The Project - w4gea.eu

The project aims at improving the social and labour market integration of young disadvantaged women with low basic skills by improving youth workers’ capacity to engage them in grassroots projects for the sustainable development of local communities. Young women living in post-conflict countries or in countries facing profound social transformation will become real changemakers in their communities and countries, by experiencing the setting up of a grassroot project and gaining skills to further develop it.

Why focusing on gender?

–       women’s empowerment and gender equality is at the top of world agendas, as gender inequality is widespread in all cultures (World Survey on the Role of Women In Development, UN 2019).

–       Although gender disparity in higher in developing countries, compared to the developed countries (Ahmed et al., 2001), in the EU women are still a long way off achieving full economic independence, with higher unemployment and under employment rates (EU Equality Report, 2018).

–       youth and women are crucial target groups for the development of the 2030 Agenda, and countries and organisations are invited to involve them in their actions, specifically in grassroots initiatives (World Youth Report, 2015).

–       young women suffer from particularly challenging set of educational barriers, due to cultural, political, social reasons that leave them out of education or job market: nearly 14% of world’s young women are unemployed (UNESCO, 2016) and are considered globally as a vulnerable youth category, having limited knowledge of their civic and political rights, including the capacity to express their political and social views (UN Interpeace).On the other hand, it has been shown by numerous studies and field researches that working with young women becomes particularly effective thanks to the social role played by women, since when they have the opportunity and the skills to do it, women take the lead of the social change (UN Womenwatch Organization). Moreover, women have a critical role to play in all of the SDGs, with many targets specifically recognizing women’s equality and empowerment as both the objective, and as part of the solution.

The project will address the key competence on the development of entrepreneurial skills, as identified by the EU as the capacity to act upon opportunities and ideas, and to transform them into values for others, working on both young women and youth workers (Horizontal Priority). The project will reach out young disadvantaged women and stimulate their active participation, rebuilding the local communities by enhancing their digital and entrepreneurial skills, thus addressing their social inclusion and wellbeing and their participation in democratic life.

Youth workers will be trained in digital, entrepreneurial and peacebuilding skills and will pilot the good practices through the grassroots projects and local engagement actions.