Would you also like to promote women's empowerment? Get inspired by the Digital Handbook we created:
The project Artemis & Diana: Empowering women in rural communities centres on empowering women personally and professionally, through tailor-made workshops, dedicated to cultivating their skills, regarding local cultural and natural heritage, as well as entrepreneurship. By intertwining women’s empowerment, gender equality, cultural heritage preservation, and environmental protection, the project aims to make a positive impact on rural communities, promoting both sociocultural and environmental well-being.
The project was implemented in Kalavryta (Greece) and Brindisi (Italy), in collaboration with:
- The environmental organisation QG Enviro,
- Erifyli Center, and
- The feminist collective TransFemQueer, through the socio-cultural organisation TempoPresente A.P.S.
Objectives
- Empower women on both a personal and professional level.
- Develop new entrepreneurial skills.
- Raise awareness about the protection and promotion of local cultural and natural heritage.
Over its 12-month duration, Artemis & Diana aimed to positively impact:
- at least 20 women who participated in the workshops, through training, professional empowerment, and the expansion of new career paths;
- local communities, as the empowerment of women strengthens society as a whole, while leveraging cultural and environmental heritage can serve as a driver for sustainable economic development;
- employers and entrepreneurs, by promoting the message that women are equally capable of taking on any professional role and contributing across all sectors;
- local authorities and decision-making bodies, by encouraging them to support women’s continued participation in the workforce through targeted policies and infrastructure.
Activities
Approximately 30 women living in the wider areas of Kalavryta (Greece) and Brindisi (Italy) participated in 10 workshops that combined training on their region’s cultural and natural heritage, the development of digital and entrepreneurial skills, as well as gender equality and managing the challenges women face in contemporary society. The workshops were tailored to the participants’ specific needs, as identified through personal interviews, and are accompanied by an open-access Digital Handbook.
The workshops took place between April and May 2024 in both regions. The two groups collaborated digitally throughout the project, and met in person in Kalavryta in July 2024 and in Italy in October 2024 for the project’s final event.
January 2024, Kick-off Meeting
The first in-person meeting of the project partners from Greece and Italy took place in Kalavryta, marking the official launch of Artemis & Diana. In an atmosphere of creativity and collaboration, the foundations of the project were laid and the thematic focus of the workshops was co-designed.
March - May 2024, Women’s Empowerment Workshops
The project invited women living in the wider region of Kalavryta to participate in empowerment training workshops, by completing a participation form. The open call (March 2024) was widely disseminated through the official channels of the Municipality of Kalavryta, the local press, and the social media platforms of the project partners, ensuring transparency and equal access to the programme. Participants were selected on a priority basis and based on their commitment to participate, while all programme expenses, including attendance at the workshops and travel to Brindisi, were fully covered by the project.
From April to May 2024, 17 women from Kalavryta participated in an intensive and hands-on programme that included 10 thematic workshops and 3 creative workshops, which were facilitated by the women themselves. The programme was designed around their specific needs and interests, as identified through prior personal interviews.
The workshops combined education on cultural and natural heritage, enhancement of digital and entrepreneurial skills, as well as the development of knowledge around gender equality and the contemporary social challenges faced by women.
July 2024, Travel to Kalavryta
It only took three days for so many women to come together, create deep personal connections and demonstrate the power of collaboration and solidarity. By creating an atmosphere of support and inclusion, the Greek team warmly welcomed the Italian team that filled Kalavryta with positive energy and urge, while all together lived a powerfully transformative experience.
October 2024, Trip to Brindisi
The Greek team travelled to Italy for the Final Event, where participants from both groups presented the business ideas they had developed throughout the project. They also had the opportunity to visit local initiatives, in Lecce, Brindisi, and other areas around, that broadened their perspectives.
The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, through the National Agency, the State Scholarship Foundation (IKY), and under the auspices of the Municipality of Kalavryta.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.