Inspiring Women Magazine September 2022

INSPIRING 

WOMEN 

Women & Youth: 

Inspiring the 

Future Generations 

September 2022, Volume 6 Issue 3

Contents 

September 2022. Volume 6, Issue 3 

profiles 

features 

16 

Introducing the FAWCO Youth Program 

In 2013, the FAWCO Board launched the FAWCO Youth Program, which 

has now run seven times in different countries across the world. 

In Their Own Words 17, 28, 41, 49, 57 & 63 

8 

18 

30 

Our Cover Story 

Finding the Eureka Moments 

Dr. Pooja Joshi runs science workshops 

for young children, nurturing 

their problem-solving capabilities. 

"Everyone Is Who 

They Are for a 

Reason" 

Paula Brandenburg 

helps adults and 

teens develop the 

mindset and skillset 

of respect. 

Habits of Mind: 

Art Tours with 

3rd and 4th 

Graders 

Pat Lawrence is a 

docent at the Museum 

of Fine Arts, Houston, 

where she conducts 

40 tours a year. 

42 

"What Makes You Different From 

Everyone Else?" 

Marelie Manders loves to learn what 

makes her students tick. 

50 

58 

Developing the 

Leaders of the Future 

Elizabeth Kelly teaches 

an international program 

in Belgium which prepares 

young people to be 

future business leaders. 

Sponsoring 

Childrens' 

Summer 

Activities 

Nancy Evans sets 

up a project in her 

daughter's memory. 

23 

A Club Inspires: 

AIWC Rabat 

Club President 

Nancy Lukas-Slaoui 

and FAWCO Reps 

Hafida Lahrache 

& Souad Tadlaoui 

introduce their club 

to us. 

37 

Inspiring 

Future 

Generations 

Katja Malinowski 

uses the Sustainable Development Goals in 

her teaching. 

47 

FAWCO Youth 

Cultural 

Volunteers 

Program 2022 

The American 

Women's Club 

of Amsterdam 

hosted this program for 15 volunteers 

from 11 countries. 

55 

Learning Leadership 

and Practical Life 

Skills 

Kristin Bayer is chair of 

the Berlin unit of the USA 

Girl Scouts Overseas. 

65 

"What Is Going 

On Here?" 

Jane Indreland, 

is a docent at the 

Yellowstone Art 

Museum in 

Billings, Montana. 

77 

Inspiring the 

Future 

Generation - 

One Award at 

a Time 

Barbara Bühling explains how the 

FAWCO Education Awards function. 

85 

Live in the Garden with Friends 

Carol-Lyn McKelvey, one of the hosts of 

the Inspiring Women LIVE Garden Party, 

tells us more 

about the 

event. 

91 

Inspiring Reads: 

What is a Perfect 

World? 

by Nancy Lynner is the 

author of What is a 

Perfect World? - her first 

book for children, 

parents and teachers. 

2 INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN 3

profiles cont. 

68 80 

Destined to Be 

a Teacher 

Rebekka Klingshirn 

started her teaching 

career when still a 

child herself! 

5 

A Note from the Editor 

Liz MacNiven 

6 Advertisers Index 

95 

7 

93 

86 

Working to Provide Quality 

Education to Children in Nepal 

Mary Palmer has spent two months 

every year volunteering in Nepal since 

she retired. 

Introducing This Issue 

More about what you can find 

in this issue from Elsie Bose. 

Inspiring You 

in every issue 

94 

96 

Empowering 

Athletes to 

Achieve Their 

Best 

Kayleigh Karinen is 

a four-time world champion athlete who 

works with and enables athletes globally. 

More About This Issue 

Our Next Issue 

That’s Inspired! 

“There is no shortage of 

reasons for pessimism in the world 

today: climate change, the pandemic, 

poverty and inequality, rising distrust 

and growing nationalism. But here is 

a reason for optimism: children and 

young people refuse to see the world 

through the bleak lens of adults.” 

Henrietta Fore 

Former Executive Director - UNICEF 

For this issue of Inspiring Women we decided 

it was time to turn our attention to our young 

people and those who work with them. Did you 

know more than half the world’s population 

is under 30 years old, which is the largest it’s 

been in history? There is also an expectation 

that the world will get even younger with 10 

billion more people to be added to that group 

over the next century. That’s a lot of people! 

