By Ouafa Zaidi, cultural reporter intern at Crossing Borders
On March 17, 2022, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, in the welcoming offices of Crossing Borders, an interesting free event about entrepreneurship took place. Celine Faty and Flavia Kwebiiha gladly opened up about their experiences as entrepreneurs, sharing their journey in creating their business and the tools needed for anyone who wants to have an entrepreneurial future.
To give the audience an idea of what is possible when you are motivated and well surrounded, these entrepreneurs and their audience observed and analyzed some important results of a project developed with 5 European countries, called FAMET – Fostering Adult Migrant Entrepreneurial Training and Qualification. Finger food, drinks, and snacks were prepared by the talented Flavia Kwebiiha as a closing of the event delighted the guests.
Since no other similar event is planned yet. I thought you might be interested in a little recap of the evening, with Pauline Teruin, the organizer of this event:
1/ R: What was the purpose of this event?
P: The purpose of the event was to introduce the outcomes of the project FAMET: the FAMET course and the Career Kit which both aim to provide guidance and motivation to migrant entrepreneurs. At the same time, two migrant entrepreneurs presented the story of their entrepreneurial journey, touching upon the commitment, the challenges, and the positive sides of being self-employed.
2/ R: How did you come to choose Celine Faty and Flavia Kwebiiha as guests for the event?
P: Céline Faty is from France, a Confidence Keynote Speaker & Coach, founder of “Women of My Tribe”, a non-profit organization helping women with entrepreneurial growth and development, and of QIIM, an eco-friendly “African-inspired” clothing line. She was chosen to speak at the event because of her many years of experience and the diversity of businesses she leads.
Flavia Kwebiiha is from Uganda and is a health coach. She helps people and especially women that have given birth to find a healthy diet and feel comfortable in their bodies. Flavia was invited to bring the perspective of a newer entrepreneur in a different field than Céline.
Both were noticed for their public speaking skills and their great interaction with the audience.
3/ R: How did the event unfold? Was there a good interaction between the speakers and the audience?
P: The event was very interesting and inspiring. Flavia and Céline gave us motivational tips but also very practical ones about how to open and manage a business in Denmark. We had some participants who had never heard about Crossing Borders before and stayed at the end of the talk to ask questions about the organization and its projects.
We had about 20 people attending, students from the entrepreneurship program at Aalborg University, some recent graduates, and other adults looking to change careers. The speakers’ presentations were very engaging, and the participants asked many questions.
4/ R: And will this event be repeated?
P: Crossing Borders has already carried out several projects on migrant entrepreneurship and has a large network of foreigners in Denmark who are always looking for contacts and inspiration, so yes similar events may well be repeated often!
Starting a business is a real professional and personal journey, it’s about growing and learning at high speed, and as a migrant, it can be a serious challenge.
But the important thing to remember is that it is possible to achieve what you desire. With the right tools, the right knowledge, and the sharing of resources and experiences through an experienced network, your goal will become an exciting challenge. So don’t give up and don’t hesitate to ask Crossing Borders about it, you’ll be surprised at what we can do together.
F.A.M.E.T. - FOSTERING ADULT MIGRANT ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION
