Raise Women's Awareness Network
The RWAN initiative started in 2018 under the umbrella of the European Association for Viewers Interests (EAVI) with the support of the European Student Union (ESU) by the Together, Moving Forward (TMF) program.
After the successful record of this initiative, RWAN was officially registered as a non-profit organization (ASBL) in Belgium and Brussels in 2021.
RWAN’s mission is to empower women by enhancing their awareness of their rights and of the resources available to them through education, ICT training and access to the labour market.
We envision a world where women can access equal opportunities in education, work, culture, and art. Inspired by our passion for social responsibility and guided by our core values—integrity, trust, transparency, collaboration, and courage—we assist women to prepare for the new challenges by building on their past experiences and by providing guidance about the new tools needed for a brighter future. In order to achieve this goal, we help, support, encourage and empower all women to be informed and to utilize the resources available to them.
RWAN seeks to build bridges between individuals and universities, institutions, organizations and all other actors that bear the responsibility of supporting women—especially those from immigrant or refugee backgrounds. In doing so, RWAN provides a space to share contacts, make proposals and create new opportunities for dialogue and cooperation.
Our organization aspires to provide real opportunities—especially for refugee and migrant women who face difficulties integrating and establishing themselves professionally. Further, RWAN is working towards more support for gender equality within European society. RWAN aims to pave the way through sharing personal experiences, matching resources, enhancing education opportunities and entrepreneurism as well as creating best practices. We strongly believe that this will lead to a better intercultural understanding between refugees/immigrants and host communities. We are convinced that not only women but all of society will benefit from this initiative.
RWAN organization seeks to achieve its goal by,
-
Highlighting the importance of women's role in society.
-
Promoting activities that increase women's participation in education, professional life, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
-
Promoting women's integration through education, raising awareness, shared experiences, and networking.
-
Advocating for the social inclusion of women in society.
-
Conducting research and advisory activities aimed at closing gaps
-
in equality in society.
-
Conducting training activities to support women's innovation and entrepreneurship.
RWAN Status
The RWAN team consists of a group of women moved by a great passion for helping and supporting women in different fields. Our international team includes people with diverse backgrounds, including European and non-European members as well as those with immigrant or refugee backgrounds.
This diversity plays a focal role in our work. Our multilingual team is well-connected and can effectively communicate our vision with a wide range of European actors that support women's integration.
Our team members with immigrant or refugee backgrounds organize our activities and workshops. These team members are able to communicate with our participants in their mother tongue and better understand their needs.
This combination of diverse backgrounds profoundly contributed to the success of our initiative. Our diversity is valued by our team members and enriched the experience of the women who participated in our workshops.