Category: News

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Organise Your Own Move It Forward Event!

As an outcome of the Move It Forward+ project, funded by the European Union Erasmus+ program, a toolkit for organising your very own Move It Forward (“MIF”) event–as well as CSR and mentoring activities to promote women (digital) entrepreneurs–is now available free, online for the public!

Move It Forward is an event footprint–sometimes called a “hackathon” or “tech-for-good” initiative–originally developed by the Digital Leadership Institute as part of its inQube “female digital accelerator” program.  By deploying MIF and other activities, inQube aims to support teen and adult women entrepreneurs by providing community, digital and business skills, and other resources they need to launch and grow successful digitally-enabled and digitally-driven enterprises.

Including Move It Forward+ project activities, the Move It Forward event has been organized twenty times in nine countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, reaching thousands of participants, since 2014.  In 2018, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI founder, received a Global Mobile Award recognizing her work with inQube, and in 2019 the MIF initiative was selected as a European finalist for the UN ITU EQUALS in Tech Award.

Materials developed and made available within the MIF+ project are available for download on the Move It Forward+ website and below.

Please feel free to contact us for more information about and support with organising a Move It Forward event in your own city!

1. Guides: How to organise a Move it forward+ Event

We provide our Guides in 5 different languages, to support you with the organisation of your Move it forward+ event.

2. Event Preparation Documents

You can find additional and printable materials here:

3. In-event Documents

You can find a variety of printable material here:

4. Guides: How to organise mentoring sessions

You will find here all the resources related to the organisation of mentoring sessions linked to your Move it foward+ event.

Annexe n°1: Impact and assessment of women programmes and events supporting women in entrepreneurship.

Annexe n°2: Mentor’s portfolio & Mentee’s portfolio

5. Event Presentations

Our  Event Presentation will be available soon!

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DLI Update – Winter 2022

Happy 2022 to all our friends and collaborators!

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Winter 2021-22, including the 22 December 2021 launch of the the G20 Women20 2022 Indonesia Presidency, attended by DLI’s director. For upcoming events by DLI and our partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

15-17 November – SME Assembly 2021 (Portorož, Slovenia & Online): On 15-17 November 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  joined the SME Assembly 2021, hosted by the European Commission and taking place in Portorož, Slovenia and online, as part of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council.

17 November 2021 – “Solutions Through Inclusivity” Group of Nations Virtual Summit:  Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  joined a fireside chat on Digital Equity to Build Forward Better as part of a 17 November event on Solutions Through Inclusivity–celebrating 25 years of Group of Nations global events, including G20, W20, B20 and APEC.

25-26 November – Fin2021  Porto, Portugal  and Online): On 26 November 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  provided a keynote presentation on the subject of Techno World at the FIN2021 event taking place in Porto, Portugal and online.  The event was supported by JEUNE, a pan-European organisation representing 1.6 million young entrepreneurs, for which Miller recently became Advisory Board member.

30 November – Udacity STEM Forward with Women: On 30 November 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  contributed to an online panel promoting success for women in STEM  as part of the STEM Forward with Women event hosted online by Udacity.

2 December – Projexplorer Navigating the Future of Project Economy (online):  On 2 December 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  joined a Projexplorer event on Navigating the Future of Project Economy with a keynote speech on the topic of Sexism in Tech:  Unlearn What You Know.

6 December – WEgate Community Council Meeting (Online):  Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the third  meeting of the WEgate Community Council, supporting women entrepreneurs in Europe and beyond, on 6 December online.

9 December – Path to the Digital Decade  (Online):  On 9 December, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  provided a keynote address for an event of the Digital SkillUp project, on the topic of Path to the Digital Decade: Inclusive & Sustainable Upskilling for All, hosted by DIGITAL SME Alliance.

14 December – EIC Women Leadership Programme (Online):  Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, provided a keynote presentation for the 14 December EIC Women Leadership Program Personal Leadership Brand session, on the subject of Remaining Authentic in the Face of Adversity.

