Empowering Migrant Women Using Design THInKing ApproacheS for Sustainable Entrepreneurship

<< Background >>We applied for this project to address the significant challenges of integration and empowerment faced by migrant women in all partner countries. These women often experience difficulties due to their dual status as migrants and women, which leads to economic and social disadvantages. Our goal was to go beyond providing basic aid and to help these women achieve economic independence through entrepreneurship.Throughout the project, we equipped migrant women with the skills and knowledge necessary for success. This encompassed delivering comprehensive entrepreneurial training, establishing support networks, and providing access to critical resources that would assist them in starting and growing their businesses.By the project's conclusion, we successfully integrated a design thinking framework, underscoring our innovative methodology. This approach, which emphasizes continuous feedback and adaptation, proved instrumental in enhancing the effectiveness of our interventions. Overall, our efforts aimed to empower migrant women and contribute to their long-term economic viability.<< Objectives >>The ETHIKAS project, structured via a Logical Framework Approach, focused on promoting social and sustainable entrepreneurship among migrant women. Utilising a human-centred design approach, the project equipped participants with essential skills, knowledge, and the mindset needed to impact society, the economy, and the environment positively.1: INSPIRE: We showcased how human-centred design thinking can empower migrant women in social entrepreneurship, highlighting its potential for significant change in their entrepreneurial pursuits.2: IDEATE: We developed and refined open educational resources and mentoring methods to enhance professional development in adult education, integrating human-centred approaches with innovative learning techniques.3: IMPLEMENT: A resource center for innovative entrepreneurship education was established to raise awareness about upskilling educators and migrant women, focusing on sustainable social entrepreneurship and strengthening educational structures.<< Implementation >>In line with the Logical Framework Approach that the ETHIKAS project adopted, we aimed to achieve our objectives through targeted activities. Objective 1: INSPIREActivity 1: We developed an E-book that delved into how practical human-centered approaches, particularly design thinking and mentoring, could assist migrant women in their entrepreneurial endeavors. This E-book was grounded in comprehensive transnational desk research, which investigated key factors and areas of expertise that support social entrepreneurship for migrant women. Additionally, we conducted field research that directly involved the target group, facilitating their engagement in social entrepreneurship.Objective 2: IDEATEActivity 2: A toolkit of open educational resources and peer-to-peer learning methods based on human-centered approaches. We created, tested, and translated 21 innovative educational materials, OER, and a specialized handbook for trainers. This comprehensive set of resources was designed to encourage and support creative learning practices within the adult education field. To enhance accessibility and reach, both the materials and the handbook were translated into several languages, including (SE), (ES), (RO), (IT), (FI), and (GR). These resources were explicitly developed to enrich the quality and variety of initial and ongoing adult learning opportunities, integrating human-centered strategies with innovative entrepreneurial learning models.Objective 3: IMPLEMENTActivity 3: We established a learning hub by creating a secure online platform to distribute our developed educational resourcesbroader.The platform was translated into partner languages, (SE), (ES), (RO),(IT), (FI), and (GR) for wider accessibility. We enabled online resource uploads and designed collaborative activities within the knowledge hub. We also created a video to explain the model and a tutorial to guide users in using the platform to share and access OER. It also featured a sophisticated tracking system to monitor usage and interactions.Complementary and Transversal Activities:Quality and Evaluation: We conducted regular assessments and follow-up activities to ensure the quality of the project and its outcomes. This involved a rigorous process of evaluating our learning methods and the resource center, linking these evaluations to pilot activities to enhance our model's quality and transferability.Impact Measurement: We systematically measured the project's impact on participants and stakeholders to gauge its effectiveness.Dissemination: We hosted events and utilized various channels to share project results and engage stakeholders. Exploitation: We leveraged the project's outputs for broader use and integration into other initiatives or sectors. << Results >>Result 1 (Inspiration): The R1 Indicator Evaluation revealed that the project successfully implemented transnational desk research on key success factors and areas of expertise needed to support social entrepreneurship for migrant women, based on reports from seven countries. The field research targets were adjusted and overachieved, with the project conducting 24 research interviews, engaging 36 migrant women, and including 36 migrant support staff, surpassing the initial targets of 40 migrant women and 18 expert interviews. The final result was an eBook reviewed by two experts and a specific report detailing the review results, fully meeting the qualitative indicators.Result 2 (Ideation): We produced a comprehensive toolkit of open educational resources. The project also produced 21 online resources in English and translated them into SE, ES, RO, IT, FI and GR, covering essential skills for migrant women in social entrepreneurship. Additionally, the toolkit was reviewed by two experts and all partners, ensuring high standards and thorough peer evaluation (as an overachievement).Result 3 (Implementation): The ETHIKAS project successfully achieved its R3 quantitative indicators by implementing a learning hub translated into six languages and uploading 21 resources online. A short film explaining the proposed model was created and available on the e-Hub in multiple languages.