We started! The first session of the WECAN training program began on 7 April and it included various activities such as workshops, presentations, group discussions, creative thinking etc.

This first session started with an introduction through an amusing approach of the project partners and the training participants by passing each other objects that we had to pick as a description of ourselves through showing everyone the meaning and value that these items have in our daily lives. After that creative acquaintance, each project partner spoke about the project in general and its goals such as to overcome the barriers for women entrepreneurship and to enhance the sense of initiative and entrepreneurial mindset and of women`s positive perceptions.

After their introduction the participants put sticky notes on an online board of every thought that they had associated with the training which included their expectations, fears/concerns and their contribution. Then it was inevitable with the Map location activity (where everyone tagged their living place) to see the variety of countries and cultures that are included in this training. Amongst these activities the session consisted of two workshops, out of which the first one`s concern was about the differentiation of the coach and mentor definition and their approaches to the coachees, and it continued with a supercoach activity where the participants were put in different groups together and discussed about the kind of coaches they wanted to have (common values and characteristics).

The project partners explained the WECOACH concept that includes both the definition of a coach and mentor (goal setter and guidance) and the necessary set of skills a WECOACH should have. Then in the second workshop, we entered into the world of entrepreneurship through defining the term, reflecting and introducing the framework EntreComp and its use. The workshop ended with a final group discussion where each participant talked about their own Entrecomp skills, their entrepreneurial ideas and the use of them in their daily lives. At the end of the first session, they were asked to share their opinions and experiences of the first day through a daily evaluation answering questions like how they thought the first day was – what went well and what wrong, their feelings and the knowledge they gained.