The Design Jam for Innovation and Equality in Businesses co - organised by Women on Top and Konrad Adenauer Foundation Greece and Cyprus was held successfully between February 21st and 22nd in Athens Digital Lab, under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Family Policy and Gender Equality.
In the opening ceremony of the Design Jam, the Deputy Minister for Research and Technology, Christos Dimas, emphasized the importance of equality and inclusiveness for business efficiency and impact, while the Secretary General for Family Policy and Gender Equality, Maria Syrengela, referred to the many challenges women face when trying to evolve professionally.
A panel followed with representatives of the corporate sponsors of the Design Jam, Iakovos Kargarotos, Vice President of Papastratos SA, and Vaso Pouli, CEO of Commit Global, but also with Melina Daskalaki, President of EATA , and Janina Sundermeier, Assistant Professor of Digital Entrepreneurship, who also later facilitated the Design Jam. The discussants of the panel shared important insights and data on actions already being implemented by their organizations on gender equality, as well as on the challenges they face in achieving this goal.
During the Design Jam, 9 teams were formed, comprised of men and women from the fields of technology, design, HR, business administration and beyond. Within 28 hours of visioning, collaborating and planning, the participants captured, began developing and presented, with the support of established mentors, innovative solutions to meet the challenges that still stand today in Greece, preventing a fair and inclusive culture within businesses and organizations.
In the closing ceremony of the Design Jam jury, comprising representatives of Women On Top, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Greece and Cyprus, GSFPGE, Papastratos S.A. and Commit Global, but also from the organizations of Invelop Skills, Own Your Story, and Start-up Lab assessed the presented ideas and offered prizes to the team members of the two winning innovative proposals presented.
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1st place
Creation of a web portal of sources and information on violence and harassment at work for victims, workers, observers and support organizations
2nd place
Creating an infrastructure and flexibility toolkit for companies and employees who want to adopt a healthy mix of work and private life
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"It has been a great joy for us to see people from so many different backgrounds come together and invest time, energy, skills and inspiration in their effort to find and implement solutions that do not yet exist, on a topic that touches everybody every day." said Stella Kassdagli, co-founder of Women On Top. "Our goal is to capitalize on the ideas and inspiration that came from Design Jam so that we as an organization can offer innovative but actionable solutions to companies and organizations that want to make equality a reality."
"Konrad Adenauer Foundation is an ardent supporter of equal rights and opportunities for all individuals" stated Henri Bohnet, Director of Konrad Adenauer Foundation Greece and Cyprus. "Among its European counterparts Greece has been underperforming for the past years in regards to gender equality and female representation in key positions. What is needed are more women in leadership position so as to inspire others to follow their example. In supporting the Design Jam we want to encourage businesswomen and women from all walks of life to take the next step and take responsibility."
