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

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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.

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OBJECTIVES

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  • Support women’s professional development in the field of international security and defence

  • Build women’s skills and expertise to progress in their career

  • Learn how to manage challenges in their work environment from senior professionals;

  • Build and extend participants’ networks.

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BENEFITS

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Our mentees

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  • develop a sharper focus of what they need to grow in their field

  • Receive critical feedback in key areas of interest, such as specific subject knowledge or skills such as communications, time management, or networking

  • Learn from their mentor’s experience

 

Our mentors

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  • Acquire new skills

  • Improve their management style

  • Share their expertise and pass on knowledge to the next generation

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“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

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MENTORING PROGRAMME

OUR VISION

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WIIS Brussels' mentoring programme is a professional development scheme targeting women active in the field of international relations, security and defence. It offers female professionals the opportunity to enhance their skills, seek advice and discuss the challenges and opportunities they encounter in their professional life and grow in their line of work with support from seasoned professionals. The group of WIIS Brussels mentors consists of officials from the EU institutions, and experts representing the private and the intergovernmental sector. The mentoring meetings serve as a vibrant platform for the knowledge and experience exchange.

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“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, President of WIIS Brussels

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EDITIONS

 

1st Edition:           2016 – 2017

2nd Edition:         2017 – 2018

3rd Edition:          2018 – 2019

4th Edition:          2020 – 2021 (UPCOMING)

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OBJECTIVES

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  • ​Support women's professional development in the field of international security and defence;

  • Enhance women's skills and expertise to progress in their career;

  • Learn how to manage challenges in the work environment from senior professionals;

  • Build and extend participants' networks.

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BENEFITS

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For our mentees

  • ​Develop a sharper focus of what they need to grow in their field;

  • Receive critical feedback in key areas of interest, such as specific subject knowledge or skills (e.g. communications, time management, or networking);

  • Learn from their mentor’s experience.

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 For our mentors

  • ​Acquire new skills;

  • Improve their management style;

  • Share their expertise and pass on knowledge to the next generation.

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“The programme has changed me, my mentality, my conceptions and expectations of the working world. It has made me tougher and more resilient.”  
Nina
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4TH WIIS BRUSSELS MENTORING PROGRAMME EDITION

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After a short winter sleep, the WIIS Mentoring programme is about to embark on its 4th edition. 

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Our new, dedicated mentoring team comprised of Laura, Mathilde and Miruna, are working hard to take the lessons learned from the past three years, renewing and improving our mentoring concept to best meet your professional development goals. 

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We will shortly open a round of registrations for new mentors, after which the call will be extended to our new potential mentees, with the first formal meeting scheduled for the start of September 2020. 

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TIMELINE

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Recruitment: 

Mentors: February 2020 / Mentees: March-April 2020

Start of programme: September 2020

End of programme: February 2020

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CONCEPT

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WIIS Brussels' mentoring programme is a professional development scheme targeting women active in the field of international relations, security and defence. It offers female professionals the opportunity to enhance their skills, seek advice and discuss the challenges and opportunities they encounter in their professional life and grow in their line of work with support from seasoned professionals. Our mentors hail primarily from the institutional and policy-focused environment of Brussels, featuring both long-serving civil servants, as well as experienced private-sector professionals, with a focus on security and defence topics, approached from a broad variety of angles. 

 

The programme will run for 6 months, built around individual meetings between mentees and their mentors, supplemented by a set of group meeting and networking activities, meant to encourage team building and the sharing of best practices. 

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REQUIREMENTS

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The WIIS mentoring programme is best suited for participants who have already achieved a degree of professional stability in Brussels, and who can expect to be available and remain engaged for the 6-month duration of the programme. In order to qualify for selection as mentee, potential candidates must be based in Brussels and have at least 3 years of professional experience (including traineeships). 

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All participants in the WIIS Brussels mentoring programme must be paying members of WIIS Brussels prior to the formal start of the programme. Membership will not only enable you to take part in the mentoring experience, but also offers access to all WIIS Brussels activities and meetings, including the enriching and diverse professional training workshops organized throughout the year. 

 

The next steps of the process will be announced shortly! Stay tuned for announcements regarding the recruitment phase in the coming weeks, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. 

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“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

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