As part of the 5th work package of the RE-FEM project, partners organize national-level World Café events to gather insights and recommendations that feed into the project’s final outputs.
The World Café is an interactive discussion format designed to foster meaningful dialogue in a relaxed, informal setting — often structured like small café-style tables — where participants rotate between groups to explore key topics, share experiences, and co-develop ideas. This approach encourages the exchange of diverse perspectives and helps uncover practical solutions and innovative approaches.
Within the RE-FEM project, these World Café events bring together experts, professionals, women entrepreneurs, policymakers, and stakeholders across partner countries. They explore key topics related to the challenges, opportunities, and needs of women entrepreneurs and their mentors and trainers, ensuring that the discussions reflect the diverse realities and experiences within the field. The questions and topics to be raised at the world café events were shaped by our research findings and the collaborative exchanges we during the project, such as the invaluable insights gained from pilot training activities with the trainers and women entrepreneurs.
The main thematic areas and the core questions that frame the World Café conversations in each of the partner countries are:
- Invisible Work and Entrepreneurship – Exploring how unpaid care responsibilities impact women’s entrepreneurial activities and identifying policy and support mechanisms to address this burden.
- Challenges for Rural Women Entrepreneurs – Highlighting the specific barriers faced by rural women in business and discussing tailored support, including community, financial, and policy-level solutions.
- Digital Transformation and AI – Investigating how women entrepreneurs engage with digital tools and AI, the barriers they face, and the training and policies needed to support digital inclusion.
- Women-Led Businesses and Education – Discussing how entrepreneurial education can better serve women’s needs, the role of institutions, and effective learning formats such as mentoring and peer networks.
- Investment and Business Growth – Addressing the challenges women face in accessing funding, scaling businesses, and entering underrepresented sectors, while exploring supportive policies and programs.
The insights collected will directly inform the final policy study, shape the sustainability plan, and strengthen the long-term impact of the RE-FEM project. In the coming months, partners will host these World Café events at a national level, ensuring broad engagement and creating space for lively, constructive dialogue. Stay tuned as we share the outcomes and key takeaways from these sessions!