21 December – Italy-Indonesia Women20 Handover:  On 21 December, in the capacity of Head of EU Delegation to the G20 Women20, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the Italy-Indonesia Women20 Handover meeting.

22 December – Indonesia 2022 G20 Women20 Presidency Launch:   In the new capacity of Co-head of EU Delegation to the G20 Women20, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the 22 December launch event of the Indonesia 2022 G20 Women20 and G20 Empower Presidency.

To browse past activities with DLI and our partners, please click here.  Be sure to also visit our calendar, sign up for the DLI Newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram in order to keep up with DLI events and activities!

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We4Change Launches Train-the-Trainer Workshop

The We4Change consortium is looking for enthusiastic youth workers and trainers to support We4Change Changemaker events by learning to organise and deliver these events targeting our key beneficiaries. Details on the call for applications for a Train the Trainer workshop to take place in Brussels on 2-4 February 2022, may be found here and a draft application form here.

What is the Train the Trainer Workshop?

It is a training dedicated to youth workers and trainers that are interested to learn how to effectively deliver a We4Change Changemakers event – a hackathon-like event that offers an innovative combination of hands-on activities, training on digital, innovation
and environmental awareness skills, problem-solving and co-creation skills to young girls and women to address climate change.

The participants will learn a series of methods of facilitation of such type of event, which includes an important gender element, but also entrepreneurship and environmental activism.  They will develop their communication skills to work with a diverse audience, to change and adapt to different situations and how to handle complex group dynamics to keep things running smoothly. In addition, they will be trained to deliver or assist several workshops on themes such as:  digital, design thinking and pitching.

When will the Train the Trainer Workshop take place?

The training will take place in person between 2-4 February 2022, In Brussels (Belgium). Applicants must be available to participants to the entire 3 days training.

Who can apply?

The training program is addressed to youth workers, trainers, coaches and mentors working or interested in working with girls and young women on the themes covered by the We4Change project, including youth empowerment, environmental action, digital skills, entrepreneurial mindset.

Application and selection procedure
All applications must be submitted before the deadline of 10 December 2021 at 23.59 CET, via the online application form. By submitting the application, applicants accept the eligibility criteria and practical information related to this call.

More information on the WE4Change Changemakers Train the Trainer seminar, including eligibility criteria and practical details, may be found here!

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DLI Update – Fall 2021

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Fall 2021, and for upcoming events by DLI and our partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

14 September – UNIDO Women and Modern Technologies Event (Online): Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  contributed to a webinar organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), entitled Women and modern technologies in restoring sustainability and building resilience in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, which took place online on 14 September 2021. Outcomes of the webinar will be shared at the Multi-stakeholder global dialogue on emerging opportunities for women in the digital age, at the third Eurasian Women’s Forum (EAWF), on 15 October 2021 in St. Petersburg.

14-15 September – ICT Spring (Luxembourg & Online): On 14 September 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  provided a keynote presentation on the subject of A Digital Spring for Women Entrepreneurs, as part of the annual ICT Spring event, taking place 14-15 September in Luxembourg and online. Complementary passes for this event may be found here.

29 September – W Closing Event (Finland & Online): DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, gave a keynote presentation at the closing event of the W-Power project, empowering women entrepreneurs in sparsely populated communities, taking place online on 29 September 2021 .

7 October – WEgate Summit (Brussels & Online): On 7 October, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, contributed to a high-level breakfast briefing at the annual WEgate Summit, on the subject of WE are the Next Generation, taking place in Brussels and online.

19-22 October – Global Marketing Summit (Online): 19-22 October 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, gave a keynote presentation at the Global Marketing Summit 2021, which took place online for an audience of over 5000 participants, on the subject of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Building Forward Better.

