In the FoWoSe program (Fostering women’s social entrepreneurship) we collaborated with organizations from 5 different countries in Europe, to train and guide organizations involved in the promotion of entrepreneurship, so that they become more equal, first as employers, and then in their treatment of the entrepreneurs they support.

To achieve this, we focused on Gender Mainstreaming, i.e. the integration of the gender dimension into entrepreneurship support structures, in order to cultivate a more inclusive mindset within incubators, NGOs, business competitions and funding organizations, so that they promote equal participation of women in entrepreneurship.

Within 2 years in this project, we developed a methodology that supports the ecosystem for gender mainstreaming at a structural level, we created training tools that respond to the needs of women and enable organizations supporting entrepreneurs to implement tailored support programs, and we identified good practices to support a gender-sensitive entrepreneurship, all of which were widely disseminated in European and Mediterranean countries.

The FoWoSe Tools

1. Gender Mainstreaming Methodology: This guide is a comprehensive, practical handbook with tools that will facilitate the integration of the gender mainstreaming in organizations, for those who wish to better support their beneficiaries, to serve customers of all genders, to design more effective products and services, and collaborate effectively with all stakeholders related to their organization.
   
2. Toolkit for structures that train and support women social entrepreneurs: The toolkit includes training to improve the skills of staff employed in women’s social entrepreneurship education and support structures. It’s aim is to raise awareness of gender inequalities, trigger strategic actions within organizations promoting good practices, and provide adaptable methods, tools and resources that will include and support women entrepreneurs across Europe.
3. Diagnostic tool & suggestions for gender mainstreaming in organizations: The guide is an interactive pdf that includes a self-assessment tool and 10 recommendations for gender mainstreaming, designed to help entrepreneurship structures.

The above tools -as results of the project- had 3 phases of implementation: the first concerned the identification of needs, the mapping of business ecosystems and their structures, the creation of methodologies and the training in their implementation. In the second phase, the partners tested the implementation of the methodologies and tools internally, adapting the support programs they provide, and improved the tools according to the feedback from their use. Finally, as part of the third phase, they disseminated the tools to each country with separate events.

At Women On Top we are very happy to have been a part of the FoWoSe program, because we shared our know-how and experience, learned from our partners and, through our collaboration, developed a series of methodological and educational tools to support women entrepreneurs and organizations that can empower them with the appropriate programs.

FοWoSE was funded by the Erasmus+ program of the EU, and it is implemented by the organization PULSE, with the collaboration of Women on Top (Greece), Empow’Her (France), Reach for Change (Bulgaria) and Synthesis (Cyprus).