Chiara Goitre
Apid Imprenditorialità Donna (Women's Entrepreneurship) is an employers' association with a gender perspective, which promotes a new entrepreneurial culture, developing strategies to support women entrepreneurs and equal opportunities. It was founded in July 1989 by women entrepreneurs from the Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of Turin and the Province (Api Torino). Today it has almost 350 members (women-owned SMEs), while Api Torino has 1600.
The aims of the organization are: To promote actions to develop female entrepreneurship. – To promote the creation of new businesses by acting as a reference point from the start-up phase. – To promote entrepreneurial careers among girls; – Disseminate corporate social responsibility among employers; – Support actions to spread digitalisation in SMEs; – Encourage the creation of lobbies and networks; Create opportunities for vocational training; –To promote investment by women for women;– To support women in decision-making.
Activities and Experience:
Apid, an association promoting women entrepreneurs and equal opportunities, fosters equality in SMEs and develops new activities for business women and new women entrepreneurs. In the past we worked in projects whose aims were:
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- to promote the careers and abilities of women;
- to boost women’s self-confidence and business skills in order to consider entrepreneurship as a career option;
- to promote empowerment processes focused on attitudes and skills;
- to build women’s business start up and growth programmes;
- to give new or aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to learn from experienced entrepreneurs;
- to support women, through a new labour organization, between family and professional responsibilities;
- to give to territory an opportunity to develop gender policies in a system;
- to help private sector companies to understand better the benefits of combating gender stereotypes.
Apid believes in the importance of building training on the real needs of women and women entrepreneurs and to try to solve their mandatory and urgent problems.
All their needs are merged during public meetings we organize. Once a month women entrepreneurs meet and discuss general conditions of their work and enterprises. In these meetings we propose activities and we arrange with them adjustments. Usually, we organize working groups on specific issues and then they report their decision to the next general meeting.
Apid, in addition to its direct network already mentioned, has a strong connection. It collaborates with Brodolini Foundation (Research centre with a particular focus in Innovation and Gender), Cottino Social Impact Campus (the place of world-makers for social impact, powered by the cutting-edge entrepreneurial action of Fondazione Cottino), Impact hub Torino (local reference point for social innovators, part of the Global Impact hub network), I3P (The Incubator of Polytechnic of Turin), 2i3T (the incubator of Turin University), PID (digital enterprise point in the Chamber of Commerce of Turin).
We’ve already collaborated with schools, universities and women’s centres where we can reach the target group. Furthermore, in our system we collaborate with Api Formazione, the VET centre for SMEs, apprentices, NEETs, employers, and employees, so thanks to them we can reach girls and women, not in schools.
- DD Project - 2018: Through targeted services, it promoted digital transformation in SMEs run by women and improved the skills of businesswomen. It organized a digital competition and pitching events to encourage young women to pursue STEM careers and female entrepreneurship.
- DigiTALL – 2019: The objective was to give 100 schoolgirls access to the online business world. Students were able to develop their entrepreneurial skills and awareness through the narration of role models, training on new businesses and how to pitch, and networking activities with innovation and digital hubs
- WIN On Line – 2020 – 2022. The main objective was to create resources and training for women over 40 with limited digital proficiency to become e-business owners. It will be accomplished as a result of establishing a network of trainers and mentors in the nations of the partners
- Scarpette Rosse Foundation Project: With a view to collaboration between women, a synergy was born between the Scarpe Rosse Foundation and Apid-Imprenditorialità Donna, which through art operates for the pursuit of purposes of solidarity and social utility. The aim was to raise public awareness on the problems of physical, sexual and psychological violence of which women are victims, trying to make a concrete contribution to their resolution through the organisation of an event linked to contemporary art.
- WINNER - 2022-2024 Developing entrepreneurial and digital skills; inspiring women and stimulating their interest in pursuing entrepreneurial careers; developing an e-learning platform for inclusive and participatory entrepreneurial training; establishing a strong network of successful female entrepreneurs and women interested in social entrepreneurship; creating a mentoring programme; providing opportunities for increased employability through digital and entrepreneurial skills training.
- WOMEN LEARNING TOGETHER - 2021-2024 Creation of upskilling pathways for women aged between 35 and 55, skills assessment, strengthening of peer networks (places for mutual learning of new skills), recognition of new skills to access career paths or self-entrepreneurship, awareness-raising on the impact of developing new skills for women aged between 35 and 55.