AWC Going Dutch May_June 2019

FAWCO Conference
by Julie Mowat, AWC The Hague FAWCO Representative
The FAWCO Biennial Conference 2019 was held recently in Edinburgh. It was an exciting
conference and many of our AWC Members attended. The four days were filled with
inspiring speakers, practical workshops, cultural events and themed evenings. In addition,
we networked and learned about what the various FAWCO teams have done throughout the
year The final night included a silent and live auction where funds were raised for the FAWCO
Foundation. These auctions raised $33,000 for Scholarships, Development Grants, etc.
There was so much information shared during this conference that I will only touch on a
few items. Please reach out to me if you have any questions.
The opening Keynote Speaker was Alice Thompson of Social Bite. I don’t think there was
a dry eye in the house when she finished. Everyone came away from this speech inspired and
in awe of what her organization does for the homeless. I highly recommend checking out their
website: www.social-bite.co.uk. They are organizing an international event called Sleep in
the Park which you may hear more about. Our closing speech was by award-winning actress
and poet Gerda Stevenson. She is quite accomplished; her credits include Braveheart and
authoring several books. She read poems from Quines, her book about Scottish women,
which were fascinating stories told by an amazing poet.
Some of the workshops we attended included: Combatting Exploitation in NGOs,
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scottish Dancing, Genealogy, Literary Conversations, Refugees
in the UK, Managing Wealth Abroad, Environmental and Health Impact of our Food Choices,
#MeToo Abroad, and Fundraising Advice. Our final panel was Women in Science and Health:
At the Forefront of Medical Research, during which a lot was learned about stem cell research.
The four Global Issues Teams (Human Rights, Environment, Education, and Health) work
throughout the year to educate clubs on the issues and what we can do to help. They shared
some of their efforts by recommending articles, books, and events to attend, such as >> 38
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