It seems to me that young people play an 

increasingly vocal part in world affairs than 

was true when I was a kid. The UNICEF global 

study of young people from 21 countries done 

in 2021 had some interesting conclusions: 

“Born into a more digital, interconnected 

and diverse reality, young people see a 

world that is largely a better place for 

children than the one their parents grew 

up in – a safer and more abundant world 

that offers children better education, 

opportunities and hope for the future. 

At the same time, young people are not 

complacent. They report greater struggles 

with mental health conditions. Amid a sea 

of mis- and disinformation, they report low 

levels of trust in the information sources 

they use most.” 

Henrietta Fore also said that compared with 

older generations : 

“The world’s young people remain 

hopeful, much more globally minded, 

and determined to make the world a 

better place. Today’s young people 

have concerns for the future but see 

themselves as part of the solution.” 

So it seems to me what is essential is that 

those of us of an older generation give these 

hopeful young people a voice and a place, 

so that their optimism can be nurtured and 

lead to progress. Young people need to know 

that even if they are not globally well-known 

a note from 

the editor 

like Malala or Greta Thunberg, they still have an 

important part to play in making things better. 

There are various formats for young people to 

get involved globally, which you can read more 

about. For example, I was interested to learn 

about the Global Shapers Community and the 

Millennial Manifesto, which has six key 

principles: 

1. We will create space for 

intergenerational dialogue. 

2. We will ask big questions to 

advance bold solutions. 

3. We will pursue systems change 

and collective action. 

4. We will make space for diverse 

lived experiences. 

5. We will embrace uncomfortable 

conversations. 

6. We will care for ourselves, others 

and our ecosystem. 

FAWCO itself has been working with young 

people for many years, creating a space for 

intergenerational discourse and learning, 

amongst other things. We also have many 

members across the world who use their skills 

and talents, working with the youth of today. 

I hope you enjoy reading the profiles and 

features about it in this issue. 

Here at Inspiring Women magazine, we aspire 

to remain young and fresh and, in this vein, 

I am sure you have already noticed the new 

layout (big thanks to Kristin!). 

We would really 

appreciate your 

views on it via our 

survey (see p. 93 

for the link). 

Best wishes and 

happy reading! 

Liz 

Inspiringwomen. 

editor@fawco.org 


advertisers 

index 

Be Fearless. 

introducing 

this issue 

The Short List pp. 14 & 15 

The Short List assists students with the 

college admissions and application process. 

If your child is about to start or is in the 

midst of the admissions process, register 

for their next FAWCO Club Workshop 

webinar scheduled for October 6th. 

Your questions will be welcome! 

London & Capital p. 29 

Whether you are a US Citizen living abroad 

or a foreign entity with US reporting, their 

dedicated teams take care of your wealth, 

giving you time to concentrate on the things 

that matter to you. London & Capital has 

been supporting FAWCO since 2016. 

TASIS p. 35 NEW! 

The American School in England TASIS 

England is a leading international day and 

boarding school (ages 3-18) located 35 

minutes from central London on a beautiful 

campus in Thorpe, Surrey. Register for their 

next Whole School Open Morning on 

September 30th. 

Tharien's Art p. 35 NEW! 

AWC Antwerp member and former Target 

Program Chair Tharien van Eck is a superb 

artist. She creates beautiful hand painted 

cards and prints. Proceeds from her cards 

continue to support education programs for 

Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania. 

London Realty Intl. p. 45 

London Realty Intl. is owned by AWC London 

member Lonnée Hamilton, who is a worldwide 

property consultant. Her firm works with the 

best agents across the globe to fulfill your 

property needs. 

Janet Darrow Real Estate p. 79 

Around the corner or a world away, contact 

Janet Darrow, FAUSA member, to find the 

best properties. FAWCO referrals to Janet 

help the Target Program! 

The Pajama Company p. 89 

The Pajama Company, founded by 

Ellie Badanes, member of FAUSA and 

AW Surrey, sells pajamas that are cozy, 

cheerful and available online! 

The current generation has a 

responsibility for our community 

and for making it a place that is 

worth passing on to the next 

generation. It’s never a perfect 

world when it is passed on but 

there should at least be a solid 

foundation with a tease of exciting 

potential that makes the future 

worth it. 

Worldwide, we are contending with a growing force of naysayers who are afraid 

of the future. I am not sure if they are evil or ignorant. They deny science and 

eschew facts. They lie with reckless abandon. Many are downright cruel because 

their power allows it. And they are gaining ground. 

