The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) Asia is thrilled to launch the first-ever Access & Opportunity Learning Lab, designed to facilitate active learning, experimentation, collaboration, and problem-solving, allowing participants to gain practical skills and knowledge through real-world scenarios with a primary focus on implementing disability and gender inclusion measures in an organization.

The sessions will be designed with participation in mind through a need assessment to understand the knowledge and capacity gaps in the ecosystem concerning disability and gender inclusion. Each session will build upon learnings from the previous one, with insights gleaned from post-session feedback surveys.

This session will explore the concept of intersectionality and its importance in business development programming. Peer experts will share their insights on intersectionality and discuss their experiences working with stakeholders who face compounded or heightened barriers due to overlapping identities. They will also highlight best practices for fostering inclusive leadership and decision-making within organizations. The session will include breakout discussions where participants can reflect on their own experiences, organizational practices, and ways to create more inclusive environments. This session sets the stage for the next in the series, which will focus on practical strategies for inclusive programming.

While the intended audience of the session is ANDE Access & Opportunity Learning Lab cohort members, we have a limited number of seats available for the public. The seats will be allotted based on suitability. Priority will be given to Business Development Service Providers/ Entrepreneur Support Organizations, followed by Small and Growing Businesses/ Entrepreneurs.