NOW – Creating Future Leaders

NOW – New Opportunities for Women is a transnational network from the UK, Cyprus, Ireland, Greece, France, Spain, Iceland and Portugal providing mentorship and support to immigrant women.

In September 2019 (pre-Covid) organizations in 8 countries across Europe came together to create a new network dedicated to raising the voices of immigrant women in Europe. Little did we know, at that time, that we would not be destined to meet in person again. However undeterred by challenges brought on through the global pandemic this group, dedicate to this vital cause, worked to achieve our goal for co-designing and piloting a bespoke mentoring programme to support migrant women to realise their aspirations and develop the confidence to become leaders of their own destiny. This is our story…

NOW – New Opportunities for Women project partners have been successful in developing a range of interventions that are dedicated to raising the voices of immigrant women in Europe. Did you know that 52% of new immigrants are women? This group of women are often marginalised and face significant challenges, however they possess a wealth of experience and knowledge which is a vital bonus to our societies and economies.

The Role of NOW in tackling this challenge:

  • NOW connects immigrant women to role models, mentors and provides training and a community of practice
  • NOW focusses on migrant women’s advancement into leadership roles, starting by helping them to take ownership of their progress

Combining our vast experience and networks we have developed materials available on our MOOC that have been trialled by at least 100 migrant women, we have delivered a train the mentor programme to at least 50 individuals who have provided mentoring support migrant women in each of the 7 participating countries. In addition we have developed an active community of practice on LinkedIn bringing together educators, migrant women, women leaders and mentors to interact and continue to support each other.

“Our story is a long way from being over, I believe this is the start. Our pilots have shown there is a desire for the NOW programme to continue and so we look forward to releasing our programme much more widely. My heartfelt thanks to all project partners for their friendship when times were tough and for their dedication to achieving outstanding results over these 24 months,” says Afshan Baksh, project leader of NOW – New Opportunities for Women.