Archive 2022

Here you will find selected reports on events organized by us and the work on projects in 2022.

Strengthening business success through effective networking: Networking meetings for female entrepreneurs

Following the successful launch event in November 2021, we followed the wishes of the female entrepreneurs and organized a whole series of networking events in 2022 under the title "Strong Together! Female Entrepreneurs Network - for More Empowerment and Sustainable Success." On November 16, 2022, exactly one year after the first event, the Migrant Economy Service Center, located at ASM in the IQ State Network Hamburg, and Entrepreneurs Without Borders organized another event as part of the nationwide Founders' Week. At GLS Bank, a fashion designer, a bestselling author, and a funeral director—three women from very different industries—reported on their self-employment.

In a conversation with ASM Managing Director and Project Manager Marion Wartumjan, Khatera Ali reported that, in addition to her work as a fashion designer, she is involved in social projects. Güldane Altekrüger, who has enjoyed great success developing and publishing low-calorie baking recipes, has now founded her own publishing company. Vildane Abdelatif shared her idea of establishing a Muslim funeral home in Hamburg.

Afterwards, the 19 participants exchanged ideas on the topic of effective networking. They rotated between four different themed tables, where they shared their respective ideas and experiences. The evening concluded—as expected given the topic—with time for extensive networking over snacks and drinks.

During the six evenings of the event, two of which were online and four in-person sessions, female entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to strengthen their own long-term success. This was achieved by gaining different perspectives, building relationships, and networking. The meetings focused on various financing options presented by the Hamburg Investment and Development Bank (IFB) and the Hamburg Further Education Bonus, which promotes the qualification of (solo) self-employed individuals. Participants also visited businesses run by female entrepreneurs to gain insights into their businesses and discuss professional topics.

Highlighting the potential of young people with an immigration background – information event with ASM as local partner on 27 October 2022 in Hamburg

The information event "Excellence and Diversity" at the Patriotic Society began on October 27, 2022, with flute music composed by the exceptionally talented Mozart. The nationwide initiative of the BildungsWerk in Kreuzberg GmbH (BWK) of the same name is looking for young talents with an immigration background. Over 60 participants attended the event, co-organized by ASM as a local partner: entrepreneurs, trainees, and other training stakeholders. They received information about the Competition Excellence and Diversity in Education for training graduates and heard the assessments of experts on the problems that young people with an immigration background face in the transition from school to training.

ASM Managing Director Marion Wartumyan In her welcoming speech, she emphasized that, not least due to the shortage of skilled workers, many companies in Hamburg are willing to train young people with an immigrant background. The association sees its mission as taking a resource-oriented approach to these young people and creating direct access to training for them, because "26 percent of 15- to 35-year-olds with an immigrant background do not have a vocational qualification," Wartumjan said. BWK Managing Director Nihat Sorgec cited the fact that 40 percent of young people with foreign-sounding names cannot find a training position, even though 12 percent of available training positions in Germany cannot be filled, as the reason for the competition, initiated by BildungsWerk together with the Association of Migrant Businesses. "This potential is being lost," said Sorgec, who appealed: "We should place more trust in young people."

The importance of small and medium-sized migrant businesses for the job and training market in Hamburg was highlighted by Bahram Habib from the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. According to Habib, 20,000 member companies with foreign passports are registered with the Chamber. According to the Chamber's estimates, there are a total of more than 50,000 registered companies whose owners are naturalized citizens or who run a limited liability company. Companies that wish to train young people with an immigration background could guide them to successful training through entry-level qualification or with the support of "Assisted Training Flex." These opportunities were highlighted. Roman Franke from the Youth Employment Agency. It's about recognizing the potential of young people, giving them a chance, and supporting them.

The completion of the Nina Moghaddam moderated event was a round table discussion with panelists from various industries. Munzur Can, who is training to be a salesperson, reported on his daily work life, formulated Silvia Gripp from the Employer Service of the Federal Employment Agency, the current and future challenges for trainees and companies: "Companies' expectations have risen significantly, and there is a great deal of rapid change in the world of work." Many jobs are continuing to evolve. Therefore, companies should ask themselves what the core competencies are that a young person needs to have for training in a given company.

The KAUSA Hamburg regional office, located at ASM, collaborates with the Youth Employment Agency and the Employer Service. Like the "Excellence and Diversity" campaign, it raises awareness among companies about the potential of young people with an immigrant background. Project Manager Arzu Pehlivan said on the podium: "Our companies see the potential and talent of young people. This is also important for recruiting and retaining skilled workers. After all, there is a shortage of half a million skilled workers throughout Germany. Hamburg plays a crucial role as an important economic location characterized by technology, tolerance, and talent. Overall, companies should and must sharpen their focus on potential and adopt a highly individualized recruitment process. This is the only way to create a win-win situation."

An entrepreneur who does not want to let potential go to waste is Yuksel Unuvar, Operator of the EDEKA branch at the Landungsbrücken. Ünüvar: "I've achieved a lot in my life. Now I'm giving something back." He has therefore taken on many refugees for training and supported them.
After the official part of the event, there was a lively exchange among the training participants, who clearly enjoyed the personal encounter after the long period of contact restrictions due to the Corona pandemic.