So, current generation, we have a bit of work to do. 

Those who teach and work with our youth are part of a partnership between 

education professionals, support organizations, parents and families. This 

partnership, when carefully managed and nurtured, creates a place for growth, 

knowledge and confidence. Youths prosper in this environment, as does the 

community. 

Throughout the years FAWCO has relied on advertisers and sponsors to augment its 

income. This revenue has allowed FAWCO to improve services and the flexibility to try the 

latest innovations to enhance the FAWCO experience. FAWCO’s advertising 

partners believe in our mission and support our goals. Some directly 

support our activities and projects. 

We encourage club leadership throughout the FAWCO network to 

share our publications with their membership. Our advertising 

partners have valuable products and services and we want your 

members to take advantage of what they offer. Please support them! 

For more information on these advertisers or if you have any questions about 

FAWCO’s advertising program, please contact Elsie Bose: advertising@fawco.org. 

The FAWCO members profiled here are in a special position. Their work with 

youth is helping to shape the leaders and guardians of tomorrow. These women 

are either working with young people from their host countries or with those who 

are experiencing a new country or culture. They are adding cultural awareness to 

the partnership’s tool kit, which is vital to a better understanding and acceptance 

of the differences that exist in the world. 

Here’s hoping that we can equip our youth with knowledge and experience that 

allows them to live a life that’s fearless, not reckless. 

Elsie 

Founder 


profile 

Finding the Eureka 

Moments 

Pooja Joshi, a member of HIWC (Heidelberg International Women's Club), 

runs science workshops for young children, nurturing their problemsolving 

capabilities. 

My life journey 

I grew up in Pune, India at a time when India was 

opening up to the world - with an influx of new 

ideas and fresh outlooks. My parents shared their 

openness and compassion with me along with 

affording me a safe space to question everything 

– traditions, religion, science and more. The 

possibility of experiencing and understanding a 

lot of life‘s important lessons from a very young 

age had the most impact on my life. I am able to 

accept people, young people included, as equally 

able individuals with independent thoughts and 

ideas. I remember spending my summers 

playing with my cousins and friends. There were 

no restrictions on what we poked or prodded and 

investigated. We made up our own games and 

played them as long as we wanted to. Thinking 

back, this kind of boundless free play was key in 

my creative journey. 

Ready for 

investigating 

the world of 

microbes! 

Pooja Joshi 

After leaving home 

I volunteered to teach underprivileged children 

and help them with Science and English while 

I was still a teenager. I left home to complete 

my higher education, traveled and explored the 

world for myself away from the safety net of the 

known – in a foreign country to add to the 

adventure! After receiving the Commonwealth 

Scholarship from the British Commission and 

the University of Leeds, I wanted to give back to 

society and taught Biotechnology to graduate 

students at the University of Pune. 

I got involved in outreach programs later on 

when I was doing my PhD, where making 

science easy first took root in my mind. 

Organizing 

members of a 

cultural group of 

native Marathi 

speakers in 

Heidelberg, 

Germany. 


Life changes 

After having worked in the UK for over a decade, 

I moved to Germany to support my husband as 

he changed roles at work. I prioritized my young 

family when we first moved. As we settled into 

the humdrum routine, I struggled to find jobs 

in the industry without any knowledge of the 

German language. I then prioritized the 

language learning process, which also opened 

up new friendships and partnerships that have 

become my support systems in this foreign land. 

Pooja Joshi and family – hiking in the Alps. 

To help my son get accustomed to the BIG 

change in his life, I wrote a storybook for 

him, about him, with a different name for 

the protagonist - The Boy Who Had Many 

Friends. The book helped him reconcile 

that he hadn’t lost all his friends and that 

he would soon find new friends in the new 

place. My boy loves books and stories and 

his own world of imagination, so I started 

converting our science adventures into 

books for him. Like The Boy Who Loves BIG 

Words, where we explored words like 

Metamorphosis, Photosynthesis, 

Germination, Vaccination, etc. My son went 

to a bilingual kindergarten (German – 

English) and I started doing volunteer work 

Exploring the world of science with some 

little scientists. 

there with the kids, reading them well-loved 

stories followed by science activities based 

on the stories. For example, we followed Julia 

Donaldson’s The Detective Dog by investigating 

the sense of smell, where they tried to guess the 

smells around them with closed eyes. We even 

tested how taste and smell are connected all 

the way back to the brain. I loved feeding their 

curious minds with knowledge bites and 

watching the awe in their eyes. For me science 

is a way of life, and to have this opportunity to 

share it with young minds filled 

me with so many creative ideas, 

I had to do something about it. 

