Deadline: November 5, 2014
Applications are now now open for She Entrepreneurs Programme 2015! She Entrepreneurs is a leadership programme for young emerging women social entrepreneurs in the Middle East, North Africa and Sweden. The programme aims to give the participants innovative tools for sustainable change while seeking to create an active network of women change-makers.
She Entrepreneurs runs for one year, with participants meeting for ten days in Sweden and one week in the MENA region. In between the modules, the participants work on their own initiative locally, coached by group mentors over digital platforms.
During the programme participants are provided with inspiration, knowledge and tools to develop a business idea for sustainable change that they have already started working on in their country or region. Through the programme, participants are also offered the opportunity to meet leading social and business entrepreneurs as well as become a part of an active network of women social entrepreneurs that supports personal and professional development.
Programme Details
The She Entrepreneurs programme integrates the following areas:
- Knowledge building: theoretical and practical seminars, workshops and discussions on topics such as leadership, social entrepreneurship, business communications, branding, finance and funding.
- Project work: with inspiration and new tools the participants get an opportunity to further develop their social initiative and work on their business plans with the aim to create a more sustainable business.
- Study visits and meetings with entrepreneurs: organised study visits to relevant social business initiatives and inspiring social entrepreneurs in Sweden and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Discussions and constructive feedback on the participants’ social projects from leading social and business entrepreneurs and group mentors constitutes an important part of the programme and in the personal and professional development of the participants.
- Network: participants become members of an active network of young emerging women social entrepreneurs who support each other in driving change through innovative solutions.
Costs and Benefits
All costs related to accommodation, food and transport during the She Entrepreneurs Programme are covered by the Swedish Institute. The Institute will pay for air travel to and from Sweden and to the location of the second module of the programme in the MENA region.
Selected participants are responsible for obtaining their visas in good time before departure to Sweden and other relevant countries. When applying for a visa the Swedish Institute will provide the participants with a letter of invitation and an insurance certificate, and will also cover the application cost.
Eligibility
Participants are social entrepreneurs who address social challenges and strive for positive social change through initiatives based on entrepreneurial principles.
- You should have drive, ambition and interest to use social entrepreneurship to implement a social business initiative that you have already started working on.
- You are a citizen of Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, West Bank-Gaza* or Yemen.
- Your social business initiative should be based and implemented in your country of citizenship or in one of the countries of the She Entrepreneurs Programme listed above.
- You are between 20 and 36 years old.
- You should have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English.
- You should have basic knowledge of the internet and social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
* Including Palestinian Jerusalem ID holders from East Jerusalem
For more information and to apply, visit She Entrepreneurs 2015.