Frequently Asked Questions for Leaders

You should participate in the distance learning and counseling support of Leaders and organize for two consecutive years (specifically during the academic years 2021-22 and 2022-23) a series of empowerment seminars which will be attended by 25 women aged 18-35 years every year. That is, in a total of two years you will have to conduct seminars for 50 women.

Each Leader undertakes to offer a series of seminars to 25 women a year for 2 years. The same 25 women have to attend all the seminars of the year. Next year, 25 different women will have to attend all the seminars offered again by the Leader.

If permitted by the health conditions created by the pandemic, seminars will be offered on campus for women living in one of the 15 cities where the program is conducted. For those women who do not live in one of the 15 cities the seminars will be available online, through the zoom platform.

The program of seminars will be implemented in 2021-22 as follows: Leaders will participate in initial distance training and support and then offer in-person seminars to the young women of their groups (or remotely through the zoom platform for those that live elsewhere). Their Coordinator will be present to support them where needed.

During their training, the Leaders will be informed in detail about the seminar flow schedule, the tools they will use and the methodology they will apply.

WOMENTORS was designed to offer a series of 4 large, thematic seminars lasting 8 hours each. To the young women who will attend the seminars in the academic year 2021-22, these seminars will be offered in the form of a 4-day course taking place in person.  Due to the pandemic, adjustments were made to the implementation of the empowerment seminars for the current academic year 2020-21.

The seminars were held remotely during the academic year 2020-21. Because distance learning requires more time than face-to-face and long teleconferencing is more tedious than a long experiential training in a multi-participant room, the 4 thematic seminars are divided into shorter teleconferences so that they are interesting, enjoyable and effective. More specifically, the 4 major in-person seminars are divided into 10 online seminars lasting 3 hours each.

Keep in mind that Leaders will be trained remotely through the zoom platform (synchronous (live) communication environment) and the moodle platform (asynchronous communication environment). Using both of these tools is very simple, so it will not be difficult for you or the young women who will participate in the seminars. In any case you will be trained in their use, you will receive detailed instructions and if necessary, you will have support from your Coordinator and / or from the WOMENTORS project team.

Yes. The use of a mask is mandatory in all seminars and training and coordination meetings that you will do with your Coordinator and your groups. Any Leader who does not wear a mask will not be accepted at the meeting and therefore will not be able to take on the role of Leader.

Of course, you can as long as you have attended all 10 online seminars in their entirety during the academic year 2020-21.

Leaders will be trained remotely. In particular, Leaders will participate in 2021 autumn in online training seminars through the remote zoom communication platform. In addition, through a specially designed asychronous learning platform, Leaders will have access to information and empowerment material, as well as consulting support throughout the project. Then, as Leaders will offer empowerment seminars to their peers, they will be advised by their Coordinator, a woman with knowledge and experience in empowerment.

It was originally planned to train the Leaders by the Scientific Team of the project centrally. However, due to the pandemic, it is not possible to hold the two large training meetings that we had planned for October in Athens and Thessaloniki. For this reason the training of Leaders will take place online.

During the seminars you will be invited to participate in activities that will take place on site in collaboration with the young women of your team. In addition, you may be asked to participate in a group project that you will undertake to prepare within a minimum of one month.

Also in order to be able to support your role properly, you should get informed about equality issues and study both the material you will be given for the empowerment seminars which you will offer to other young women and other information material that will posted on the training platform throughout the project.

In addition, you will be invited to fill in an anonymous questionnaire measuring the effectiveness of the program at the beginning of the program and after its completion (at the end of 2 years).

It is offered in the following cities: Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Patras, Volos, Rhodes, Rethymno, Heraklion, Komotini, Alexandroupoli, Mytilene, Corfu and Ermoupolis. You can also see them on the map.

No, unfortunately this possibility does not exist. If you are unable to attend the initial training, another Leader will take your place.

The seminars will be held on campus -if health conditions allow- with the provision of a computer, projector, projection screen and good internet connection. Given the public health standards due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the room should be large enough for 30 women to sit at a distance from each other. Throughout the process and the organization of the seminars you will be able to be supported by your Mentor-Coordinator both in organizational issues (such as providing space) as well as in matters of content and methodology of the seminar.

You are free to organize the seminars whenever you want. However, in order to have participants, the hours you choose must be such that they serve the schedule of the majority of young women who will attend them. It would be good to take into account the exam period and to plan the seminars so that they do not coincide with periods of exams or preparation and study for them. It is also good that the seminars are at least 2-3 weeks apart. Indicatively they could take place in November, December, March and April (for the in-person seminars).

The days and hours that a Leader will offer her seminars will be determined based on the availability of the participants. The WOMENTORS project team will give you the right tools and the necessary instructions so that you can organize your seminars properly with the support of your Coordinator. Do not forget that in places where there is more than one Leaders, there will be the opportunity to “exchange” trainees in order to facilitate their schedules.

• You will have a standard program flow plan for each of the seminars.
• You will have ready-made material in the form of presentations (eg powerpoint) and/or videos for every theoretical part of the programme.
• You will have texts and information that will support the relevant presentation.
• You will refer participants to content related to equality issues on the internet and you will present the WOMENTORS distance empowerment platform which young women will enter using a password and find information and tips on the seminar content.

During your training you will be prepared for all of the above both in terms of content and methodological approach.

According to WOMENTORS rationale, seminars will be organized and carried out by yourself as part of your own empowerment. For this reason you will be trained before the beginning of the seminars in 2021 autumn and you will receive in detail all the relevant instructions and the necessary tools. In addition, each Leader will work with another Leader from the same city or region to support each other both in the organization of the seminars and during their implementation. That is, if they have the time and willingness, they can participate in each other’s seminars even as presenters.