That’s how my little business started. 

It was born out of my need to 

tell stories and my 

passion for all things science! 

Involvement in youth and youth 

work 

I’m always intrigued by how 

curious young people can be and 

how much unbridled joy they can 

get when they are given the independence 

to realize their ideas. I 

love sharing the energy and the 

enthusiasm they feel when they 

discover something new. It’s the 

Eureka moment when they figure 

something out for themselves. It's 

priceless! 

I always loved making scientific 

concepts easier for everyone to 

understand. After giving birth to my son, I could 

experiment to see how simple I could make 

science. I started exploring ways to nurture 

my son’s inherent curiosity and that led me 

to designing experiments for little children to 

explore and understand. My son’s birth was 

the catalyst that made me really reflect on 

how big a role science plays in our lives. 

My experience in academia and research 

prepared me for the scientific aspect of the 

work I do, but I am self-educated when it comes 

to working in the early education sector. As 

Little scientists at work. 

a scientist, research comes easily to me, so I 

researched and read from the early education 

gurus. My biggest mentors, though, were all the 

little scientists who patiently allowed me to work 

with them – their brutal honesty about what 

they liked, they disliked, and their innocence 

when they happily shared what they understood 

and what they didn’t have helped me hone my 

skills as an educator. I always have a list of the 

most probable answers for any experiments I 

have designed for them, but the little scientists 

never fail to go above and beyond, coming up 

with novel ways to solve a problem. Every 

workshop is also a learning experience for me. 

It’s a gentle reminder that the problem-solving 

capabilities in kids are not for me to instill in 

them, only for me to nurture. 

Contributing to a better future generation 

I think my biggest mission is to dispel the stigma 

and the supposed difficulty surrounding science. 

I want to make science 

easy and simple, 

because that is exactly 

what it is. I look forward 

to a world where our 

kids can grow into 

THINKING adults who 

do not simply consume 

but understand and 

critically look at how 

and what they 

consume. Catch them 

young, as they say! The 

books and stories that 

I write for the science 

workshops are usually 

centred around a 

model that aids kids 

to process more than 

what they are told 

without the added 

baggage of always 

being right or looking 

for the right answer. 

That for me is the 

beauty of science: 

to tinker about and 

experiment and figure 

out what might be 

the answers to your 

questions, whilst 

happily stumbling upon 

yet more questions to 

explore. It's a world 

away from the trappings of fake news and into 

a world of the scientific method. 

Biggest challenges 

Personally my biggest challenge is 

communicating science in a language that is 

my fourth language – after moving to Germany 

I conducted several workshops for kids in 

German but I am still finding my comfort zone. 

Even after four years here, I find giving the 

exact same workshop in English much easier 

to conduct. 


Professionally my biggest challenge was 

leaving the comfort of academia, where I 

worked all my adult life by venturing into the 

unknown. I started a science-themed workshop 

series for kids, going back to the basics and 

digging deep to make it appealing to parents 

who probably were traumatized by the school 

system into “studying science” and convincing 

them that science can be fun and playful, too! 

Instead of teaching science, I show them the 

science already present in their lives. 

Pooja conducting science workshops for kids. 

I still remember how difficult it was to get kids 

into the first workshops. We had the minimum 

number of participants, just enough to avoid 

making a loss. At the end of the workshop 

though, the parents who were initially anxious 

and hesitant about sending their kids to a 

so-called science workshop were my biggest 

champions in spreading the good word and 

promoting the workshops in the wider 

community. Some of the little scientists since 

have attended every single workshop. It has not 

only been encouraging but gives me immense 

joy in seeing them grow up into these amazingly 

aware human beings. 

Things that make me sad 

I am saddened that the world of science is 

ageist and gendered. Under the umbrella of 

STEM activities, a lot of science gets categorized 

– cars for boys, glittery slime-making for girls, 

programming for boys, perfume-making for 

girls. A lot of the biases are social and cultural. 

I believe science communication is mostly 

targeted toward adults. That 

is too little, too late. We 

need to have more science 

communicators and engaged 

science teachers who can 

speak the language of the 

youth and make them 

comfortable with the scientific 

method. We need to have 

young cheerleaders for 

science to take us forward 

into the future. When kids 

can look at science without 

fear of judgement and 

discrimination, we can 

expect a fairer future for all. 

