Calling on “aunties” and “nieces”: empowering women in creative sectors in Southeast Asia through designing mentorship

From social expectations and obligations, women in Southeast Asian countries tend to face gender inequality and have less support for their personal and professional development compared to their male counterpart. This chapter draws from our pilot project, DESIAP Young Women Mentoring Programme 2021, which was designed to support Southeast Asian women in social innovation and creative sectors. This four-month-long programme was undertaken from July to October 2021 and it was funded by Northumbria University, UK. The participants of the programme include nine mentees from Southeast Asian countries and ten mentors from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and the US. In this chapter, we explore culturally-sensitive and gender-based mentoring practices, focusing on how trusting and caring relationships between mentors and mentees are primarily nurtured and supported. This chapter discusses approaches and principles in prototyping a culturally-safe approach to support women practising in designing social innovation in Southeast Asia.