27 October – Fondation Lance d’Afrique Burundi (Online): Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  joined Fondation-LAB Summit on Social Enterprise for Economic Empowerment: An African Woman’s Perspective, where she provided a keynote presentation on the topic of Building Forward Better: Women, Technology & Entrepreneurship.

30-31 October – G20 Summit (Rome & Online): On 30-31 October 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director,  joined the 2021 G20 Summit in Rome as Head of the EU W20 Delegation and Co-chair of the Digital Working Group for Women20 Italia 2021, the women’s stakeholder engagement group to the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy.

Be sure to visit our Calendar and Outreach Activities page to keep up with DLI events and activities! You can also and sign up for the DLI Newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

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Women4Afghanistan

The recent withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan after twenty years of occupation created a power vacuum and resurgence of domestic forces that has triggered a humanitarian crisis.  The clamping down on human rights and freedoms, especially impacting girls and women, is forcing flight of hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals to other parts of the globe. Some of the most high profile evacuations have been of the Afghan Girls Robotics and Girls Soccer teams. There are thousands of harrowing evacuation stories, not all of which have been successful, and countless more at-risk girls and women are still living in uncertainty in Afghanistan. 

In her role as Head of EU Delegation to the G20 Women20 stakeholder interest group, Cheryl Miller, DLI Director, played an instrumental role in delivering a Declaration of Support for Afghan Women and Girls to G20 leaders, including EC President von der Leyen and US President Biden, ahead of a 24 August urgent G7 meeting on Afghanistan. President von der Leyen’s remarks there focused on the plight of Afghan girls and women: “We need to help mostly those who are at immediate risk. And those are women, girls and children, who make up the vast majority of internally displaced people – 80% of the internally displaced people in Afghanistan are women and girls.”

As Afghan refugees attempt to make their way to other countries, they will need support – for evacuating from Afghanistan, arriving to a new location, and in assimilating long-term as economic, political and social actors in their adopted homes. An initiative called Women4Afghanistan was launched by Anne Ravanona and Katharina Miller, EU delegates to the G20/W20, in order to rally support for Afghan girls and women on this path.  More information on how to contribute to this critical work may be found here: 

http://www.women4afghanistan.org/

As Afghan refugees arrive and begin the process of integrating into their new home communities, it will be up to programs like AMIF and the ATHENA project to specifically support Afghan women and their sister refugees from around the world, by delivering on its remit to promote entrepreneurship by women migrants. DLI and the ATHENA partners look forward to the opportunity to support the women and girls of Afghanistan, and women migrants from all over the world, in integrating and achieving financial independence for these most vulnerable. 

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DLI Update – Summer 2021

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Summer 2021, including participation at the G20 Italy 2021 Women20 Summit in Rome where the G20 Italy 2021 Women20 Communiqué was delivered with contributions by all delegations including the EU led by Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck. For upcoming activities by DLI and its partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar for events organised by DLI.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

4 June – “AI and Business” BSBI Café Scientifique (Online): On 4 June, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined an online panel on the topic of “AI and Business,” as part of the Café Scientifique series hosted by Berlin School of Business and Innovation.

17 June – EU Parliament Workshop “Digital Gender Gap” (Online): On 17 June, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, spoke at an online workshop on The Digital Gender Gap, addressing the subject of “Access to Funding for Women Entrepreneurs in the Digital Ecosystem,” for Members of European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research & Energy (ITRE) Committee.

23 June – “Impact of the W20 in the Lives of European Women” Panel (Online): Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined a panel discussion, with opening remarks by Vice Presidents of the EU Parliament and European Commission, on the “Impact of the W20 in the Lives of European Women,” hosted by the G20 Women20.

13-15 July – G20 Women20 Italy Summit (Rome & Online): On 13-15 July, 2021 G20 Italy Women20, the women’s stakeholder engagement group to the G20 meetings in Italy, hosted the 2021 Women20 Summit in Rome, Italy. Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, participated at the Summit as Head of the EU W20 Delegation and Co-chair of the W20 Italy Digital Working Group.

