Who can apply to She Entrepreneurs?

To apply to She Entrepreneurs you have to:

• have the drive, ambition and interest to use social entrepreneurship to implement a social business initiative that you have already started working on
• be a citizen of Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine*, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia or Yemen
• your social business initiative should be based and implemented in your country of citizenship or in one of the countries of the She Entrepreneurs programme listed above
• be between 20 and 36 years old
• have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English.

*Palestinian ID holders, including Jerusalem ID

Please note that we are not able to make any exceptions to the eligibility requirements. Only completed applications will be considered.

How to apply?

The call for applications is open between 6 September 2016 and 6 October 2016. Apply by filling out our She Entrepreneurs Application Form 2016 and by going to our application portal. Deadline for applications is 6 October, 2016. Only applicants who have submitted a complete application will be considered for the programme. A complete application consists of:

• a completed application form in English, including your contact details and the contact details of two reference persons*
• an updated CV in English
• a photo (not compulsory).

If you have any questions regarding the application form, please send an email to [email protected]

*We may contact the reference persons of the applicants who are selected for an interview. We accept references who speak English, Arabic and French.

Due to the large number of applications that we receive, we are unfortunately not able to send personal replies to all applicants. Hence, if you have not heard from us by 10 December 2016, you have not been accepted to the She Entrepreneurs Programme.However, you are more than welcome to apply again for next year’s programme.

How do we evaluate your application?

A selection committee consisting of staff from the Swedish Institute as well as representatives from partner organisations and field experts evaluates the applications according to the following criteria:

• applicant’s social business initiative that will be the focus of the programme
• applicant’s drive, motivation and commitment, as well as her answers to the questions of the She Entrepreneurs application form
• assessment of the applicant’s CV.

Around 60 shortlisted applicants are called for interviews as a second step in the selection process. The interviews are conducted through Skype. Around 28 successful applicants will then receive an offer to participate in the programme. This offer is valid only under the condition that the participant obtains a visa to travel to Sweden. SI will facilitate the visa application process, but cannot guarantee a visa. In recent years, applicants living in conflict-ridden areas have in a few cases seen their visa applications rejected.

Find your nearest Swedish embassy.

The She Entrepreneurs programme is an intensive programme with a full-day schedule and many evening activities and all selected participants have to commit to participating in all activities of both module 1 and 2.

Sharing ideas and perspectives with each other. Photo: Cecilia Larsson Lantz.

Important dates

• Call for application opens: 6 September 2016
• Deadline for application: 6 October 2016
• Skype interviews: 7–11 November 2016
• Selected participants will be informed: (No later than) 10 December 2016
• She Entrepreneurs 2016 module 1 in Sweden: 27 March–7 April, 2017
• She Entrepreneurs 2016 module 2, location to be confirmed: 16–22 September, 2017

Official Link: https://eng.si.se/areas-of-operation/leadership-programmes-and-cultural-exchange/she-entrepreneurs/