60 Years Robert Bosch Stiftung: How trust in a young woman sparked a social enterprise that opens doors for many
Born in 1989 in Kyiv, Natalya Nepomnyashcha grew up in a socially deprived area of Bavaria. Without ever having finished high school, she completed a master’s degree in the UK in 2012. After studying International Relations, she worked for one of the world's largest management consultancies and an NGO from West Africa, among others.
In 2016 she founded Netzwerk Chancen as a side hustle. The social start-up is committed to equal opportunities throughout Germany by offering a free support program for young people from underprivileged families between the ages of 18 and 39 who demonstrate a socially mobile profile and by working with potential employers.
Natalya Nepomnyashcha runs the organization as a volunteer in addition to her full-time job. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the founder recalls how the foundation's first grant helped her to embark on this path and thus create new opportunities for many others.
At what stage of your life were you when you received your grant from the Robert Bosch Stiftung?
I was a secondary school student in years 9 and 10. The scholarship was called "Talent im Land" and was awarded to talented students with a migration background.
How did the grant affect your future path?
The program gave me an enormous boost in self-confidence as well as valuable contacts from which I still benefit immensely today, almost 20 years later. As the saying goes: "You can't start networking early enough." And especially as a child of long-term unemployed parents without any network from my family environment, the program was the first network I ever had.
Is there an experience from the grant / program that you will never forget?
As part of the program, I was allowed to go to the USA, which was my first time there. I was able to live with a host family in a small town, but also see New York. Getting to know the country in so many ways was very impressive.
What place(s) has your program taken you?
Rome, New York, Washington D.C. and various cities in Bavaria.
What program did you participate in?
Talent in Bavaria, 2005-2007
Picture © Daniel Hardge
More of these personal impact stories will follow in the coming weeks - showing how the initial support of the Robert Bosch Stiftung helped someone on their future path. Stay tuned!
For more inspiration around the anniversary, keep an eye out for #boschstiftung60 on LinkedIn or Instagram.