Pandemic changes 

If it wasn’t already huge, the 

many ways in which young 

people can consume content 

online have exploded during 

the pandemic. A huge 

percentage of young kids have 

been raised in front of screens 

in the last few years. Right or 

wrong is not the argument I 

would like to pose. I feel we 

should accept that change 

and improve and regulate consumption. The 

way forward is to make kids more aware of how 

and what they receive. 

A new skill I'd like 

I would love to learn more about creating 

content for kids in an interactive way – 

making videos about scientific concepts. There 

is so much misinformation on the internet, that 

I would love to have content that could rival fake 

news. When someone searches for a fact they 

should not encounter opinions. The scientific 

method and logical thinking should be in the 

spotlight. 

Science is everywhere 

The biggest myth is that science is not for 

young children. Science is everywhere and in 

everything, from getting your center of mass 

in the right spot as you wake up and stand, to 

the water you drink. It's in the chemicals in the 

toothpaste you put in your mouth, to the food 

you eat, and the smartphone you have in your 

pocket. Science is what makes buildings you 

live in stable and able to weather all seasons. 

It’s part of everything from the transportation 

you use to the end of the day when you fall 

asleep and your brain cells fire up even as your 

body relaxes. It is all Science. Science is in the 

air. Kids experience science without knowing 

the vocabulary for it. What I want to do is add 

to their ever-expanding vocabulary so that 

scientific words don’t feel difficult or alien when 

they first come across them. They are part of 

daily parlance. 

The best advice I gave myself was to trust my 

instinct and experience. Coming out of academia, 

I questioned my ability to teach very young kids 

(four- eight years). I have had to learn to 

consciously avoid letting the impostor syndrome 

creep in and to keep reminding myself why I do 

what I do – make science simple and accessible 

for all. 

My guiding principles 

I love putting everyday things under the 

microscope – literally and figuratively – and 

finding the EXTRAORDINARY in the ordinary. 

Curiosity, creativity and wonder are my guiding 

principles. I use stories as a medium to engage 

kids in thinking and experimenting and 

discovering for themselves the secrets of 

science. Stories and storytelling are universal 

to our human experience, making them a 

wonderful tool to communicate complex ideas 

simplistically. Children find science easier to 

digest when they SEE it in their everyday lives 

and can apply the concepts seamlessly by using 

plain common sense. It brings science into the 

realm of language – as commonplace, not 

something that is difficult and therefore needs 

to be learned! 

A story from my childhood 

My mother often tells my son that I always 

opened up all the gadgets in the house. It 

started with pens. I always opened them up for 

investigation – why does it click, where is the 

ink, what does the spring do and so many other 

questions. These included fountain pens, ink 

pens, ball pens, and sketch pens; I even opened 

up a wooden pencil to look what the lead 

inside looked like. They were all fascinating to 

me. I opened up so many pens for so long that 

my parents started hiding pens from me, just 

to have at least one properly functioning pen 

around in case of emergencies. 

This constant need to understand how things 

worked has made me the scientifically thinking 

person that I am today. 

Pooja with her mother and son. 

Resemblances to my mom 

My mother was an educator as am 

I. In caring for my son, I am like my 

mother – she was always present 

whenever I needed her, and she has 

been my therapist throughout my 

life. It’s her rebellious behaviour that 

made my attitude seem acceptable 

and normal to me. Growing up in the 

Indian patriarchal society she was the 

person who made me confident in my 

uniqueness. 



feature 

Introducing the FAWCO 

In their own words Dubai 2013 

Youth Program 

My-Linh Kunst, AWC Berlin 

Inspired by former United Nations 

Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s statement 

“Working with and for young people is a 

priority in my Five-year Action Plan,” the 

2013-2015 FAWCO Board under the 

leadership of President My-Linh Kunst 

launched the FAWCO Youth Program 

in 2013. 

Youth make up nearly half (48%) of the 

Berlin 2018 with chairs Karen Castellon and My-Linh Kunst. 

world's population, and in less than 10 

years will account for almost 75% of the 

global workforce. It is time for our youth 

to start working together and empowering one another towards creating a better world for 

future generations. FAWCO, being a global family, is in an advantageous position to engage 

our members’ children in this endeavor. 

