Empower - LTTA in Kaunas, Lithuania

The LTTA (Learning, Teaching, Training Activity) of the EMPOWER Project took place in Kaunas, Lithuania, from the 24th to the 26th of October 2023. The hosting organization ASOCIACIJA AKTYVISTAI welcomed all partners and organized an impeccable programme that included, among others, presentations, interactive workshops, guest speakers, as well as visits and activities around the city. A number of women entrepreneurs/target group members from the participating countries also attended the event and provided their valuable feedback on the training modules.

The hosting organization had a full agenda planned for the 3-day engagement, including three core phases starting off with presentations, followed by module evaluations, activities workshop and guest speakers, and concluding with discussions on the upcoming project activities.

Starting off Day 1 of the LTTA all partner organizations from Denmark (Connect4), Spain (Gestión Estratégica e Innovación SL), Cyprus (Wisefour Innovation and Development Organisation Ltd), Portugal (Rightchallenge – Associação), and Belgium (LACONSEIL), were welcomed by the Lithuanian partners. Following this, a short introduction was provided on the running of the LTTA. The presentations of the EMPOWER training modules began shortly after, where each organization was afforded the opportunity to present their prepared modules, giving observing partners the opportunity to interact with and internalize the content. This also gave an opportunity for comments by both partners and women/target group members on valuable improvements for each module and complementary content recommendation that could be translated from one module to another within the training programme. After the presentation of each training module, an interactive activity took place aiming to engage all attendants and foster an environment of active participation and involvement.

Day 2 started with the presentation of the remaining training modules, and when they reached an end point, a holistic view of all the modules was gauged by all present on exactly what can be expected from the overall EMPOWER training programme. The implementation of interactive exercises allowed partners to place themselves in the shoes of potential learners and realistically consider their learning experience in a self-study or instructor-led format. The activities were associated with the EMPOWER training modules, and were followed by a round table discussion on what worked well and what needed improvement. Additionally, women entrepreneurs were invited as guest speakers to the LTTA to share their insights and their professional experiences.

The 3-day LTTA ended with partners discussing the next steps of the project’s implementation. All upcoming tasks and activities were clearly defined and the time framework for their completion was fixed.

Overall, the EMPOWER LTTA in Kaunas, Lithuania produced an effective and efficient piloting of the training modules, giving partners valuable feedback to implement in order to further enhance their modules and ultimately the EMPOWER training programme as a whole.

The EMPOWER consortium looks forward to meeting one another once again in Zaragoza, Spain during February 2024 for the next Transnational Project Meeting (TPM).