Get to know our German-Arab Mentoring Program Ouissal
The Program
The Arabic name Ouissal means “bridge” or “connection” and reflects the goal of the German-Arab mentoring program: connecting women entrepreneurs and female executives for a joint learning process and intercultural exchange.
The program was initiated more than ten years ago by the Euro-Mediterranean-Arab Association (EMA e.V.) and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The aim of Ouissal is to promote economic and social participation of women in their home countries and their international networking.
The programme selects around 100 women entrepreneurs from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Germany, who work together in tandems over the course of a year on the implementation of the mentee’s business plan or further business and career development.
The mentor shares her wealth of knowledge and experience with the ambitious mentee. In addition, participation in the German-Arab Women Entrepreneurs Forum in Berlin offers the opportunity to get to know the unique German-Arab women’s network and to meet numerous partner organisations and role models.
The programme is exclusive and there are only a few places available! Nevertheless, it is worthwhile for each and every one of you to apply! Every participant will be invited to various programme events.
Our mentoring concept
What is mentoring?
- Voluntary and personal support of a mentor for a mentee (1 year).
- You form a tandem: Mentor = experienced person, Mentee = inquisitive, learning person.
- Familiar exchange without hierarchy gap
- Roles: Mentor shares expertise and experience, mentee develops individually and professionally
- Learning and competence acquisition on different levels
- Win-win situation
- Learning – experience – impulse giving – personal responsibility
Difference mentoring and coaching
Mentoring | Coaching |
Exploration and experiential knowledge | Navigation and methodology |
This means that a mentor does not lead structured and prepared conversations, as a coach does. Rather, mentoring creates an exchange of experience through shared exploration of similar experienced topics through topics that are navigated by the mentee. In mentoring, both learn. And both reflect as well. It is important to know the differences between mentoring and coaching. This prevents misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations in the tandem.
Overarching goals
Feminist Foreign Policy – Social-Ecological Transformation – Empowerment – Diversity
Feminist foreign policy: not an end in itself, but a means to an end! Societies are more peaceful and prosperous when all people can participate equally in political, social and economic life.
Social-ecological transformation: Sustainability must be thought of and implemented ecologically, socially and economically. This is the only way to succeed in overcoming climate change. This is not possible without women!
Empowerment: Experience has shown that mentoring gives young women entrepreneurs the courage to continue on the generally rocky path after the start-up phase and under the aggravating conditions of the political and socio-economic situation in their countries. True to the motto of empowerment: don’t give up – together we are strong!
Diversity: Mentoring is a contribution to more diversity in business and creates understanding for the added values that result from it. Since our cross-mentoring programme Ouissal covers several diversity dimensions at once, it is particularly attractive and sustainable in terms of strengthening equality and intercultural understanding.
Cross Mentoring
- Mentor and mentee not from the same company
- No formal hierarchy in the tandem
- No power and dependency relationships = opportunity and potential
- Networking, open exchange in a confidential setting within the tandem, own peer group and the other mentors or mentees.
- Talking about challenges without worrying about disadvantages for one’s own professional career.
- Mentors not dependent on their own company à voluntary participation.
- Great opportunity for start-ups, as they alone cannot muster the capacities for their own internal mentoring.
Cross Culture Mentoring
- Mentor and mentee: different cultural backgrounds
- Enormous learning potential: expanding knowledge about each other’s ways of working and living
- Increased relevance of communication and feedback skills
Target group and selection criteria Who is the programme aimed at
and what are the selection criteria?
Application deadline and confirmation of participation
All applications along with the relevant documents should be submitted
latest by July 31th, 2023.
All received applications are evaluated through a two-step selection procedure.
The results of the selection procedure are announced by the end of August 2023.
Programme modules How does the programme work?
Matchmaking
Kick-off meeting
Tandem meeting
Collegial exchange among mentors
Virtual mentoring phase
Webinars
Peer groups for mentees
Regional networks
Championing Mentor
German-Arab Businesswomen's ForumMatchmakingMatchmaking
- Multi-stage process
- Personalities more important than industry
- Supply and demand must match
- Our experience: There are differences, but what connects us most are commonalities.
- Good to know: Mentors and mentees can learn a lot from each other. Ouissal broadens horizons and is a win-win situation for both sides!
- Added value: Networking with other German and Arab participants.
- Side effects: Mentors write books together, mentees work together strategically in their professional fields or simply availability of network.
