GEIN
GEIN boosts the skills and empowerment of women to be sports leaders and coaches
A more equal world of sports is possible! It starts with experienced and brave women who are ready to step up and share their expertise.
We strengthen gender equality in sports especially in Albania and Kosovo.
Objectives and results of GEIN
OBJECTIVES
1)To promote awareness and activities of gender equality among all genders
2) To create knowledge and to build capacities on gender equality in sport societies
3) To build up a network of mentors for promoting gender equality in sports
We should not be shy about being proud of where we are or ambitious about where we want to go.
President Ursula von der Leyen
Political Guidelines in EU
RESULTS
- An educational module on gender equality in sport at the Tirana Sports University.
- Awareness of gender equality and skills of leadership for women in the sports sector in Albania and Kosovo.
- An international mentoring network to promote gender equality and leadership in sport.
- Increased media visibility of women in sport and of the players involved.
GEIN Project activities
- A study on gender equality in sports management, leadership and coaching in cooperation with the All in Plus project by the European Council.
- Design and piloting of a training programme to raise awareness of gender issues and promote skills in sports management and coaching in Albania and Kosovo.
- A mentoring model for participants in the training programme.
- A mentoring network to support gender equality in sport and women leaders in sport in their work.
- A study visit to Finland for partners in spring 2025.
- Final conference in Albania in autumn 2025.
GEIN PROJECT BUILDS UP A NETWORK OF MENTORS. JOIN US AS A MENTOR!
What is mentoring?
- An equal and trust-based cooperative relationship, where both are active actors
- The goal is to question familiar patterns of thinking and action
- It’s targeted sharing of experiences and learning together. The goals are set based on the mentee’s needs and they inspire her.
- The experienced mentor supports the less experienced mentee, who desires for development
- The mentor encourages development: the goal is to identify and use the mentee’s strengths and full potential
- The mentor is interested in the development of the mentee’s own thinking
- The mentor listens and asks insightful questions
- The mentor challenges the mentee’s values, thinking and assumptions
- The mentor guides the mentee to learn from their experiences and develop as a professional and as a person
What is mentoring not?
- It isn’t teaching or lecturing
- It isn’t giving advice and telling ready-made information
- It isn’t sharing of the mentor’s own wisdom or one-way transfer of information
- It isn’t copying the mentor’s model
Other things
- Mentoring takes place in English
- Those who are mentored are sports professionals and students from Albania and Kosovo participating in the project’s study program
- GEIN project will pay a small compensation for mentors
Benefits for the mentors
- Share the expertise and experience you have accumulated over the years
- Promote the career development of women in different cultures.
- You will support female sport leaders in facing challenges and developing gender-sensitive practices.
- Network with other international experts.
- Develop your own leadership and communication skills and intercultural understanding.
- Increase your self-esteem.
- You will also have the opportunity to reflect on your own values and professional goals.
Timetable - An educational online workshop for mentors on 6 June 2024 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Finnish time)
- In the workshop we get to know each other, we review the principles and practices of mentoring and plan the implementation of mentoring together
- The mentoring process takes place remotely during autumn 2024 and spring 2025
ONLINE WORKSHOP FOR MENTORS 6 JUNE 2024
Preliminary program
Brief presentation of the GEIN project and its organizations
Keynote speaker, sports influencer Ms Birgitta Kervinen:
- Importance of good governance in sports
- Mentoring as an opportunity to support personal growth as a leader
Principles of mentoring
- the motives, roles and responsibilities of the mentor and the mentee
- setting goals in the mentoring relationship
- potential challenges of mentoring; trust, dependence
- how mentoring can support the personal growth and professional development of both the mentor and the mentee
- interaction skills/ communication in mentoring
Practices of mentoring in the GEIN project
- A model of the mentoring process (autumn 2024 – spring 2025)
- The main features of the mentees’ personal projects
- Discussions in small groups, planning of the mentoring practices
- Time for questions & answers
Contact information: Marita Mattila, marita.mattila@xamk.fi
Birgitta Kervinen: “There is a special need for the expertise, opinions and also life experience of nationally and internationally experienced sports managers to support sports policy and sports players, when the sports environment is increasingly complex and the demands of social responsibility only grow. We want to support everyone who develops exercise and sports.”
FAQ about mentoring in GEIN project
The overarching theme of mentoring is promoting equality between all genders and building capacities of female sport leaders and coaches.
Introduce yourself in the Padlet
In addition, the mentors are presented in social media of the GEIN project.
The mentors will gain summarized information in October 2024.
The mentors are expected to create and maintain an equal and trust-based cooperative relationship with the mentees. Both parties need to be active actors. Mentorship is expected to relate to promoting equality between all genders and building capacities of female sport leaders and coaches.
Mentors are not expected to teach or educate the mentees. In addition, please avoid telling “ready-made information” or sharing your own wisdom by one-way communication. Copying the mentor’s own model to mentees is not the desired goal.
Saturday 7th December 2024 is the first joint meeting of all mentors and mentees. The mentees present their personal development tasks.
Saturday 15th February 2025 is the second joint meeting of all mentors and mentees. The mentors and mentees agree their mentoring meetings’ schedules together.
The mentors and their mentees will be matched in the end of November 2024.
Each mentor will have 5 – 10 mentees.
Mentors get background information about the mentees and a summary of the topics of the mentees’ three learning workshops. Moreover, the mentees present their personal development tasks in the joint meeting of all mentors and mentees on 7th December
The mentees plan their personal development task which promote the mentee’s capacity building and promote gender equality in the field of sports. The tasks can be planned in a group but are implemented individually.
The mentees present their personal development tasks in the joint meeting of all mentors and mentees on 7th December.
The mentor can decide the type of meetings according to her/his own capacity. Each mentor will have 5-10 mentees. We suggest using group meetings mostly.
International mentors’ (from Finland or Belgium) mentoring meetings are held between December 2024 and February 2025. Mentors meet their mentees at least two (2) times. Meetings can be held with a group or individual.
Domestic mentors’ (from Albania and Kosovo) mentoring meetings are held between October 2024 and February 2025. Mentors meet their mentees several times. Meetings can be held with a group or individual.
Facts
GEIN equal play, equal say
Info
Budget
Koordinator
Marita Mattila, senior project manager, M.Sc.
Kaakkois-Suomen ammattikorkeakoulu Oy
Patteristonkatu 3, 50100 Mikkeli
marita.mattila@xamk.fi
+358 50 3125094
Mentoring specialist
Heli Kesämaa, Dr.
Kaakkois-Suomen Ammattikorkeakoulu Oy
Liiketalouden yksikkö
Patteristonkatu 3, 50100 Mikkeli
heli.kesamaa@xamk.fi
+358 50 5913215
Media assistant
1.6.-31.8.2024
Katriina Janhunen, Student, Community education
akaja002@edu.xamk.fi
Project partners
Juvenia Youth Research Center is co-operating with
University College Leuven (BE)
Sport Univeristy of Tirna (AL)
NOC Albania
Kosovo Paralympic Committee