The Cultural Volunteers module of FAWCO's Youth Program is designed to foster cultural 

awareness and volunteerism among FAWCO youths. The program is hosted by a FAWCO 

member club, open to high-school-aged children of 

FAWCO members. The teens stay with club member 

families for a week and experience a new culture 

while volunteering with local charities. The purpose 

of the program is to help the youth discover 

volunteering, develop their cultural understanding, 

and raise their awareness of global issues and their 

sense of global citizenship. 

Our inaugural Cultural Volunteers program was in 

Dubai (2013), followed by Shanghai (2014), Mumbai 

(2015), Dublin (2016), Berlin (2018) and Athens (2019). 

After a two years’ pause during the pandemic, 2022 

was hosted by AWC Amsterdam on June 25 - July 2 

(see page 47 for a recap of the program). 

IN THEIR OWN WORDS 

Throughout this issue, you will find 

pages (starting with the opposite 

page) called In Their Own Words 

with quotes from participants from 

the Cultural Volunteers Program. 

All were asked: 

"What was the highlight of the 

experience for you?" 

Julia Goldsby, AIWC Cologne 

On meeting other third culture kids and local Emirati kids: We may dress differently and 

practice different religions, but teenagers around the world are pretty much the same— 

we're all goofy, curious, and hoping our generation can improve life for all of us. 

QUOTES FROM CULTURAL 

VOLUNTEERS 



Monica Jubayli, Program Chair 

I'll never forget the first FAWCO Youth Cultural Volunteers who had just experienced 

Ramadan with Emirati teenagers, waiting respectfully while the Emiratis prayed before 

"iftar" (the meal breaking their Ramadan fast), and then all joined in to share the homecooked 

food. The girls wore their abayas (coat dress) and shaylas (scarf), and the boys were 

in their kandouras (robe) and ghutras (headdress). By the end of the evening, my living 

room was full of noisy teenagers who could have been from anywhere in the world. Later, 

driving to another event, my two young charges (I hosted two young men) spoke candidly 

between themselves. I was the proverbial "fly on the wall" during their conversation. I 

knew the FYCV program was a success when I heard them comment that Muslims were 

often misjudged in Europe. They realized that underneath it all, there are more similarities 

than differences. 

Ben Maher, AWC Dublin 

But what sticks out most in my mind is the coming 

together, the universality of us as people, 

and the possibility of becoming friends with 

people strange to us if only given the opportunity. 

It was undoubtedly the best programme I have 

ever been involved with. It was a pleasure and an 

experience of a lifetime. 


profile 

Habits of Mind: Art 

Tours with 3rd & 4th 

Graders 

Pat Lawrence, FAUSA member and former member of MIWC (Munich 

International Women's Club), is a docent at the Museum of Fine Arts, 

Houston, where she conducts 40 tours a year. 


I grew up in the NJ suburbs with my parents and 

three sisters. My mom was an artist. I was a very 

active Girl Scout and enjoyed camping, hiking and 

canoeing. During the summer, my grandparents 

would take my older sister and me across the 

country on a train to visit relatives in the 

Midwest and West starting when I was four. 

One trip I fondly remember was visiting my aunt’s 

dude ranch in Tumacacori, Arizona, and then the 

newly opened Disneyland in California. That 

started my love of travel. On most Christmases, 

my grandmother, who grew up in Manhattan, 

would take the girls to church at St. Patrick’s 

Cathedral and then Radio City Music Hall for the 

Rockettes and Holiday Show. That started my love 

for NYC. We spent many summer vacations at the 

Jersey Shore in Long Beach Island. I graduated 

from Rutgers U in New Brunswick, NJ with a 

degree in Sociology but took several Art History 

and Art classes and received my MBA from 

Fordham University in NYC. 

Pat in one of her dirndls. 


Upon receiving my BA, I worked in the field of 

Marketing Research. It was fascinating to learn 

how people develop preferences and why they 

make the choices they do. I lived in NYC and 

moved into Brand Management 

for Loewe’s Corporation and the 

company that makes Lysol. Brand 

Management is like being the hub 

of a wheel and leading all aspects 

Pat Lawrence 

to develop a brand, from strategy 


to advertising and promotion to packaging and 

profit. I frequently walked to my office on Fifth 

Avenue from my apartment on E. 84th St. This 

entailed walking through the Central Park Zoo 

and the Alice in Wonderland Plaza, then past 

Bergdorf’s and the Plaza Hotel. I considered it a 

privilege to see those sights daily! I would ride 

my bike on Sundays to the Metropolitan 

Museum of Art and spend hours appreciating 

the beauty around me. The ad agencies would 

take me to the best restaurants in town and 

I’d golf in Greenwich, Connecticut with 

Sports Illustrated people. It was an 

exciting time. 

