European Project

• European Project on Gender Equality
• The Origins of 'Latent Potential'
• Who is involved in the project?
• Peer review exchanges
• What will be the outcome of 'Latent Potential'?

European Project on Gender Equality

The Social Inclusion & Equalities Team has successfully attracted European funding to take part in an exciting European Union (EU) project that is advancing gender equality across Europe.

The project is called 'Latent Potential: Tapping Human and Social Capital to promote and support Gender Equality in decision-making in areas of high Social Exclusion'.

The overall aim of 'Latent Potential' is to identify good practice in supporting and promoting gender equality in decision-making in areas which experience high levels of social, economic and political exclusion.

The Origins of 'Latent Potential'

This project emerged from two key contextual factors:

• The ongoing implementation by the EU of the European Gender Equality Programme
• The position of women in relation to area-based regeneration programmes

The European Gender Equality Programme has the following goals:

• Encouraging women to become involved in public office
• Increasing the numbers of women employed in senior management positions in the public sector
• Raising awareness of the position and potential of women
• Promoting and supporting the involvement of women in all levels of decision-making

In recent years many European cities have become characterised by high levels of diversity and social exclusion. Experience has indicated that regeneration of these cities will only work if local people are involved and have a sense of ownership. If women are not involved - at all levels - such ownership is impossible to achieve.

'Latent Potential' therefore links the core goals of the Gender Equality Programme with the broader strategic areas of social cohesion and urban regeneration.

Back to Top

Who is involved in the project?

The lead organisation in 'Latent Potential' is Quartiers en Crise (QeC), a Brussels-based non-profit organisation seeking to promote integrated approaches to urban regeneration and residents' participation in that process. It is responsible for the overall co-ordination of the project.

To find out more about Quartiers en Crise (QeC) and 'Latent Potential', please click on the links below:

•  QeC Newsflash No. 1/2004 (Word format 571kb)
•  QeC Newsflash No. 2/2004 (Word format 327kb)
•  QeC Newsflash No. 5/2005 (Word format 267kb)

Apart from QeC and Northamptonshire County Council, partner organisations in the project also come from Italy, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Spain. They are a mix of public authorities and voluntary organisations.

Participating organisations undertake group visits to other partners to exchange experience and engage in informal peer review processes which will improve the capacity of participants. These peer review workshops are the focal point of 'Latent Potential'.

The project has entailed four such peer review exchange workshops, all of which were hosted by participating organisations in the project:

• 'Family and Social Cohesion', 27-30 May 2004 in Turin, Italy
• 'Women and Participation', 23-26 September 2004 in Belfast
• 'Women and the Labour Market', 18-21 November 2004 in Toledo, Spain
• 'Mainstreaming and Integration', 27-30 January 2005 in Northampton

Peer Review 1 - Family and Social Cohesion

To find out more about the first peer-review exchange in Turin, 27-30 May, please click on the link below:

•  Family and Social Cohesion - Programme (Word format 247kb)

Northamptonshire County Council's participants in the 'Family and Social Cohesion' peer-review have compiled and submitted reports on their experience. You can read these reports by clicking on the links below:

•  Report 1 - Engendered spaces (Word format 209kb)
•  Report 2 - Local community, local support and citizenship (Word format 181kb)
•  Report 3 - Counselling for Italian and immigrant parents (Word format 167kb)

Click below to read the county council's collective views on Family and Social Cohesion:

•  Key Points Summary Sheet (Word format 178kb)

Back to Top

PeerReview 2 - Women and Participation

To find out more about the second peer review exchange in Belfast, 23-26 September, please click on the link below:

•  Women and Participation - Programme (Word format 280kb)

Northamptonshire County Council's participants in the 'Women and Participation' peer-review have compiled and submitted reports on their experience. You can read these reports by clicking on the links below:

•  Report 1 - Sure Start (Word format 187kb)
•  Report 2 - Al Nisa Association (Word format 186kb)
•  Report 3 - Youth Victim Support (Word format 172kb)

Click below to read the county council's collective views on Women and Participation:

•  Key Points Summary Sheet (Word format 209kb)

Peer Review 3 - Women and the Labour Market

To find out more about the third peer review exchange in Toledo, Spain, 18-21 November, please read the reports of Northamptonshire County Council's participants, below:

•  Report 1 - Soberbia/Imumel (Word format 160kb)
•  Report 2 - Soberbia/Imumel (Word format 166kb)
•  Report 3 - Soberbia/Imumel (Word format 168kb)

Click below to read our collective views on Women and the Labour Market:

•  Key Points Summary Sheet (Word format 170kb)

Peer Review 4 - Mainstreaming Gender Equality

Northamptonshire County Council hosted the final peer review exchange workshop in Northampton, 27-29 January 2005. Please read the document below for a programme of activities:

•  Mainstreaming Gender Equality - Programme (Word format 248kb)

Click below to read the post-workshop report compiled by Northamptonshire County Council on 'Mainstreaming Gender Equality':

•  Mainstreaming Gender Equality - Report (Word format 356kb)

What will be the outcome of 'Latent Potential'?

After the project concludes, participating organisations will:

• Establish an online 'mentoring' network consisting of the local group participants, aiming to promote and support gender equality actions in other similar areas
  
• Produce an online good practice guide - highlighting case studies from the local groups

Through its participation in 'Latent Potential' the County Council aims to:

• Mainstream gender equality through developing the capacity of County Council participants to promote gender equality by exchanging information on good practice and improve structural and performance-related work
  
• Influence service delivery through exchanging information on good practice, thus enabling the council to improve its service delivery, especially regarding policy development and projects targeting gender equality
  
• Enhance the gender dimension of economic development through improving the structure of economic development in the county in order to meet the needs of women (and socially excluded groups)

Back to Top

For further information on 'Latent Potential' please use the contact details on the right or see the links below.

NOTE: All External links will open up in a new browser window

Find out more about our partner organisations:

• Quartiers en Crise - Organisation promoting urban regeneration in Europe
  Amecoop - Women's Association of Co-operative Managers in Madrid, Spain
• FEMP - CLM - Association of municipalities in Castilla La Mancha, Spain
• Charlois - Local authority in Rotterdam, Netherlands
• The Gate - Urban regeneration project in Turin, Italy
• North & West Belfast HSS Trust - Trust providing health and social services in Belfast