Be sure to visit our Calendar and Outreach Activities page to keep up with DLI events and activities! You can also and sign up for the DLI Newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

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Cheryl Miller Elected Chair of Women Entrepreneurship Platform

1 June 2021, Brussels, Belgium –  Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, Director of Brussels-based Digital Leadership Institute, was recently elected at a General Assembly meeting to the role of Chairwoman and President of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (“WEP”), the pan-European membership organization whose mission is promoting women-led enterprise in Europe with a focus on advocacy, network-building, and knowledge-sharing. Miller Van Dÿck succeeds Grazia Rendo. 

Miller Van Dÿck was a founding WEP member in 2013 and board member of WEP since 2018.  She concurrently holds the position of Head of EU Delegation for the Women20 engagement group to the G20, and is former Chair of the European Centre for Women and Technology in Belgium, and Governing Board Member of the Digital Skill and Jobs Coalition for the European Commission.

As Director of the Digital Leadership Institute, Miller Van Dÿck has long championed women entrepreneurs in Europe particularly in digital fields, and of her new role says, “women-led enterprise is always and everywhere the most dynamic engine for economic growth.” Under her leadership, and with support from a membership representing 10 million women entrepreneurs across Europe, Miller Van Dÿck says “in the coming three years, WEP will prioritize its role as top advocate for a sustainable, green and digital recovery, and transformation in Europe led by women.”

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DLI Update – Spring 2021

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Spring 2021, including election of DLI Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck as new WEP Chairwoman and President. For upcoming activities by DLI and its partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar for events organised by DLI.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

12 April – WEgate Community Advisory Council (Online): On 12 April, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, was invited to an online meeting of the Community Advisory Council for the WEgate project, in order to matters of advocacy, the campaign for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, and other issues central to promoting women-led entrepreneurship in Europe and beyond.

29 April – WEP General Assembly (Online): DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined the annual General Assembly of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) as member of the WEP Board of Directors. At this meeting, Ms. Miller Van Dÿck was elected new WEP Chairwoman of the board.

7 May – EU Women20 Delegation Meeting (online): On 7 May, the EU Delegation of the Women20, women’s stakeholder engagement group to the G7/G20, gathered online for their monthly meetings in preparation of the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. As Head of Delegation, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, chaired this gathering of the 2021 EU delegation.

11 May – Italian G20 Women20 Heads of Delegation Meeting (Online): On 11 May, DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined a meeting of the Heads of Delegation for Women20 Italia 2021, the women’s stakeholder engagement group to the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. Ms. Miller Van Dÿck participated in the meeting as Head of the EU W20 Delegation.

11 May – Delphi Economic Forum VI (Athens & Online): DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined a panel on the topic of “Female Entrepreneurship & the Financing Gap” at the Delphi Economic Forum VI, that took place in Athens and online 10-15 May 2021.

28 May – G20 Women20 Italy Plenary Meeting (Online): On 28 May, DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined a Plenary meeting of Women20 Italia 2021, the women’s stakeholder engagement group to the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. Ms. Miller Van Dÿck participated in the meeting as Head of the EU W20 Delegation and Co-chair of the W20 Italy Digital Working Group.

Be sure to visit our Calendar and Outreach Activities page to keep up with DLI events and activities! You can also and sign up for the DLI Newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

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DLI Update – Winter 2021

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Winter 2021, including launch of the 2021 EU Delegation to the G20 Women20 which took pace at end-January. For upcoming activities by DLI and its partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar for events organised by DLI.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

27 January – EU Women20 Delegation Kickoff Meeting (Online): On 27 January, the EU Delegation of the Women20, women’s stakeholder engagement group to the G7/G20, kicked off online ahead of the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. As new Head of Delegation, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, chaired the inaugural gathering of the 2021 EU Women20 Delegation.

