SEWEM – Sino-European Women Entrepreneurs in Music is a networking and mentoring programme to promote the skills of European and Chinese women in the music and export sector, and to support equality. It is funded by the European Commission.
SEWEM is also an experimental laboratory for the rapprochement of the music industries and relations between Europe and China. It will enable the creation and cross-border circulation of European, Chinese and transnational music.
The main objectives will be to foster sustainable and fruitful cooperation through mentoring; to create spaces for artistic encounters between Chinese and European music worlds; to use music as a tool for creation and cooperation, and to promote the discovery of history, art and different ways of thinking; and finally to support the knowledge of music markets and the export of European companies to China and more widely to Asia.
The mentoring programme begins with a kick-off event on the 18th and 19th October 2022 in Lisbon (prior to the WOMEX conference) and provides long-term support for personal and career development of young professionals who identify themselves as women, trans or non-binary.
The programme consists of three pillars:
- 1-on-1 meetings between mentee and mentor, for the organisation and content of which the participants themselves are responsible.
- Group meetings on topics that are relevant to the participants (e.g. knowledge of the Chinese market, understanding of music export strategy, etc., which take place in the form of workshops).
- Exchange between European and Chinese participants with online networking session, and trade mission to China for selected participants.
Participation in the programme is free for mentees. Every participant will get financial support of 200€ to travel to the meeting in Lisbon. Hotel rooms will be booked and paid for directly by the SEWEM team. Please note that the availability for the meeting in Lisbon is mandatory for participation in the programme.
