Creating perspectives through education – training for the Turkish community within the framework of
"Mobile for Training"

"I've been in Germany for four years and interact with various local and Turkish parents, but today I heard about dual training for the first time." This was the comment of a participant after the first of two training modules aimed at the Turkish community. Fifteen women participated in the two training days of the "Mobil für Ausbildung" (MofA) project on May 16 and 23, 2025, at the Association of Self-Employed Migrants (ASM). MofA is being implemented in a project consortium led by Entrepreneurs Without Borders (Entrepreneurs Without Borders) as the project sponsor and ASM (Association of Independent Migrants) as a sub-project partner.

During the training, participants learned key facts about dual training and the associated career opportunities from ASM project coordinator Arzu Pehlivan and trainer Özlem Kutlu. The goal of the training series is to increase young people's motivation to pursue vocational training and support them along their path to education. Kutlu is herself a former participant in a training program and is now active in the project as a reference person and trainer.

Review of a successful event: Together for integration and participation

On April 8, 2025, the association invited cooperation and network partners to the ceremonial inauguration of its new premises. Under the motto "Training and labor market integration of people with a migration background - a success factor for civil society!", the evening was dedicated to networking, exchange, and shared responsibility. ASM Managing Director Marion Wartumjan and her team were also pleased to welcome Tim Angerer, State Councilor of the Social Services Department, and Sönke Fock, Managing Director of the Hamburg Employment Agency, among the guests. The subsequent keynote speech was attended by Felix Dresewski, Managing Director of the DOHLE Foundation, among others. Florina Malso from the association Fine Ukraine e. V., Armin Grams, head of the education platform for lifelong learning at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, and Budni HR manager Garvin Vollmer took part.
In a welcoming and appreciative atmosphere, our partners from business, administration, migrant communities, and civil society demonstrated how diverse and successful collaboration on equal terms can be. Projects, programs, and examples of successful integration made it clear: nonprofit organizations are an indispensable driver of social participation. A photo booth, which was in constant use, provided great fun.
A heartfelt thank you to all participants and guests for this inspiring evening!

Attracting and retaining international specialists

Diversity Day on 27.5.25 with practical strategies for Hamburg companies

Mobile children's library, resilience coaching and other ideas: At the event "Migrant Female Business Pitch", female founders with a migration background present their business ideas

Eight female entrepreneurs with a migration background in six compelling pitches, a four-person jury, and encouraging words from Hamburg's Senator for Economic Affairs: This is the summary of the "Migrant Female Business Pitch" event on December 11, 2024, at the Betahaus in the Schanzenviertel. The event was hosted by the "Migrant Female Business" (MiFeB) project of the Association of Self-Employed Migrants (ASM), which is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Innovation. In her welcoming remarks, ASM Managing Director Marion Wartumjan said: "Today, it's clear what potential can be tapped with just a few resources." And, addressing Nicole Bachmann of the hei.Hamburg Business Start-up Initiative directly, she said: "The fact that we've come this far is also a testament to our excellent cooperation with hei." Senator for Economic Affairs and Innovation Dr. Melanie Leonhard addressed the 50 participants – almost exclusively women – with a welcoming address. "Start-ups enrich our economic life. They are the engine of our economy." Women with a migration background, in particular, would make the economy more diverse and strengthen its resilience. Addressing ASM, the senator said: "They reveal the full entrepreneurial potential of immigrant women."

Aikaterini Koletsou, project manager of MiFeB, explained what this means in concrete terms with a few facts. In the first 14 months of the project, 114 women received initial consultations, 64 followed up consultations, and 20 start-ups have already emerged from the project. 370 women participated in the workshops, information events, and networking meetings offered. In an interview with Koletsou, Masoumeh Shariatnaseri recounted the long start-up and the many hurdles she had to overcome before she was able to establish her fashion label "Chasho." Although she had already launched two fashion collections in her native Iran, it took twelve years before she was able to build her own company in Germany. The reasons for this included difficulties with the German language, an insecure residence permit, and the high level of bureaucracy, even in the start-up process. The fashion designer: "Back then, I didn't know where to start."

Thouraya Kefi and Wanda Schulemann, who founded the women's empowerment agency "HerEnergy," also have a long road to self-employment. In addition to the challenges described above, the founding duo also had to build confidence in their own abilities and the courage to take this step. The business ideas and startups presented covered a wide range of topics: Morgan Boharski opened the pitch series. The American-born entrepreneur presented her mobile children's bookstore "The Itsy Bitsy Book Bike," followed by Tetyana Karpenko. The psychologist took the step into self-employment with a mobile psychological counseling service.

Evgeniia Sidorova aims to conquer a market with a specialized interior design service. She aims to design living and working spaces according to the ancient Indian method of Vastu, filling them with positive energy. The multilingual writing workshop "Heimat to go" is the business idea of Kyrgyz-born Erkeaiym Kasymbekova, while Iryna Tomanova and Olena Yuksel have already created two jobs at their cleaning company, "Sauberkeit Leader."

The final pitchers were Meltem Zeran and Ajda Emilia Burmester from "M & E Me-time-coaching." The duo aims to strengthen women's resilience through various offerings such as body-oriented exercises and supervision. After each pitch, the founders received feedback from the jury, which included entrepreneurs Yolander James and Güldane Altekrüger, as well as Naara Schemat-Loose from the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and Nicole Bachmann from hei. After a brief deliberation, the jury finally announced their favorite: the idea of a mobile children's bookstore. Morgan Boharski then received an invitation from Rika Kramer from the Ministry of Economic Affairs to a Senate reception for female executives in January 2025. At the farewell ceremony, Marion Wartumjan emphasized that, thanks to continued funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Innovation, ASM can continue to support start-ups for women with a migration background and will also network with the Hamburg Welcome Center in the future.