“When doors are ajar, I like to kick them wide open.”

She is a beautiful mix: modest, down-to-earth, helpful, sensitive, and yet very decisive, someone who speaks her mind and is a doer with big dreams. Bojana Duovski is a mover & shaker at Stichting Studiezalen. In the past one and a half years, thanks in part to her, they have gone from two to no less than twenty-three partnerships with companies. What are her secrets to achieving this? How does she shape this? And what does it yield for both parties? Her large brown expressive eyes almost continuously radiate. She speaks with such enthusiasm that she effortlessly takes you into her world. Why would a company want to collaborate with them? Bojana doesn’t have to think long about it. “It would be a loss for them if they don’t. I truly mean that. We build sustainable friendships and really create a bridge to the neighborhood. This way, they can come by or even participate in one of the 47 study rooms, where children receive guidance for a few hours a week. That makes it very tangible. There are even people from Deloitte who occasionally want to come work at our office. So, you’re in such a cool and luxurious office in the Zuidas, where everything is, and then you choose to come work here, in 50 m2 in Nieuw-West. Why? Because they feel more connected to others here. I find that very interesting. And for me, it’s actually a confirmation of the poverty of the rich.”

A switch

It was early 2021. Bojana stopped her business in the event industry, partly due to corona, and went back to herself; what makes me happy and how can I contribute with impact? “At that time, I saw Abdelhamid Idrissi, founder of the Stichting Studiezalen, speaking online. He spoke to me as a person because I saw that he carried a lot. That’s why I offered my help as a sparring partner. The foundation is committed to nurturing the talents of these children and young people in the most vulnerable neighborhoods of Amsterdam and Zaandam, where issues like poverty, language delays, and school dropout occur. Through, among other things, homework assistance, study rooms on various themes, coaching, and workshops. I concluded that the foundation was not financially sustainable each year and then looked at how we could make it financially healthier. For this, I chose the business world because inequality of opportunity is a societal problem for all of us, and they are often focused on sustainable development goals.”

Counterperformance

“Where do you start then? I chose my own network. I gathered a group of people from different companies and said: guys, I’m going to do this, what can you do to contribute? They quickly joined in because we have a good relationship. After that, I also approached other companies. The relationships with them didn’t all come naturally; sometimes it takes quite a few conversations to get on the same page, but when doors are slightly ajar, I like to kick them wide open. We think from the perspective of the children; what do they need? That can involve resources, people, mass, media, or coins. And, I always emphasize what I come to bring. We always offer something in return. Often, that’s the contact with the youth; a target group that companies often struggle to reach. Additionally, we can also provide a lot of advice and content when it comes to integrating social aspects into the values, culture, and strategy of a company.”

Menno de Kuijer, Orange Capital Partners “We are happy to be socially involved in neighborhoods where we are also active with our housing portfolios. By supporting Study Rooms for several years, we hope to contribute to a higher level of education for young people in a safe and quiet environment.

How do you get a CEO on board?

Bojana: “In the meantime, many beautiful collaborations have emerged, with no less than 23 different companies. One of them is Deloitte. Employees dedicate a certain number of hours per year to Study Rooms. For three years. They can choose what they want to do, which could be: working out a case for the organization, leading a creative workshop, or sharing their personal story with the children about the path they took to a good job. Our goal is: a good night’s sleep for every child. If a child sleeps well, we have done our job well. Employment agency Olympia, for example, helps parents on their way to paid work. This indirectly affects the children, but is also necessary. A third example is ABN AMRO. People from this company volunteer as remote buddies. They read with a child, one on one. To promote language development. Both in Dutch and in English. We even know the CEO of ABN AMRO, who indicates in his title on LinkedIn that he is a remote buddy because he finds it so important. How beautiful is that? When both the employee and the top layer in a company embrace a goal and actively engage, it also motivates others.”

My own story

“Kansenongelijkheid has been a theme that sticks with me my whole life. I come from exactly such a family. My parents are guest workers from former Yugoslavia, they did not speak the Dutch language sufficiently, and due to the war and the accompanying problems, I could not study. I had to follow a path that was not my first choice. I eventually got there by working very hard, but if only I had had a Study Room back then, it would have made a huge difference for me. My past makes me really feel the mission of the Study Rooms. My message is pure. At the same time, I have worked for years in the profit world, so I also speak the language of companies. The fact that I can resonate on both levels allows me to truly make a connection. I feel blessed to be able to do this. What I find most beautiful is that through collaboration with companies, I really see the talent grow; both here internally with us, and with the children in the study rooms. You can really see that it contributes, that extra opportunities are being created; that is a great gift. And it really cuts both ways. Both parties can learn from each other; as long as we dare to look, dare to listen.”

Why wait?

“I think that in about five to ten years it will be standard for a company to be socially involved. That it will even become a requirement. You already see it often, that ‘social return’ obligation, that a certain percentage of a tender must go back to society. That often involves really large amounts, just try to handle that. So I think there will be no escaping it soon. So companies better get on board now haha! With us or with one of the other 2000 social organizations in the city.”

Bojana’s tips for social organizations:

• Make sure you have a really good and honest story. Even if it’s small, stick to that.
• Be clear about what your needs are and who could help with that.
• Find that one person within a company, a firestarter, who resonates with your story. Don’t focus on the name of a company but on a person.
• Dare to ask. A ‘no’ is perfectly fine, but then inquire about what is possible.
• Be clear at the front and make concrete agreements.
• Work together with other social organizations. Sometimes it seems like everyone is fighting for that small piece of cake, but what if we share…
• Have a little courage and just do it!

Interested?

Are you a company or a social organization and are you also curious about the possibilities of forming a connection?
Volunteers Central Amsterdam is happy to assist you further, for example within ons project Business Involved. Please contact Rachida el Alami: r.elalami@vca.nu/ 06-81431044
Of come to the speed date on December 7.

Text: Linda Slagter
Photo Bojana: Huub Zeeman