environment in Bulgaria by advocating for changes in labor legislation and policies and by partnering with organizations that have already adopted nondiscriminatory practices. The work of Single Step is supported in part by the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
In the following video, Ivan talks about why he returned to Bulgaria and what fuels his belief that change is possible.