Life changes 

I met and married my husband in 

NYC although, oddly enough, we 

grew up about 10 miles from each 

other in NJ. He is an engineer in the 

petroleum industry and at some 

point, he found a position in 

Houston, TX. We thought it might 

be time to begin a kinder, 

gentler life outside of the city and I 

networked to see if there were any 

Brand Management positions in 

Houston. I was fortunate to find the 

perfect spot as a Marketing Director 

for Minute Maid and Hi-C juices and 

drinks with the Coca-Cola Company. 

By the time I left Coke, I was the 

Managing Director for the Southeast 

area and commuted from Houston 

to Tampa, Florida. 

Houston, I promptly joined FAUSA and applied 

to become a docent at the Museum of Fine Arts, 

Houston. It was something that I had wanted to 

do for a long time. My husband still works in the 

petroleum industry, my son lives and works in 

NYC in a tech field that didn’t exist when I was 

growing up, and my daughter is a doctor in 

Michigan. I stay active with docent tours and the 

study of art history, leading FAUSA meetings, two 

book clubs, water aerobics and travel. And we 

just purchased a vacation casita in Santa Fe, 

New Mexico. 

about what it means to them. It’s amazing when 

students bring up a point that I hadn’t noticed 

and show great originality. 


The art tours with third and fourth graders help 

them to develop critical thinking skills and 

patterns of intellectual behaviors, 

called Habits of Mind, that lead to 

productive actions. The tours are 

designed to help them think deeply 

about a work of art and overcome 

the fear of ambiguity, develop grit 

through problem-solving skills, and 

understand bias and assumptions. 

My role is mainly as a facilitator of 

conversation about an object so 

that students participate and 

communicate. For future scholars 

and cutting-edge work, regardless 

of the field, students need to 

communicate well, take risks, be 

unafraid of failure and work well 

with others. 


I love working with the kids! 

Although I have taught graduate 

students before, I wasn’t sure if I 

would be able to relate to eight to 

ten year olds in a teaching 

situation. It takes a little extra 

patience at times. And the 

students come in with different 

bases of knowledge and different 

life experiences. Many have never 

been to a museum before, some are 

hungry and tired, and some speak 

only Spanish, so I need to adjust my 

I also started my family and we had 

a boy and a girl. When my daughter 

turned two years old, I quit the 

commute and consulted for several 

companies in Houston, such as Shell. 

I also taught Brand Management to 

MBA students at Rice University’s 

Jones School of Management. 

For all the international travel that 

my husband did, I stayed in Houston 

while the kids attended school. 

However, when he received a Munich 

assignment, I officially retired and 

joined him there. The timing was perfect as my 

son had just graduated from New York 

University and my daughter was attending 

Harvard College. They were both on the East 

Coast and visited us more often in Munich 

than they did in Houston. When we returned to 

Pat giving her art tours to 3rd and 4th graders. 

Involvement in youth and youth work 

Spending time with young people keeps me 

energized and young at heart. I love when they 

consider a work of art, whether it’s a portrait or 

an abstract painting, and have an epiphany 

I became a docent when I returned from living 

overseas in Munich. It was something that I had 

always thought about doing but never seemed 

to have the time for. It involved 18 months of 

training and I had to commit to giving 40 tours a 

year. The museum mostly hires former teachers 

or artists; however, I believe that my college art 

history courses and passion for touring 

museums in Europe helped me become a 

viable candidate. 

Listening to young people 

I like to really listen to what they 

have to say and build upon their 

comments, peppered with a few 

facts. It makes each person feel 

special and know that they have 

something to contribute. When they 

know that their opinions count they 

are inspired to think more critically 

and let their creativity show. 

Working with Third and Fourth Graders 

I love working with the kids! I never thought I 

would have the patience to deal with third and 

fourth graders, but I find them to be refreshing 

and interesting. The best experience is when 

students volunteer that they want to come 

back to the museum with family. That tells 

me I’ve been successful in engaging them. 


feature 

A Club Inspires: 

AIWA Rabat 

Nancy Lukas-Slaoui, Club 

President of AIWA Rabat, and 

FAWCO Reps Hafida Lahrache 

and Souad Tadlaoui introduce 

their club to us. AIWA is one of 

four clubs in FAWCO's Region 7. 

