Beyond Borders:

Empowering Careers for Displaced Young Women

             

About Beyond Borders

Beyond Borders is a capacity-building initiative designed to support refugee women in overcoming the barriers they face in accessing the labor market and pursuing their career goals. Through a series of practical workshops, the project will equip participants with essential skills and knowledge for job searching, career development, and workplace integration. 

The workshops will cover topics such as resume building, interview preparation, navigating the local job market, and leveraging social and professional networks. In addition to career-focused sessions, Beyond Borders will also provide soft skills support, focusing on resilience, mental health, and boosting self-confidence. 

By empowering refugee women to take charge of their professional journeys, the project aims to enhance their employment prospects, economic empowerment, and social inclusion, fostering a brighter future for them and their communities.

About the Mentor

Basant Shenouda graduated from university without a job due to lack of familial network, visa sponsorship, and career knowledge. However, through trial and error and resilience, she landed an opportunity at LinkedIn’s prestigious graduate program and later, Google's MENA sales team. Fast forward two years and she is also currently completing a master’s in management at Harvard University. Throughout her career journey, Basant has been documenting her job search and what she has been learning about networking and applying. 

Her purpose became to empower young Middle-easterns regardless of backgrounds towards their biggest career dreams regardless of their circumstances. As she didn’t have access to the knowledge to succeed, she believes that free global access to career resources and guidance should be a basic human right. For this reason, she has worked as a communications consultant for Theirworld and the Egyptian Ministry of Emigration while creating free workshops and accessible content online on career development for fellow underrepresented groups. 

  • Enhance the employability and career readiness of refugee women by equipping them with relevant skills and tools for job searching, such as resume writing, cover letter writing, interview skills, and online platforms.
  • Increase the confidence and self-esteem of refugee women by helping them identify and articulate their strengths, skills, and achievements, as well as their career goals and interests.
  • Expand the social and professional networks of refugee women by connecting them with other refugee women, mentors, and role models from various sectors and backgrounds.
  • Empower refugee women to take charge of their career development and advancement by providing them with information and guidance on career opportunities and pathways, as well as resources and support services available to them.