The project ACT4WOMEN focuses on the group of women living in rural, remote, isolated or marginalised areas who have restricted access to the world of work and who are engaged in the production of handicrafts or any other form of “homemade” productions or services related to culture and/or the community/environment they live in. Rural women are the driving force for the maintenance and development of these areas, both in cultural and financial terms, as they contribute to the preservation of traditions/culture and the development of the countryside which faces a constant process of depopulation. This group of women however, face underemployment, poverty, lack of basic services in the field of education and traditional, have to deal with stereotyped issues for the woman’s role in the society and issues with regards to the their involvement in entrepreneurial and digital employment. It’s a common fact that many women who live in these areas are largely excluded from the labour market and social participation. Most of them are engaged in home-based productions (handicraft, sweets, herbs, bakery products etc.) or provision of services (tourist guide, coffee shop etc.) characterized by long hours, low income, high dependence on intermediaries with limited skills and training opportunities. The project aims to equip and empower women with key competences (social entrepreneurial and digital related), skills and tools in order to turn entrepreneurial ideas into start-ups, with a view to tackling discrimination between genders and also to impact their community and their culture. It also aims to empower them with self-confidence to start their own or in cooperation with others social enterprise in the form of a ‘home-based business model’ by providing the necessary social entrepreneurial and digital knowledge, mindset and skills with the focus on traditional handmade production or any other type of business related to the culture, community and environment they live in. Access, social inclusion, gender equality and non-discrimination are among the priorities addressed here. The project address the following priorities: HORIZONTAL: Skills development and inclusion through creativity and the arts HORIZONTAL: Supporting individuals in acquiring and developing basic skills and key competences ADULT: Increasing learning demand and take-up through effective, outreach, guidance and motivation strategies HORIZONTAL: Social and educational value of European cultural heritage, its contribution to job creation, economic growth and social inclusion The partnership comprises of 7 partners with a transnational status representing: UK, France, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Greece and Portugal. The partners have different expertise and experiences, that complement each other with the main aim to support all needs and requirements of the project. The consortium plans to produce several products as part of the 4 main Intellectual Outputs such as a mapping tool to present good practices on line, successful women’s entrepreneurs profiles, interactive platform, gamification for learning and assessment purposes, new teaching and learning material and provision of upskilling programme-service. The project includes also 4 transnational project meetings and one blended mobility activity where women from all partner countries (except Cameroon) will participate to share their experiences. During the lifetime of the project 6 Multiplier Events will be organized whereas the project will be disseminated through an official website, social media, leaflets and newsletter to a wide network of stakeholders and associate partners. The project aims to reach out to a large number of women, adults, adult educators, social workers, authorities, local councils, cultural agents, stakeholders and associate partners to raise their awareness about the potential of exploiting entrepreneurship education with a social impact for including women in the labour market.
ACT4WOMEN, an EU-funded project conceived in 2021, aimed at supporting and empowering women living in rural or marginalised areas equipping them with the necessary entrepreneurial and digital skills to transform their ideas into businesses. Women living in rural areas who are involved in the production of “homemade” products, generally lack the competencies to bring their products outside of the area they live in, due to a lack of skills and tools, such as digital skills or entrepreneurial mindsets. ACT4WOMEN’s objectives were to create a set of different tools for women to use to improve their skills and knowledge and transform their ideas into functional start-ups and business opportunities. In the 2-year life of the project, the ACT4WOMEN’s partnership produced: - An online mapping tool to present good practices and successful women entrepreneurs profiles - An interactive digital platform containing a set of training materials related to digital and entrepreneurial skills - An AR game with actions to transform women’s ideas into businesses - An upskilling program organised in Cyprus that involved women to share their experiences - The One Stop Support Centre, where guidance is offered to women in navigating the project results
ACT4WOMEN was created with the idea of helping women living in rural areas improve their entrepreneurial and digital skills. Rural women are the driving force for the preservation and development of these areas, both in cultural and financial terms, as they contribute to the maintenance of traditions/culture and the development of the countryside which faces a constant process of depopulation. It’s often common that these women, especially the ones involved in the production of handicrafts or any other form of “homemade” productions or services related to culture and/or the community/environment they live in, face underemployment, poverty, lack of basic services in the field of education, entrepreneurial and digital employment. ACT4WOMEN tried to address these needs, by equipping and empowering women with key competencies (social entrepreneurial and digital related), skills, and tools in order to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into start-ups, with a view to tackling discrimination between genders and also to impact their community and their culture. Access, social inclusion, gender equality, and non-discrimination were among the priorities addressed here.