Education & training through OVO

At OVO, we believe it is important that our volunteers not only contribute with their expertise and dedication, but also get the opportunity to grow, learn, and connect with one another. That’s why we organize a series of trainings, workshops, and activities throughout the year. These are moments of inspiration, exchange, and connection – and we warmly invite you to take part!

 

In addition, we are happy to provide further reading and study material. At the bottom of this page, you will find a selection of reading tips and reports & sector studies. They offer deeper insights into the themes we address during our trainings and allow you to gain a broader understanding of entrepreneurship, impact, and the context in which OVO operates.

For all OVO volunteers

Interculturality Workshop
Working with entrepreneurs in an international context also means facing cultural differences. That’s why we organize this workshop 2–3 times per year. We ask every OVO volunteer to attend at least once.
➡️ More info or register via nathalie@ovo.be 

 

OVO Workshops
We regularly organize inspiring thematic workshops for all volunteers. They provide new ideas, insights, and tools to enrich your commitment, while also creating a space to exchange experiences and inspire one another.

 

OVO Volunteers’ Day
Once a year (usually in spring), we invite all our volunteers to a festive day of connection and gratitude. It’s our way of saying thank you and giving everyone the chance to meet in an informal, joyful setting.

 

OVO General Assembly
Our annual General Assembly is open to all volunteers. Alongside the statutory part, we always include a public session featuring one or more inspiring keynote speakers. It’s the perfect moment to reflect together on what OVO stands for and where we are heading.

Specifically for Business Coaches

Intervision Sessions for Business Coaches
Starting in 2025, we are launching a new initiative: intervision sessions, designed exclusively for Business Coaches. These gatherings offer space for reflection, perspective, and peer support. They are not about finding quick solutions but about sharing experiences and exploring new viewpoints together.

 

Key features:

  • Focused on your role and experience as a Business Coach
  • Addressing posture, motivation, boundaries, and intercultural aspects
  • Based on a process that stimulates collective intelligence
  • Complementary to monthly ST4A meetings, which focus more on follow-up and problem-solving

Practical details:

  • Small groups (5–7 Business Coaches)
  • 3 sessions per year (March, May, October)
  • Duration: 3 hours each
  • Location: OVO office or at a participant’s home
  • Language: English, French, or Dutch (depending on the group)
  • Max. 7 participants per group, with the expectation to attend all sessions

➡️ Interested? Contact nathalie@ovo.be 

LinkedIn training for OVO volunteers

During this inspiring session, our volunteers received practical tips on how to increase OVO’s visibility and impact on LinkedIn. A special thank you goes to OVO volunteer Mic Adam, who generously shared his time and expertise to guide us.

What was covered?

  • How to help grow the OVO page (inviting followers, adding OVO as volunteer experience, using a branded background image).
  • The importance of engaging visuals, short and powerful texts, the right hashtags, and a call to interact.
  • How likes, comments, and reposts work within the LinkedIn algorithm, and why quick reactions are key to reaching a larger audience.
  • Concrete actions everyone can take: liking, commenting, and sharing OVO posts, inviting your network to follow the OVO page, and contributing content for new posts.
  • The session was recorded so that those who couldn’t attend live can also benefit from these valuable insights.

Watch the video and discover how you, as a volunteer, can contribute to OVO’s online visibility!

OVO training 'Introduction to the Development Cooperation Sector'

Through this training you will get an insight into how NGOs operate today, what obligations they all have to meet and what is the situation with all this government funding. You will learn which actors all operate in the world of development cooperation and how they are subsidised, and we will look in particular at the place of NGOs and their specific operation in the broader framework of various 'official aid channels'.  

 

We then go into the specific functioning of Belgian NGOs as of 2017 (with a focus on all the changes implemented under Minister De Croo). Especially those new developments in the NGO sector will be highlighted in this training, so even if you attended the training in the past, it might still be useful to attend it again.

 

The course is available in Dutch. If you would like more information in French, please contact anne-lise@ovo.be.

Reading tips

  • Tino Chibebe – The Black Opportunity: Conversations on Belgian Venture Capital and Afropean Entrepreneurship
    A must-read on the challenges faced by Black entrepreneurs in Belgium and how they can gain access to the world of venture capital. Relevant insights for anyone interested in fintech, funding, and diversity.
  • Loïc De Cannière – Africa: A Dreamed Future
    A captivating and optimistic narrative that breaks stereotypes about Africa. Drawing on his experience as an impact investor, De Cannière reveals a continent full of ambition, innovation, and entrepreneurship – and calls on Europe to engage in genuine collaboration.

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