MENTOR NETWORK

About the Mentor Network

The ‘Vote for a Woman Mentor Network’ is a party wide network of female political aspirants and politicians. We link women and girls with political ambition or who are still unsure to women with experience in politics. And we match female politicians who are looking for a buddy to eachother. Asides from the mentorship, we provideskilltraining, for example in job application, debating en personal profiling. Because this network is party-trancending, we are creating sisterhood across parties thereby preventing mutual competition.

The network was founded in 2020 and has assisted over 400 participants! From municipalities to the house of representatives, former participants of the network are found everywhere.

"I now have a better understanding of the ways in which I can prepare for candidacy: by participating in political activities and making myself visible."

Anke Koopmann
Former participant of the Mentor Network

How to join?

Right now you van sign up for the network Women in Politics (sign up until the 28th of April). More information found below.

Women in Politics is a network for women and girls with ambition to become politically active, or those who are still in doubt wether politics is something for them You can sign up if you:

  1. Are unsure about becoming politically active and would like to explore this, or if you
  2. have concrete plans and interests to become politically active and are looking for help with this.

How does this work?

This network starts in May 2024 and runs until the end of 2025. You will learn about becoming politically active behind the scenes and in front of the scenes. Particular attention is paid to the municipal council, because there will be municipal elections in 2026.

As a participant, you will be assigned a personal mentor with whom you will have a total of four to five conversations about your (learning) goals. All mentors are women with political experience. We make a thoughtout match, so that someone fits well with what you want to learn. You will also receive four training courses in various political skills, and you will go on an fieldtrip!

Program

The program consists of a starting meeting, a fieldtrip and four training sessions. You will also become part of a special LinkedIn group, so that you can stay in touch with each other. The program looks like the following:

  • Starting meeting: May 17, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM, Amsterdam
  • Training 1 – Political Entrance: June 21, 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
  • Training 2 – Debating: September 20, 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
  • Fieldtrip – Together to the Municipal Council: October 8, 12:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • Training 3 – Public Speaking and Voice Use: March 14 (2025), 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
  • Training 4 – Dealing with online hate: September 12 (2025), 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Are you missing a training? Then we try to ensure that you can do this anyway.

Practical: Registration and costs

The participation costs are €350. You can transfer this amount in one go or in two instalments. Because we think it is important that we do not exclude anyone, there are also some discount places and free places available. We trust that this will not be abused!

The kick-off meeting has now taken place. Do you still want to participate? Send us an e-mail! You can send this to laura@stemopeenvrouw.com

"I have expanded my political network, I know better which political roles there are and which ones suit me. And I have learned a lot about myself."

Funda Ileri
Former participant of the Mentor Network

Origins and successes

The ‘Vote for a Woman Mentor Network’ was founded in early 2020, in the middle of the corona pandemic. It started from the desire to ensure that female aspirants and politicians could still get in touch with each other during the period of lockdown, now that this was physically impossible. This is how the idea of ​​an online mentor network was born. With this first edition, more than 100 women and girls with political aspirations applied, and luckily we also managed to find 100 politically active women who wanted to be mentors. Thus the first mentor network was born. The success lay in the low threshold of the network: there are no requirements for participants except sincere interest, and meeting online also ensures that mentors with busy jobs could still do it alongside their work.

From BIJ1 to VVD, from SP to CDA, the network is cross-party and above all effective: 500 people have already taken part in this network, about 65% of whom have become politically active. For example, they became members of a political party, part of a committee and ran for office as a member of parliament. You will find former participants of the mentor network in various municipal councils, water boards, provinces and in the House of Representatives.

So far, the following editions of the mentor network have been organized:

  • Mentor Network Women and girls with political aspirations and doubts (2020), 100 mentees and 100 mentors;
  • Mentor Network Women and girls with aspirations and doubts (2021), 50 mentees and 50 mentors;
  • Mentor Network Candidate for the Council (2021), 50 mentees and 50 mentors;
  • Mentor Network Candidate for the Region (2022), 15 mentees and 15 mentors.