VOICES: Empowering women for equal participation and driving change

Women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and gender equality by 2030 requires urgent action. As stressed by the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 and Gender Action Plan III gender equality must be at the heart of post-pandemic recovery. There existed a significant gap in accessing comprehensive leadership development programmes tailored to the specific challenges faced by marginalised women, of easy and free access. Often underrepresented, these women stick to their assigned role of domestic work and not often are they allowed or consider a different and more active participation in society, which is particularly true for migrant and ethnic minority women. Partner’s organisations in the VOICES’ project, believe that postpandemic recovery needs women at the centre, participating in public and private spheres and driving changes that serve both society and the planet. And VOICES has aimed to build gender-responsive results to boost the understanding of gender roles and inequalities, encourage equal participation and contribute to close the gender gaps.

- to raise awareness on gender roles and inequalities, as a means to identify and implement strategies that encourage equal participation and bridge the gender divide; - to improve professionals' competences in promoting gender equality and women's empowerment; - to challenge gender-biased stereotypes related to women's participation in the public and private spheres of their lives; - to boost women's willingness and capacity to take an active role within their diverse living contexts; - to promote effective lifelong learning and continuing professional development opportunities for women and the professionals who work with them (in adult education, public services, or civil society organisations) targeting gender equality and women's empowerment towards active citizenship and equal social and civic participation; - to create networking opportunities for professionals that enable continuous knowledge exchange within a community of practice focused on fostering women's participation and empowerment.

- Microlearning, digital storytelling, and real-world learning approaches have been applied for the development of the three project results to foster professionals' and women's capacity for action upon gender gaps, and overcome any gender-related constraints to equal women's participation in public and private life. - Participatory methodologies have been valued for the development of all projects' results: 28 associated (at least 2 per partner) have taken part in the local learning networks, providing inputs and feedback to all project results, and helping to identify and establish contact with the project targets; A total of 96 women, all of them facing any education, social, and/or gegrahical obstacles and 66 professionals (at least 8 per partner country) directly working with women to foster their equal participation and empowerment have participated in the piloting phase; 292 participants in the 8 multiplier events, representing a range of local stakeholders have become aware of the available resources, and help to disseminate and increase results' use besides the project lifetime.

1. VOICES competences roadmap and resources for Local Learning Networks: a competences roadmap and a set of guiding resources have been developed to improving the competences of professionals on gender equality and women’s empowerment; these professionals have taken part in the VOICES Local Learning Networks, created in each participated country to combine their expertise and join efforts for empowering women for equal participation and driving change, through working in local cooperation partnership. 2. VOICES thematic MOOCs: a set of thematic MOOCs have been developed using microlearning principles, storytelling methodology, and real-world learning, to raise awareness on key areas of women’s empowerment, in line with the Gender Action Plan III, including a) Ending gender-based violence; b) Sexual and reproductive health and rights; c) Economic and social rights and empowerment; d) Equal participation and leadership; e) Women, peace and security; f) Green and digital transformations. 3.VOICES digital learning hub : a digital learning hub, where the previous project results along with additional interactive activities and learning resources have been integrated into a toolkit for professionals and interactive thematic MOOCs for women, has been developed to facilitate, attract, encourage and offer every professional and woman lifelong learning opportunities.