The People First Public Benefit Association has achieved their long-established dream and created a community space in downtown Pécs called BeFogadó, in English: InnClusive. Its primary goal is social inclusion and support of independent living.
Even with its name we’d like to encourage people to come inside for a coffee, tea, to chat, take part in activities where we could get to know each other as people with disabilities and the non-disabled.
We’re giving expert advice on accessibility, barrier-free tourism and about shaping independent living.
Let’s amaze each other with our habits, abilities, even virtues and disadvantages.
Let’s live together in Pécs, not next to each other! Our clubs, expert conversations, trainings, and events encourage these. There’s also seriousness and laughter here. Exciting right?
With the support of the German project Aktion Mensch, we first created our community space supporting independent living with our German partner organization VSBI in the House of Civil Communities and then we moved our headquarters to the Balokány-Pepita community space.
We’ve come up with many activities, but we’d like to hear your comments and ideas, what programmes interest you, what you’d like to do together with us! Write to us at the info@peoplefirst.hu email address!
What project helped form InnClusive?
Click here and read it, it’s not too long: Project description
Why InnClusive?
Isn’t that a fitting name? We can thank Hilda Kerekes, our board member for it.
It says it all about our goals: all of our programs are inclusive, meaning able bodied and disabled people can enjoy them together. Moreover, we are broadening our already wide target group a bit: we are also involving NGOs that bring together the elderly and families with young children.
Where are we?
WE MOVED!
From 1. December 2022. we are waiting for you in a completely barrier-free, easily accessible, beautiful place, in one of the most beautiful city parks of Pécs, in the Balokány Grove. The park is also referred to as the “green heart of Pécs”. In the middle of the park stands a polygonal building called Pepita, where we found a larger, more comfortable place for our BeFogadó/InnClusive community space. The entryway, the indoor location, the accessible toilet can be used completely independently even with a wheelchair, like the park itself.
You can find a description of the one and a half hectare park with a fountain in our Barrier-free Pécs database here in English as well: Balokány grove in the database
Our neighborhood is exciting: on the right is the world-class concert hall, the Kodály Center, next to it immediately is the Tudásközpont, which is a learning-library-conference complex. On the other side is the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pécs. Across the street is the “Hungaricum” Zsolnay Quarter with its fantastic sights and park.
When can you find us here?
With our programs we try to adapt to all your needs, so it is easiest to follow us on our Facebook page and you will always be up to date on InnClusive case (too). Or you can write us an email and we will definitely respond 🙂
People First Association Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PeopleFirstHun
The separate Facebook page of the InnClusive: https://www.facebook.com/befogado
Or email us: info@peoplefirst.hu
How do you get here?
Exact address: 7622 Pécs, Zsolnay Vilmos utca 12., Balokány-Pepita community place
If you come by bus, there are many, many buses that stop right in front of Balokány Grove, you have to get off at the “Zsolnay Negyed” bus stop. Buses arriving here: 2,2a,102,60,60y,60a,4,4y, 104, 13,14,15, 20,21,121, 913
Almost all of the buses are accessible in Pécs.
Next to the bus stop, you can immediately take a staircase down to the Balokány-liget park. With a wheelchair, you can roll down to the park from the bus stop either towards the Kodály Center, or in the other direction, towards the University’s Faculty of Arts towards the overpass. Across the park you can see the Pepita building, we are waiting you there. This is 2 minutes from the bus stop.
If you come on foot, from the city center come through 48-as tér, along the Tudásközpont and the Kodály center. The sidewalk is completely barrier-free, it is also equipped with guide lanes for the visually impaired. If you would like to come from the Árkád shopping center, we recommend the side opposite to the university with a wheelchair, stroller, it is barrier-free.
If you come by car, you will find an accessible parking lot right next to the Pepita building, and another 4 pieces 20 meters away, in the rear parking lot of the Kodály Center. There are also a number of non-accessible parking lots in the front and back parking lots of the Kodály Center.
Our programs for example:
Clubs like parent club, film club, literary club, writer-reader meetings, creative activities…
Trainings, whether we help you with CV writing, legislation or tax matters, but we also hold trainings in accessible tourism, just let us know your need. We ourselves train our team for example on communication and marketing topics, sometimes it is possible to connect to these as well.
Workshops on a wide range of topics, which of course are always related to independent living, accessibility, accessible tourism, and transferable good practices.
Other events. These can be anything you need or have an idea for, such as exhibitions and auctions of art products for people with disabilities, massages, accessible excursions, international events, sound bowls or reiki, physiotherapy, and here comes a long list of points, because we are open to many things……. we are happy if you indicate what you would like to come for, what interests you!
Short news report on PécsTV about our new location: PécsTV News
A short nice video about how we gardened for example, even at our old location: Youtube Gardening in InnClusive
You can find more cool short videos on our Youtube channel: Youtube channel People First