While women abound among students of international relations, security, defence, development and human security, their numbers get increasingly lower in senior and decision-making positions across governments, international, and civil society organizations as well as the private sector.
“I have a mentee and a mentor. The long-term, development-driven, relation-oriented nature of these mentoring programmes are key to my career.“
Dr. Corinna Hörst, President of WIIS Brussels
WIIS Brussels’ mentoring programme is a professional development scheme aimed at women active in the field of international relations, security and defence. It offers female professionals the opportunity to develop their skills, seek advice and discuss the challenges
and opportunities they encounter and grow in their line of work with support from a seasoned professional.
OBJECTIVES
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Support women’s professional development in the field of international security and defence
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Build women’s skills and expertise to progress in their career
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Learn how to manage challenges in their work environment from senior professionals;
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Build and extend participants’ networks.
BENEFITS
Our mentees
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develop a sharper focus of what they need to grow in their field
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Receive critical feedback in key areas of interest, such as specific subject knowledge or skills such as communications, time management, or networking
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Learn from their mentor’s experience
Our mentors
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Acquire new skills
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Improve their management style
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Share their expertise and pass on knowledge to the next generation
“I feel more assertive in my professional worth, empowered as a young professional, I’m entertaining many new possibilities“ Sarah-Claude
“The programme has changed me, my mentality, my conceptions and expectations of the working world. It has made me tougher and more resilient.”
Nina
MENTORING PROGRAMME
OUR VISION
The WIIS Brussels mentoring programme is a professional development scheme for women active in the fields of international relations, security and defence. It offers women professionals the opportunity to enhance their skills, seek advice, and discuss the challenges and opportunities they encounter in their professional lives. The programme seeks to help participants grow in their line of work with the support of seasoned professionals. The group of WIIS Brussels mentors consists of experienced officials from the EU institutions and NATO, as well as experts from academia, the private and public sectors. The individual mentor-mentee and group meetings during the programme serve as a vibrant platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience.
“I have been a mentee and a mentor. The long-term, development-driven, relation-oriented nature of these mentoring programmes are key to my career.“ Dr. Corinna Hörst, Former President of WIIS Brussels (2015-2019), Member of the Steering Committee
6TH EDITION (2022-2023): APPLICATIONS OPEN!
The WIIS Brussels mentoring programme was established in 2016. The 6th edition of the mentorship programme will run from October 2022 to April 2023.
You can now apply to join as a mentee before 11 September here:
https:/https://forms.gle/ih7RvQDnpBaZKeSD7
OBJECTIVES
- To support women's professional development in the field of international relations, security and defence;
- To enhance women's skills and expertise to help them progress in their careers;
- To facilitate learning from senior professionals, e.g. about how to manage challenges in the work environment;
- To help build and extend participants' networks.
BENEFITS
For our mentees:
- To develop a sharper focus of what is needed to grow in one’s field;
- To obtain critical feedback in key areas of interest, such as subject knowledge or so-called soft skills (e.g. communication, time management, networking, and self-confidence);
- To learn from the experience of a mentor.
For our mentors:
- To acquire new skills;
- To improve one’s leadership and management style;
- To share one’s expertise and experience, and pass on knowledge to the next generation (“to give back”).
“The programme has changed me, my mentality, my conceptions and expectations of the working world. It has made me tougher and more resilient.”
Nina
STRUCTURE & ORGANISATION
The Programme runs for six months. It is built around individual meetings between Mentees and their Mentors. We recommend to each mentoring pair to meet at least once per month. The individual meetings will be supplemented by a set of gatherings with the full group. Participants in the mentoring scheme also enjoy access to a range of additional workshops and networking sessions offered by WIIS Brussels, aimed at further enriching the overall experience.
REQUIREMENTS
All participants in the WIIS Brussels Mentoring Programme must be Belgian residents and paying members of WIIS Brussels. Membership will enable you to take part in the mentoring experience, and will offer access to all WIIS Brussels activities and meetings, including the professional training workshops organized throughout the year. You can find out more about how to become a member HERE.
“The mentoring programme helped me confirm previous career choices and my future career path. I have learnt to appreciate what I have and where I am now.” Gosia