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ON-GOING PROJECTS

Women, Enterprise, Employment in Local Development (WEED)

For more detailed information on this project please go to the URBACT website

About the WEED network

The WEED project is a thematic network of nine committed local authorities which aims to capitalize knowledge and practice around the participation of women on the labour market and entrepreneurship development. It is based on the premise that local government can play an important role in transforming positively their social and knowledge based asset linked to the women participation into the local economic life.

The overall goal of the project will be to assist the nine partner cities to improve practice in relation to women, employment, entrepreneurship and new economy and to develop multi -stakeholder Local Action Plans which are linked to good practice project proposals for possible funding from ERDF, ESF or other EU or National sources of funding.

A mapping exercise which was carried out by partners at the beginning of the project identified three common areas of interest and priorities for work:

• Improving women's work : the conciliation of work and family life, support to social enterprises as a source of employment and improving women's position in the private and NGO sectors.

• Promoting/supporting entrepreneurial activities: analysis of female and male entrepreneurs to guidelines for female entrepreneurs, increasing motivation and reduce risk aversion amongst women to encouraging local economic possibilities, effective municipal support programmes for female entrepreneurs.

• Promoting/ supporting women in use of new technology and position in science and knowledge : education to employment in applied science and technology or entrepreneurial activity in knowledge economy, increasing educated women's involvement in entrepreneurial activity and SMEs and increase uptake of technology by women in rural areas.

Local Support Groups (LSG)

The network will establish a Local Support Group in each partner city. These will be multi-level; cross-sectoral; and multi-disciplinary and will consist of 9-12 people actively connected to the themes plus a wider local network. The LSG's are the "drivers" of the project and will seek to maximise the "local" impact of the transnational exchange and to ensure that the lessons learnt lead to change at a local level. Each LSG will produce a Local Action Plan which will be linked, wherever possible, to specific project proposal to secure ERDF/ESF or other EU or National Funds.

Planned activities

In order to realise this overall goal of the WEED project the following activities will be undertaken:

• A transnational exchange programme for over 90 key actors. This will bring together 3 Action Learning Sets ( ALS's ) from each city focusing on threepriorities identified in the beginning of the project. The aim will be to ensure close involvement and co-operation in the learning exchange between practitioners, policy makers and, where possible, programme managers. This will create genuine conditions for co-production and the accumulation of knowledge, experience and know-how.

• A transnational, online, interactive Community of Practice which will bring together members of the Local Support Groups and interested actors from cities not represented in the partnership. The overall aim is to provide a platform for sharing practice by interacting around problems, solutions, and insights, and building a common store of knowledge.

• Creation of a web site resource which would include: case studies, sub-theme reports, links to relevant websites, publications/reports, contacts with regional/city/national/European actors and an interactive space for the transnational Community of Practice

• Development of Local Action Plans within each partner city which are linked to good practice project proposals for possible funding from ERDF, ESF or other EU or National sources of funding.

Project partners

• Celje, Slovenia (Lead Partner)
• Enna, Italy
• Karvina, Czech Republic
• Umeå, Sweden
• Crotone, Italy
• Medway, United Kingdom
• Santiago de Compostela, Spain
• Alzira, Spain
• Amiens, France

For further Information on the Project please go to the URBACT website

Contact details

Project Coordinator: Annachiara Pecchini
Email: apecchini@qec-eran.org

Lead partner: Suzi Kvas,
Stanetova 4
3000 Celje
Slovenia
E-mail: suzi.kvas@siol.com
Tel: + 386 3 49 24 042
Fax. +386 3 49 24 043

Lead expert: Professor Gil Scott
Social Inclusion and Equality Department
Glasgow University
E-mail: J.M.Scott@gcal.ac.uk