10 February – Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Governing Board Meeting (Online): On 10 February, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the final meeting of the inaugural European Commission Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition governing board ahead of a call for new board members commencing in March. Ms. Miller Van Dÿck has served on the DSJC governing board through a critical stage in its development and growth, beginning with its inception in 2017.

22-23 February – Italy Women20 Kickoff (Rome & Online): On 22-23 February, DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined the kickoff meeting of W20 Italia 2021, the women’s stakeholder engagement group to the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. Ms. Miller Van Dÿck participated in the meeting as Head of the EU W20 Delegation and as Co-Chair of the W20 Italia 2021 Digital Working Group.

4 March – WEP Board of Directors Meeting (Online): DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined the quarterly Board of Directors meeting of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform, which took place on 4 March online.

8 March – UN Observance of International Women’s Day (Online): On 8 March, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined UN Women’s Observance of International Women’s Day 2021, aligned with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, on “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world, on the way to the Generation Equality Forum,” which took place online.

9 March – WEgate Peer-Learning Workshop on Women’s Entrepreneurship (Online): On 9 March, the WEgate project organised its third online peer-learning workshop on the topic of “Women’s Entrepreneurship” with participation from DLI executive members Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, Katja Legisa and Loredana Bucseneanu.

11 March – AWS Cloud Ambassador Meetup (Online): Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the 11 March online meetup of AWS Cloud Ambassadors, in which role Ms. Miller Van Dÿck and her peers work to promote uptake of emerging and future technology skills among vulnerable communities, especially girls and women, around the world.

14-26 March – 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (Online): From 14 to 26 March, UN Women organized the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Global civil society organizations also supported the session with a series of virtual events organized via NGO CSW and its partners.

15 March – Council of Europe “Digital Gender Gaps & Opportunities” Event (Online): As a side-event of the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the Council of Europe, National Council of German Women’s Oganizations, and their partners organized an online event addressing the subject of “Digital Gender Gaps and Opportunities.”

23 March – European Parliament “Policy Options for the Ethical Governance of Disruptive Technologies” (Online): On 23 March online, the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) organized an online event on the subject of “Policy Options for the Ethical Governance of Disruptive Technologies,” including with major EU-funded projects,SHERPA, SIENNA and PANELFIT, former to which DLI’s Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, acts as an adviser.

26 March – Mommypreneurs Closing Gala 2021 (Online): On 26 March, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, provided a keynote address to the graduates of the 2021 cohort of the Mommypreneurs, a project reaching 2300 women with entrepreneurship skills from across seven countries in Europe.

Be sure to visit our Calendar and Outreach Activities page to keep up with DLI events and activities! You can also and sign up for the DLI Newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

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DLI and Partners Launch WE4Change Project

On 22 March 2021, the Digital Leadership Institute and four partner organizations from across Europe launched the WE4Change initiative supporting “girls and women connecting for environmental change.” WE4Change is an EU-funded project aiming to foster civic engagement of girls and young women from disadvantaged backgrounds by empowering them to understand their strengths, develop digital, leadership and changemaking skills, and increase their sense of initiative in the social and environmental sector.

For the next two years, Digital Leadership Institute (BE), Stimmuli for Social Change (GR), Empow’Her (FR), Tekedu (MD) and ZERO Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável (PT) will work together to offer an innovative combination of hands-on activities, training on digital, innovation and environmental awareness skills, problem-solving and co-creation of prototypes to address climate change, responding directly to the needs of young women to break down stereotypes, develop their creativity and confidence, and contribute to society.

The first project meeting took place on the 23rd of March 2021, with project partners discussing the first project phase aiming at setting a solid and appropriate foundation for the development of the We4Change project. The first steps include a context specific gender analysis that will be conducted in each participating country looking at i) youth policy & youth participation programmes, ii) environment & climate, iii) digitalization and innovation related to the issues tackled by the project to ensure the appropriate development of the trainings and materials to be developed throughout the project.

To stay updated on the WE4Change initiative, follow the project Facebook page!