This “connection” between the Leaders will be made during the initial training of the Leaders. Finally, there will be next to you your Mentor-Coordinator, a woman from your city with knowledge and experience in matters of women’s empowerment, who will support and counsel you whenever and however you need it. Your Coordinator, who will be in charge of other Leaders in your area too, will be present at your seminars as a consultant and assistant with the aim of not intervening unless an emergency arises.

During the initial training of Leaders you will be given all the necessary instructions on how to attract new women for your seminars. If you have any difficulty, your Coordinator will be able to support you in collaboration with the university.

Participants must be women aged 18-35. They do not have to be university students and, of course, they can be your friends.

Young women will be attracted by the Leaders themselves by addressing their friends and relatives aged 18-35. These women do not have to be university students. They may be unemployed or working, they may be new mothers, Greek or foreigners (who speak Greek), etc. The only restriction on the profile of the women who will attend the seminars is age and language since the content will be offered only in Greek.

Leaders can also address their fellow university students (if they are students themselves) or students of other faculties and departments or even students of IEK, KEK (Vocational Institutes) etc. of their area. They can also use social media to attract young women to their seminars.

If a Leader tries to attract women to her seminars in all of these ways and finds it difficult to raise the number she needs, the Coordinator will help her to better communicate the call for participation locally and, thus, secure the required number.

In any case, all communication to attract young women to the seminars will be done remotely (via mail, chat, Instagram, messenger, etc.).

In a period of 2 years you undertake to empower 50 young women – 25 every year. Because we want to cover the full range of gender stereotypes and discrimination, it is important for these women to attend all the seminars you will offer each year. That’s why the same 25 women have to come to all the seminars you do during the first year. In the second year you will have to attract 25 new women to empower them again in all the seminars.

Your selection as a Leader does not automatically imply your certification. To be certified you must meet all of Leader’s obligations as described in question 2 above.

The certification you will receive will take the form of a diploma, will be issued by the Lambrakis Foundation and will be signed by the Scientific Project Leader of WOMENTORS, Professor of Counseling Psychology Kallia Kounenou. It will be accompanied by a description in Greek and English of the content of your education and the internship that it included and the knowledge and skills that you developed in this context.

What is now evaluated very positively in the labor market are those elements of the CV that indicate that the person possesses knowledge,  special skills and experience in addition to the qualifications reflected in e.g. a university degree. Therefore, with your participation as a Leader in WOMENTORS you have a double benefit since you are substantially empowered and equipped with knowledge and skills extremely useful for your professional and personal career, while at the same time significantly strengthening your CV.

The goal of WOMENTORS is to help you activate your powers and acquire the skills needed to be able to communicate the goals and content of the program to young women your age during the seminars. Before you get to organize and implement your seminars, you will be trained and we will offer you all the necessary knowledge, instructions and tools to succeed. In addition, you will have the support of your Mentor-Coordinator, the Scientific Team and all the contributors of WOMENTORS. Especially your Coordinator will be by your side to help you deal with any possible difficulties.

You will activate forces, develop skills and gain access to knowledge, information, networks and services so that you can have better control of your life, make important decisions that concern you and make strategic choices.

Upon completion of your training and work within WOMENTORS you are expected to be able to:

• know your rights and facts about discrimination against women
• defend your rights and make use of existing support mechanisms & legislation
• enter the labor market on an equal footing with men
• claim your professional rights fruitfully and effectively
• make full use of your skills and potential for professional development
• claim equal pay for equal work
• negotiate roles at home on equal terms
• demonstrates zero tolerance for violence
• take care of your mental and physical health
• raise your children free from gender stereotypes
• counsel and support other women who experience inequalities and/or violations of their rights due to existing discrimination and stereotypes
• undertake women’s empowerment initiatives
• advocate for the needs of women.

In addition, you will develop a series of soft skills that will be useful in many areas of your life. Indicatively you will be strengthened concerning

• your self-esteem and self-confidence
• your self-efficacy
• your organizational skills
• your ability to present to an audience
• your social skills
• your ability to inspire and motivate others and generally your leadership skills
• your ability to communicate effectively with others
• your flexibility and adaptability
• your teamwork skills
• your ability to set high goals and focus on achieving them.

The selection is made by the Scientific Team of WOMENTORS based on the answers provided by the applicants to the questions mentioned in the invitation.

For the academic year 2021-21, participation as Leaders can be declared only by women who have already attended the total of 10 online seminars during the current academic year 2020-21.

We want the new Leaders to be citizens of the world, women who develop and gain learning experiences. In this context Erasmus could not be a reason to lose the role of Leader. However, in order to “fit” everything in your program, you must be flexible and willing to work a little harder to achieve your goals. If you inform us from the beginning that there is a possibility that you will leave on Erasmus and present the necessary documents as soon as you know it for sure, we will make sure to make adjustments to your program so that you do not miss either the WOMENTORS training or the internship (offer seminars for young women) that will lead to your certification.

The nature of the program is such that it is best to conduct the seminars in person. In addition, coexistence in the same place promotes the development of dialogue and exchange of ideas among the participating young women. But as we all know, it is possible for education and empowerment as well as networking to be achieved remotely through the use of technology.

Therefore, in case the need to protect the health of each of us and public health in general requires it, the scheduled seminars will be held through the distance education platform of WOMENTORS. For this purpose, you will have all the necessary instructions at your disposal in time.