Expert discussion with the Senator for Economic Affairs:
Which UnWhat support do female founders with a migration background need?

Starting a business is a major challenge for the vast majority of founders. Female entrepreneurs with a migration background face particularly numerous hurdles. Hamburg's Senator for Economic Affairs, Michael Westhagemann, therefore invited representatives of this group, as well as associations offering migration-specific business start-up advice and representatives of the IQ Network Hamburg, to the Ministry of Economic Affairs on August 18, 2022. The goal of the professional exchange was to discuss the potential and diversity of female entrepreneurship, appropriate support options, and existing hurdles.

Kinga Trümper, Dr. Nevim Karaoglu, Melissa Franco, and Olga Braun, who were supported by ASM and Entrepreneurs Without Borders (UoG) on their journey to self-employment, shared their experiences. During the discussion, the hurdles became clear, for example, when it comes to obtaining a loan. Limited-term residence permits often lead to immediate rejection of the funding application or loan. The founders believe that multilingual services such as those offered by ASM and UoG are an important signal of the institution's openness. Simple language, assistance with filling out forms, explanations, and definitions are found helpful in the consulting process. The founders also value the access to information, knowledge, and experience that their participation in women's networks provides them.

The expert discussion was organized by experts from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Innovation and the Social Affairs Department, as well as ASM eV and UoG. The idea arose from the "Charter of Diversity" campaign in May 2021, during which ASM eV won ten new companies to sign the charter as part of the IQ Service Center for Migrant Economy project.



Women Entrepreneurs Network on May 4, 2022:
Exchange on lifelong learning and the continuing education bonus

The Hamburg Further Education Bonus is a project funded by the European Union and the City of Hamburg to provide training for the self-employed, companies, and creative professionals. However, the target group is often unaware of the possibility of receiving financial support for further education. Therefore, the further education bonus was the focus of the female entrepreneurs' network meeting as part of the IQ project Migrant Economy Service Center on May 4, 2022. Two experts, qualification consultants from the two P PLAN:PERSONAL, answered the many questions from the ten participants at the virtual meeting.

In the second half of the evening, Aikaterini Koletsou of ASM interviewed two female entrepreneurs. They gave the participants insights into their experiences with self-employment and their approach to lifelong learning. They mentioned the importance of continuing education to them, saying it has been the key to their success so far. Both emphasized that they are consciously pursuing further education, even in economically difficult times like these, so as not to miss out on current developments.

Direct contact with companies at the ASM stand: Employer fair at the Bramfeld Job Center

More than 7On March 30, 2022, 100 participants took advantage of the opportunity to contact the more than a dozen employers presenting themselves at the employers' fair at the Bramfeld Job Center. ASM also had a booth at the fair. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Tamim Wafa and Arzu Pehlivan advised more than 60 interested people on the topics of adaptation training, starting a business, and support for entering work and training. The two were not alone; they had invited companies to present themselves with them at the booth. Yüksel Ünüvar from EDEKA at the Landungsbrücken took advantage of this opportunity. The food retailer will open the new branch at the end of April and met visitors interested in employment during discussions at the booth. Some of them then received invitations for a personal interview, while others received application tips.

Digital meeting of the Women Entrepreneurs Network on February 14, 2022, on the topic of financing

Women with a migration background face particular challenges when starting a business. Many must first familiarize themselves with the German language, the local business landscape, and dealing with authorities. Once they have done that, they face daily challenges in their day-to-day business life. In times of crisis, the exchange of experiences and mutual support are especially important.

The "Migrant Economy Service Center" project is therefore initiating four networking meetings for new female entrepreneurs in 2022. The kickoff meeting on February 14, 2022, focused on financing. Martina Oesterer from the Hamburg Investment and Development Bank spoke about subsidized loans, grants, and the "Hamburg Micro Loan." Following this, two entrepreneurs spoke about their path to self-employment, and the 16 participants had time to exchange ideas with one another.
The date for the upcoming network meeting can be found atDates.

Women’s power in the neighborhood – a city-wide coordination supports volunteer mentors across district borders

For several years now, volunteer mentors have been providing low-threshold support to refugee women in their search for career prospects as part of smaller ASM projects in Hamburg-Mitte and Eimsbüttel. As part of the "Neighborhood Lights" program at the Billstedt multi-generational center, our mentors provide advice at the JobCafe and the clothing store. In Eimsbüttel, however, the mentors work closely with refugee shelters.

By implementing city-wide coordination starting February 1, 2022, we can now create a structure across district boundaries through which the volunteer mentors can exchange ideas and network. In addition, mentors will be recruited and trained for their work in two additional Hamburg districts.

The city-wide coordination works in two directions: Firstly, the volunteer work of mentors with a migration background in the districts is strengthened. Secondly, the mentors support efforts in the districts to facilitate the arrival process of refugee women and provide them with information and access to career paths.

A March 2020 publication by the Federal Agency for Civic Education shows that five years after their arrival, female refugees were significantly less likely (29 percent) to be employed than male refugees (57 percent). The number of female applicants for training positions is also lower than that of men. The coronavirus pandemic has further exacerbated social and labor market policy problems. The volunteer work of the mentors helps overcome hurdles such as barriers to residence and employment law, the recognition of foreign qualifications, and a lack of information.