Projet Imagine - Frédérique Bedos

October 2020

The Humble Heroes

- Mme. Frédérique Bedos

Frédérique Bedos has always strongly believed in humanist values and the act of giving back to society. Using her experience and skills as a woman in media, in 2010 she launched Le Projet Imagine (The Humble Heroes in English). Le Projet Imagine is a one of a kind NGO as it targets several different social angles simultaneously.

Here is a short video presenting the NGO's mission:

In 2017, the Le Projet Imagine received a special consultative status by the United Nations. Madame Bedos has always believed in the power of media and how it can act as a tool of hope for those who live in fear and frustration from all the negativity portrayed by the mainstream media. With Le Projet Imagine, she wants to give a voice to all the unheard by addressing issues of global importance.

Her motivation to create this NGO did not only emerge from being a woman in media but also from her childhood, where she learnt important life values from a very early age. Here is her TEDx talk which best explains this:

The NGO aims at informing and educating citizens around the world through the medium of movies, documentaries and TV series with important messages. The documentary “DES FEMMES ET DES HOMMES” (“WOMEN AND MEN”) touches upon the issue of gender equality worldwide and has been recognised by the Cannes Film Festival and the Deauville Green Awards. Some of her other documentaries features stories of individuals all the way from Mexico to India, who are dedicated to a certain social or humanitarian cause.

Her team has also conceptualised programs of action to help people on the ground. The NGO launched the ‘Écoles Imagine’ programme which engages school students from ages 4 to 18 to work on projects of various social issues. The programme is present in several cities within France as well as beyond French borders, namely in Vietnam and parts of Africa. The goal is to inculcate students with the values of being altruistic, peace and humility. It helps them in becoming more informed and active citizens. Bedos believes that it is important for children to grow with a positive mindset towards early on. This will make them more responsible citizens in the future.

The NGO has started to rehabilitate prisoners and delinquents to give them hope and belief. In addition, Le Projet Imagine wishes to focus on projects related to urban development. They will continue to focus on this in the coming years.

Her advice to future entrepreneurs is for them to think about serving society from Day 1. She strongly believes and advises entrepreneurs to use their energy, competencies, resources and time to solve the problems that would eventually benefit society. She perceives being the founder of a leading international NGO, more as a vocation rather than any other job. The determination to strive for a greater good and the act of being selfless is well engrained within her and her team. This is what drives them to touch the lives of hundreds and thousands people worldwide each year. Not a day in the year goes by where she does not think about how to solve the problems that matters, giving back to society and creating an impact on people from all walks of life. This is how the budding social entrepreneurs should think about their life.

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