Connecting opportunities for young women

What is the purpose of the project?

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The WomenBridges project is part of the big Impact Drive's initiative  momgotajob. It aims to launch our comprehensive approach to achieving economic independence and at the same time a healthy balance between women's careers and personal lives.

WomenBridges provides a comprehensive approach and concrete methodology to support the career paths of young women, especially those in vulnerable situations to achieving economic independence and employment. At the same time, it develops the competencies of youth workers and NGO teams in implementing this approach. We are validating the process with the pilot implementation of WomenBridges in the three EU partner countries - Bulgaria, Austria and Greece.  

The long-term goal of WomenBridges is the effective inclusion of young women in public life by providing quality and balanced employment as entrepreneurs, self-employed or employees.  

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What activities are planned?  

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1: Exchange of expert and practical experience between the partners Impact Drive, Jamba Austria & Women Do Business. Joint analysis and search for sustainable models and forms for effective social inclusion and economic empowerment of young women 

2: Thematic “Training of Trainers” for a pilot group of youth workers from partner countries to implement the WomenBridges program and disseminate it to their colleagues 

3: Pilot program Local Bidges, which will provide and validate the WomenBridges program to final beneficiaries with specific initiatives at local level in Bulgaria, Austria and Greece

4: Development of a handbook with tools for implementing the WomenBridges program and sharing it with a wide range of professionals and youth workers.  

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What results do we expect? ​

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• Shared knowledge and resources between partners and accumulated common knowledge about approaches and models for economic empowerment and career support of young women, with a focus on women in vulnerable situations

• Developed methodology for the WomenBridges program 

• Training of trainers for 18 youth workers from Bulgaria, Austria and Greece

• Pilot activities of the WomenBridges program through Local Bridges 

• Involvement of education experts and employers

• Evaluation and validation of WomenBridges 

• Development of a manual with tools for program implementation and promotion  

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Achieved results:

The project, the first of its kind for the participating organisations, enabled us to test and further develop a support programme for women aimed at strengthening their economic independence, empowerment, and healthy work–life balance. Beyond that, we created and established a functioning programme that was permanently integrated into the work of the three partner organisations, continues sustainably beyond the project’s lifetime, and which we are strongly motivated to further develop in the future.

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• We built a strong and lasting partnership, working as one team and exchanging practices and ideas throughout the process of developing the programme methodology. We connected our teams, volunteers, and a broad network of experts across the partner organisations.
   

• We conducted a short desk research exploring different practices and approaches used by youth workers and youth organisations.
   

• We developed a methodology for supporting career development and work–life balance. This methodology evolved through several stages: its first draft was discussed and further refined during the training and joint work of the mentor group; mentors then actively contributed to project activities; the methodology was tested in real-life settings with end beneficiaries through various activities in the three participating countries; and finally, it was revised based on the results of the pilot phase to reach its final form.
   

• We delivered a Training of Trainers (learning mobility) and formed the first core group of 18 mentors capable of implementing the WomenBridges programme and providing support services to end beneficiaries. (See our story about the training.) 
   

• We enriched the training programme with two additional online sessions by leveraging emerging opportunities: LinkedIn (Austria) delivered a short training on using the platform as a tool for career development and personal branding, while White Ribbon Alliance (USA) provided training focused on community building, organising, and mobilising community members to actively raise their voices and advocate for their rights.
   

• We implemented a series of pilot activities (Local Bridges), testing different elements of the programme in the three participating countries. Over 140 women took part, together with the trained mentors. Through this process, we tested the programme flow and approaches, identified the need for more time for certain processes, drew conclusions, and adapted the methodology to better meet beneficiaries’ needs.
   

• We developed a methodological handbook with practical guidelines and resources for implementing the programme. The handbook was actively disseminated and continues to be shared beyond the project’s end among youth workers and NGO practitioners, as well as representatives of the business and education sectors working with young women and women in general.
   

• We organised a discussion on work–life balance for working women, exploring the topic from both perspectives: personal life and the workplace.

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