Women Entrepreneurship Mentality

<< Background >>Our decision to apply for the Women Entrepreneurship Mentality (WEM) project has emerged from the urgency to tackle post-Covid-19 unemployment, particularly impacting European women. High job insecurity, seen with 4.7% in Italy and 5% in Spain (compared to Europe's 2.5%), and even worse for migrant women (32.5%-45.3% in Italy), highlighted the vulnerability of women in certain job sectors. The GEM 19 Report on Women's Entrepreneurship's 6.3% European Female Entrepreneurship Rate (lower in Italy and Spain) underscored the issue. Addressing this, especially the limited entrepreneurial intent among Spanish and Italian women (5.7% vs. 12.4% European average), was imperative. Barriers included enduring gender norms, skewed career choices, and men's stronger entrepreneurial inclination. The transnational WEM project united Spain, Italy, and Cyprus in combating women's labor market disparities. WEM developed a practical group-based methodology guiding women through entrepreneurship, uplifting not only these countries but resonating across Europe. By sharing effective strategies, the project searched to standardize approaches for Adult Education Providers (AEPs) continent-wide. << Objectives >>The WEM project aimed to empower vulnerable women, especially migrants and refugees, in the participating countries. The objective was to create a tailored socio-labor path through training, nurturing entrepreneurial skills and self-employment. By doing so, the project seeked to uplift women from exclusion and enhance their family finances. Furthermore, the project strived to enhance professionals' ability to guide vulnerable women entrepreneurs effectively. It introduced an adaptable methodology tailored to women's needs, with potential for broader European application. By instilling an entrepreneurial mindset, the project equipped women with personal branding, self-esteem, and financial proficiency, facilitating their integration into the labor market. The project also recognized the importance of strengthening Adult Education Providers (AEPs). It designed a course that empowers AEPs to support vulnerable women navigating entrepreneurship. In essence, the WEM project seeked to uplift migrant and refugee women through self-employment avenues, enriching their entrepreneurial skills, while also enhancing educators' capacities for a sustainable impact.<< Implementation >>The project entailed a series of pivotal activities: Kick-off Meeting: Transnational meeting, setting the foundation for collaboration and shared objectives. Exchange Workshop - Itinerary Paths: An exchange workshop facilitated the sharing of diverse approaches to itinerary paths for women. Entrepreneurship Itinerary Design: Designing an entrepreneurship itinerary tailored for economic initiatives within the three countries focused on vulnerable migrant and refugee women. Itinerary Development: In-situ entrepreneurship workshops aligned with the unique needs of vulnerable migrant and refugee women were implemented across the three countries. Online Progress Meeting: team project evaluation, course correction, knowledge exchange, next steps discussion. Online Course for AEPs: Design, creation, and online publication of a course for Adult Education Providers, enhancing their ability to support vulnerable women in entrepreneurship. Multiplier Events: Online multiplier event in Italy, In-situ in Spain, and hybrid in Cyprus, promoting project outcomes and fostering wider awareness. Final Transnational Meeting: Project partners assessed achievements, shared lessons learned, and planed further sustainability<< Results >>The project yielded the following tangible outputs: Entrepreneurship Itinerary and Programme: A socio-labor itinerary, designed for vulnerable migrant and refugee women, equipped 37 vulnerable women with skills to establish sustainable economic initiatives in their communities. Online Course for AEPs: Created for AEPs to enhance their capabilities to guide and support vulnerable women venturing into entrepreneurship. 3 Multiplier Events: Spreading project achievements and fostering widespread awareness among 60 stakeholders. Communication materials: A project logo and corporate image were created along with a project website, posters, and flyers. Content was created for dissemination in social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Newsletters and press releases were generated and distributed amongst stakeholders. These tangible outcomes led to promising intangible results, including enhanced feelings of autonomy and self-esteem among the women, improved entrepreneurial skills, and a heightened sense of competency and knowledge among the AEPs. The project facilitated an improved exchange of best practices and a bolstering of project staff competencies, further enriching the project's overall impact.