Kick-off meetingKick-off meeting
- Start with kick-off meeting
- In one of the following countries: Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco
- Getting to know each other: tandem partners, mentoring team, other tandems
- Goals: eliciting goals, milestones, expectations, boundaries and tandem goal agreement (clarity and focus)
- Expertly facilitated workshops
- Participation in the kick-off meeting in presence is compulsory!
Tandem meetingTandem meeting
- Mentor and mentee form a tandem and meet in this constellation for one year.
- Procedure: usually once a week for 2 hours, taking minutes.
- Mentee provides impetus for content
- Attitude: openness – willingness to reflect – curiosity – willingness to experiment – courage – leave comfort zone – willingness to learn
Collegial exchange among mentorsCollegial exchange among mentors
- Informal meeting among mentors
- Main focus: reflection on the mentor role and mutual support.
- Goals: getting to know each other better and networking, celebrating successes and overcoming challenges.
- Protected space: sharing problems and successes.
- It’s not just me: In cross-cultural mentoring, misunderstandings are normal due to different cultures and physical distance.
- Collegial exchange promotes growth, inspiration and understanding for what has been experienced.
Virtual mentoring phaseVirtual mentoring phase among mentors
- After kick-off week: regular communication among tandems at self-determined intervals (e.g. video calls, text messages, emails, telephone).
- Advantages: flexible choice of location, time savings, international cooperation and cost savings.
- Exchange via social media channels continues to maintain contact.
WebinarsWebinars
- Needs-oriented and after evaluation of the kick-off workshops
- Topics of entrepreneurship (soft skills and hard skills)
- The competences are taught via the professional action competences based on Cuvry et at (2009): Professional competences, methodological competences, social competences, reflective competences and intercultural competences.
- All educational events are geared towards participant orientation and subject orientation and touch on both formal and informal learning
Peer groups for menteesPeer groups for mentees
- Regular networking options (regional and supraregional)
- Main focus: exchange about goals, challenges and current issues
- Objectives: mutual support, reflection, motivation and challenge
- Protected space: sharing problems and successes
- Improving communication skills
Regional networksRegional networks
- Large EMA network in: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria & Palestine.
- Regular options to meet and connect locally.
- Strengthen networking within the local group and increase own network.
- Fostering relationships between participants from the same country.
- Sharing individual and collective progress, difficulties and next goals
Championing MentorChampioning Mentor
- Person with experience as a mentor at Ouissal
- Advisor for mentors and mentees
- Advantages: she knows the context from a mentor’s perspective, but still has a certain distance to the tandems. She has experienced first-hand the challenges that can arise.
- Areas of application: Conflict in a tandem (mentor or mentee can talk to her first, individually or together) à uninvolved and neutral.
- Can also be a mentor herself, but does not have to be.
German-Arab Businesswomen's ForumGerman-Arab Businesswomen’s Forum
- Takes place at the end of the virtual mentoring phase in Berlin.
- Added value: unique opportunity to make further contacts with other women entrepreneurs in an intercultural environment.
- Opportunity: to present your own business to an interested audience from business, politics and society, to exchange ideas and to integrate the large German-Arab women’s network into your work.
- At the same time, other women from different countries can benefit from the experience gained.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
JULY 31TH, 2023
(Announcement of admission
at the end of august)
Kick-Off Meeting in one of those countries: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunesia
30.10.23 – 03.11.23
27.11.23 – 01.12.23
08.01.24 – 12.01.24
22.01.24 – 26.01.24
05.02.24 – 09.02.24
VIRTUAL
MENTORING PHASE
Winter 2023 – Autumn 2024
GERMAN - ARAB
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS FORUM
Autumn, 2024
Why participate in Ouissal?
Added values for mentors and mentees
Mentors
Mentees
- Development of a constructive mentoring relationship
- Reflection on own career 🡪 Role Model
- Network expansion (other mentees and mentors)
- Strengthening of own competences + development of counselling competences, among others
- Getting to know the HR development tool mentoring
- Personal support without responsibility for results
- Strengthening the image as a promoter
- Acquisition of intercultural competence
- Insights into other (corporate) cultures
- Up-to-date academic knowledge
- Getting to know the wishes and goals of a younger generation
- Participation economic participation of women in North Africa (🡪 contribution to international understanding, promotion of women)
- Development of a constructive mentoring relationship with a professionally experienced manager.
- Support for career and career planning
- Networking (other mentees and mentors)
- Reorientation and broadening of horizons
- Expanding the comfort zone
- Competence development (constructive feedback, dealing with conflicts, networking, ...)
- Personality development
- Acquisition of intercultural competence
- Insights into other (corporate) cultures
- Access to national and international associations and networking contacts
