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Springboard 2018

Springboard addresses socio-economic discrimination and difficulties that women of immigrant background face in Norway particularly as they relate to securing employment or growing their own businesses. We plan to expose this largely unaddressed norm that disempowers immigrant women and keeps them from participating in society and creating value. 

This exclusion from society further exacerbates their livelihoods, as well as emotional and social wellbeing, thereby negatively affecting their sense of self-worth and usefulness in society. Herein, we will engage the  stakeholders through a series of events, such as workshops, seminars, and conferences and public discussions to find actionable solutions to the social exclusion. Simultaneously, we will provide women with the tools, skills and network they need to succeed either in finding work or in starting their own businesses

Our Panel Discussion - "Job Creation for & by Women"
Oslo, November 19 - 2018

Why Springboard?

Women encounter varying degrees of discrimination on the grounds such as gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual preference or socio-economic position. In Norway today, many immigrants (women and men alike) believe that they are unlikely to secure skilled work regardless of their academic attainment and professional experience. They often attribute this to their race, ethnicity, religion, language barrier and the perception of being “the other” or foreign. 

 

This belief continues to be the trend and has now become the status quo, as newly arrived immigrant women learn that their opportunities are limited. In turn, their perceived limitations become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We will break down limits internalized by  Springboard participants, based on their perceived restrictions or those ascribed by the societies or households in which they exist. 

What We Will Do

The primary goal of this project is to provide a dialogue and training platform where immigrant women can speak freely and without judgment about the problems they face both socially and economically. This project seeks to not only highlight existing problems but also find actionable solutions by engaging with stakeholders across social and economic sectors. Through this series of events, we aim to facilitate competence development, business understanding and strengthened self-esteem for immigrant women in Oslo and Norway at large.

 

The result we want to achieve is to create more dialogue, visibility, job opportunities, and socio-economic empowerment for female immigrants and minorities in Norway. In so doing, we hope to break barriers, create networks and enable employment opportunities that will empower women.

Approach

  1. Identify & engage stakeholders (i.e. needs, priorities)
  2. Transfer needs and priorities to measurable goals
  3. Map out ecosystem & stakeholder experience
  4. Establish service concepts & actionable metrics

Activities

  1. Pinpoint deliverables & enable attainment processes
  2. Collect relevant data (i.e. from surveys, feedback forms, interviews & focus groups)
  3. Facilitate skill & network building sessions
  4. Initiate implementation & evaluation channels

Outcome

  1. X number of companies & jobs created by & for participants
  2. Strengthened networks, visibility, self-worth & opportunities for participants
  3. Continued support, monitoring & evaluation of corresponding processes
  4. Complete a research based & solution driven White Paper

How Springboard Works​

Over a three-month period, we will facilitate a series of workshops and seminars in collaboration with video journalists, female entrepreneurs, business leaders, government bodies and corporations. Special emphasis is placed on socio-economic empowerment, value creation and self-worth. The Springboard project will conclude with a  conference where speakers will freely discuss the realities of being a ‘foreign’ female in Norway and provide constructive insights on opportunities and the way forward. We will also showcase relevant startups or small businesses owned by program participants. In addition, there will be an opportunity for participants to network with business leaders from diverse and inclusive companies.

How Springboard Works

Target Group

Target Group

  • You identify as female and are 18 – 55 years of age.
  • You identify as being immigrant, minority, or expatriate in Norway.
  • You have a burning desire to attain socio-economic independence as well as personal and/or professional growth for yourself and/or family.
  • You have an interest in starting your own company, and you may even already have a business idea.
  • You have strong business acumen and have either formal (academic) or informal (vocational) education.
  • You possess at least one or more of the following: a willingness to make a positive contribution in society; strong business drive; and an entrepreneurial spirit.

WHO YOU ARE

Female, 18 – 55 years of age, and identify as being immigrant or from a minority group.

Self-starter, energetic, ambitious and eager to improve your professional and personal life.

Have an interest in starting your own company and may already have a business idea.

Can commit a minimum of 16 hours to learn, network, and gain the skills you need to thrive.

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WHAT YOU GET

Over 16 hours of learning that includes, business skills acquisition,  mentoring & networking.

Build business basics & understand the legal & financial implications.

Increase your network & opportunities. Learn from  experts & experienced entrepreneurs.

Contribute to deepening & expanding the understanding of integration & inclusion in Norway.

Applications for Springboard 2018 are closed. Workshops have been successfully completed. Join our mailing list here to be notified of our programs and workshops next year. 

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Springboard's Structure

ItemPurposeFrequency
WorkshopPractical implementation and guidance4
MentoringIndividual Mentoring and Feedback 2
ConferenceInformation sharing, lessons learned, impact and way forward1

Springboard - Panel Discussion

Speakers, Mentors & Facilitators

Chisom Udeze

Founder, Mettle Consult
Project Director, with expertise in Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy & Market Research.

Meryn Willets

Co-founder & CMO, Vipicash AS
Speaker & Mentor, with expertise in Marketing, Business Development & Market Validation.

Ateh Atabong

Founder, Rex Pharma Services
Mentor, with expertise in Business Idea Generation, Validation & Design Thinking.

Kim-Andre Nikolaisen

Founder, TechUp
Mentor, with expertise in Website Development, User Experience, Digital Footprint & Marketing.

Marthine Spinnangr

Founder, Ikigai & Designer, Charge
Speaker & Mentor, with expertise in Concept Validation, Product Development & Design.

Gilbert Adarkwah

Founder, Gilbert & Partners
Mentor, with expertise in Business Strategy, Risk Analysis, Finance, Law & Insurance.

Robin Klein Schiphorst

Lead Service Designer, Idean
Mentor, with expertise in Service Design, User Experience & Leadership for Effective Business Launch.

Aukje van der Heide

Co-founder, Refresh
Speaker, with expertise in Entrepreneurship & Business Development.

Jenny Berstad

Program Assistant
Analyst with expertise in Social Entrepreneurship, Business Development & Sustainability.

Building Bridges.
Creating Opportunities.
Transforming Lives.

Building Bridges.
Creating Opportunities.
Transforming Lives.

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Chisom Udeze

Founder of Diversify, Diversify Consult, HerSpace & The Annual

Chisom is an Economist, a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Strategist, and a 3 times founder of impact driven companies. She has over 14 years of experience working with organizations like the European Commission, The United Nations, ExxonMobil and The Economist Group. Chisom is analytical and a data enthusiast. She is passionate about interrogating the cross-sectoral relationship between society’s inhabitants, resources, production, technology, distribution and output. She efficiently and effectively unlocks complex systems, interprets data, forecasts socio-economic trends and conducts research.

Having lived and worked in 7 countries across 3 continents, she is highly adaptable to different circumstances and people, and thrives in uncertain environments.

As the founder of Diversify and Diversify Consult, Chisom and her team work with companies, institutions, governments and civil society to develop sustainable DEIB strategies and embed measurable diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace and society. In addition, in 2022, Diversify launched the Diversify Nordics Summit, the largest conference in the Nordics that gathers cross-sectoral stakeholders to amplify DEIB in the Nordics and beyond.

In 2020, she founded HerSpace, a diverse and inclusive co-creation community for all genders, with particular focus on women and non-binary people. In 2022, HerSpace launched HerTech, Women in Tech incubator, for women-led companies, with a focus on the inclusion of diverse founders. 

Chisom is a thought-leader in DEIB and a passionate advocate for mental health and wellness. She writes often on DEIB and justice related topics, some of her work is published on Forbes.

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