A clear set of principles that underpinned our approach to developing e-Advantage.
Building on past success
e-Advantage was inspired by the success of our earlier Erasmus+ project, BREW www.brewproject.eu.
BREW identified a demand for enterprise advice specifically for older women aged 45-50+ who, research has shown, do not have the same opportunities as younger people or men of the same age. e-Advantage built on BREW by creating a creating a safe, open space online where like-minded women could connect.
Developing Resilience
We started work on this project just before the start of the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and had to respond quickly to the massive impact of the crisis on every aspect of our lives.
Over the last 3 years, we have explored new ways of learning, working and many of our participants, also found previously unknown levels of strength and resilience.
Project Features
The platform was created as a resource and safe space for our mentors and mentees to communicate online through registering as a member. Registration has now been removed to enable open access to the training and other resources.
We delivered:
Lessons Learned
Women face the double disadvantage of both age and gender discrimination. Creating a safe space for them to open up is key to successs.
There is no common definition of an 'older woman's' age across different EU countries. It's important to not be too prescriptive in setting age thresholds.
Use positive language when communicating (e.g. 'use your age to your advantage as a mentor', rather than focusing on negatives e.g. 'behind the times').
Try to avoid talking generally about the 'internet' and focus specifically on its uses (i.e. Facebook, Email, WhatsApp) which are more relatable.
Do not leave too long a gap between promoting a project and delivering it. It's hard to keep people waiting for a long time and some will become frustrated.
Experienced and confident tutors work best for training peer mentors. Introduce a 'supervisor / observer' role to support trainee peer mentors who lack confidence.
If a mentee needs mentoring in a particular skill that isn't available, encourage them to reach out to their own network on social media / email. We found this happened quite a few times.
Online training for peer mentors and online peer mentoring worked well after initial teething problems, but partners found blending online with some face-to-face learning was optimal.
Overall experience was enriched when women participated both as a trained peer mentor and mentee. This was a lesson learned that was different to our original assumptions.
We have created a Handbook for organisations and individuals who wish to create their own peer mentor training schemes, with more information on barriers and lessons learned.
A clear set of principles that underpinned our approach to developing e-Advantage.
Building on past success
e-Advantage was inspired by the success of our earlier Erasmus+ project, BREW www.brewproject.eu.
BREW identified a demand for enterprise advice specifically for older women aged 45-50+ who, research has shown, do not have the same opportunities as younger people or men of the same age. e-Advantage built on BREW by creating a creating a safe, open space online where like-minded women could connect.
Developing Resilience
We started work on this project just before the start of the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 and had to respond quickly to the massive impact of the crisis on every aspect of our lives.
Over the last 3 years, we have explored new ways of learning, working and many of our participants, also found previously unknown levels of strength and resilience.
Project Features
The platform was created as a resource and safe space for our mentors and mentees to communicate online through registering as a member. Registration has now been removed to enable open access to the training and other resources.
We delivered:
Lessons Learned
Women face the double disadvantage of both age and gender discrimination. Creating a safe space for them to open up is key to successs.
There is no common definition of an 'older woman's' age across different EU countries. It's important to not be too prescriptive in setting age thresholds.
Use positive language when communicating (e.g. 'use your age to your advantage as a mentor', rather than focusing on negatives e.g. 'behind the times').
Try to avoid talking generally about the 'internet' and focus specifically on its uses (i.e. Facebook, Email, WhatsApp) which are more relatable.
Do not leave too long a gap between promoting a project and delivering it. It's hard to keep people waiting for a long time and some will become frustrated.
Experienced and confident tutors work best for training peer mentors. Introduce a 'supervisor / observer' role to support trainee peer mentors who lack confidence.
If a mentee needs mentoring in a particular skill that isn't available, encourage them to reach out to their own network on social media / email. We found this happened quite a few times.
Online training for peer mentors and online peer mentoring worked well after initial teething problems, but partners found blending online with some face-to-face learning was optimal.
Overall experience was enriched when women participated both as a trained peer mentor and mentee. This was a lesson learned that was different to our original assumptions.
We have created a Handbook for organisations and individuals who wish to create their own peer mentor training schemes, with more information on barriers and lessons learned.
Download in our resources library