Sexist violence is structural and the most extreme consequence of patriarchy, which is why, at Dones Mentores, we are committed to community social repair processes. We focus on surviving mentors as protagonists and key elements in supporting other women. We do so from the conviction that no one can understand a woman who suffers violence better than another who has gone through the same life experience.

In addition, we propose to add to the network of mentors also women who, without having gone through situations of sexist violence, care about gender equality and want to participate. Adding them all is one of the assets of our network, avoids the stigmatization that suffering violence often entails. At Dones Mentores we can be mentors and put our experience alongside a woman in her process to repair the violence suffered.

We provide a deep knowledge of violence, its causes and intersections; we know the institutional response system and we are committed to educating and raising the awareness of society through mentoring. We offer training to professionals in the social sector, entities and companies.

We collaborate closely with institutions, associations and women’s care services, and we are committed to training as a tool for violence prevention and social reflection. We offer training and awareness on gender equality and against sexist violence to organizations and companies interested in deepening knowledge to correct gender inequalities by applying mentoring.

Our social mentoring method is inspired by the Danish Center for Information on Gender (KVINFO). It is innovative, effective, and in accordance with the guidelines of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).

Our mentoring

Dones Mentores’ mentoring method is completely horizontal and bidirectional, since it focuses on the acknowledgment of the core strengths and resilience of women who suffer sexist violence. We work with respect and an in-depth analysis of the complexity of structural violence and its multiple intersections. We seek and promote identity reconstruction processes through support towards lives free of violence. Many women who were mentored with Dones Mentores are today mentors of the network.

The Dones Mentores team, in collaboration with professionals from specialized intervention services and women’s care, establishes the most suitable mentor/mentee tandems in each case. Tandems have an average duration of 10 to 12 months, and sometimes as many as 18.

From the moment of mentoring assignment, we permanently monitor the mentor and mentee; We provide periodic training to the mentors and organize good practice meetings, where they can meet other women who already completed their mentorships or who are in a mentoring relationship.

The women participating in our mentoring networks are not only users of services, recipients or givers of care: we define their needs, aspirations, priorities and limits through individualized interviews with each of them. The mentor and mentee themselves, with Dones Mentores and the teams, determine the objectives to work on in each mentorship.

For us, a mentor is a reference figure for another woman to whom she devotes her time and care. She is not a woman with more knowledge or more experience: she is a woman who has another life experience and who is committed to acting for equality.

How can we help you?

Are you in a vulnerable situation and looking for help?