T 

he precursor of today’s American 

International Women’s Association 

Rabat was the American Women’s 

Association, which was started by 

the United States Embassy wives in 1962. The 

association was formed to engage in charitable 

work in the greater Rabat-Sale area and offer 

cultural exchange activities for embassy wives. 

The original association was open to all 

embassies and therefore had an international 

composition to it. It was and still remains an 

English-speaking association whose focus is 

on community service and cultural exchange. 

How many members do you have and what is 

their nationality? 

The current AIWA-Rabat membership is 125, 

and the majority of the ladies are Moroccan. 

Typically, our international members are expats 

from the United States, Europe, Asia and 

Spanish-speaking countries, as well as US 

embassy wives. Our large Moroccan contingent 

is made up of professional ladies who may have 

studied abroad or lived in the US, Canada, or the 

UK. Regardless of our backgrounds, we all share 

a common bond of helping the less fortunate 

through our CDC (Community Development 

Committee) work and enjoying a spirit of 

cultural learning. 

AIWA General 

Meeting, Mega 

Mall, Rabat 

How does the club run? 

We try to have at least two vice 

presidents or co-chairs in every 

Fundraising: Christmas Bazaar at the Rabat 

American School. 

board position, of which there are eleven 

(general meeting, cultural exchange, 

communications, fundraising, CDC, membership, 

hospitality, recording secretary, treasurer, 

FAWCO reps, board advisors and US Embassy 

liaison rep). There is only one AIWA president 

and vice president. As with most associations, 

there is a core of 40+ ladies who are very active 

and carry the club. We encourage all members 

to get involved, build friendships, find joy in 

community service and be proud of making a 

difference in the lives of so many less fortunate 

in the greater Rabat area. In the spring, our 

board advisors form a selection committee, 

and a specific protocol is followed to vote in 

the new board. 

What kind of events do you have in your club? 

We have several fundraising events that are 

organized by our VPs for fundraising and carried 

out by the fundraising committee. Our annual 

fundraisers are the Thanksgiving Walk-a-Thon, 

the Christmas Bazaar, Valentine’s Day Candy- 

Gram Sale, and a Spring Fair event. Additionally, 

we have a Moroccan cookbook/travelogue for 

sale in both Morocco and the United States. 


We schedule monthly general meetings that 

host a large variety of Moroccan, international, 

male and female guest speakers, and we offer 

sales tables to our women’s cooperatives. 

Our cultural exchange activities are organized 

by the VPs with the help of their committee. 

for members and their spouses for Halloween, 

Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day. 

In conjunction with the US embassy, we usually 

have a Welcoming Tea, Christmas Party, and 

End-of-the-Year Tea at the residence. AIWA has 

an annual Ramadan Food Drive, Ladies’ F’tir, a 

Chabana afternoon event and 

an Achoura gift-giving party for 

the children in the Ibn Sina 

Children’s Hospital. In addition, 

International Women’s Day 

events are organized that may 

include a guest speaker panel 

on women’s issues at the March 

general meeting, a luncheon, 

and/or a health and wellness 

yoga/Zumba morning workshop. 

AIWA Cultural Exchange: St. Patrick's Day Party at the Sofitel Hotel, Rabat. 

Members can look forward to a new members' 

tour of the Rabat medina with lunch at a lovely 

riad and two annual excursions to other cities 

not too far from Rabat such as Kenitra, Tangier, 

Sale, etc. Holiday cocktail parties are organized 

Do you raise money for any 

particular cause? 

All the money that is raised 

through fundraising goes to 

our CDC to support the 30 plus 

local charities that rely on us to 

provide humanitarian assistance. 

Local charity organizations send 

us a request for materials with 

pricing. The CDC meets monthly to review the 

requests. Visitations are scheduled to speak with 

the director(s) and inspect the sites. The CDC 

then votes on how much we can help with each 

project. Requested materials/needed items are 

CDC: Blankets and warm clothing for the people in the Atlas Mountains to be distributed by the ENIAS university students 

when they make their yearly medical caravan into the mountain villages. 

Fundraising: 2 nd Hand Caftan Sale with proceeds going to AVENIR Children's Center. 

purchased and a follow-up visit is scheduled to 

inspect the delivered equipment. 

Here are the names of just a few of the local 

charities we support: 

• Avicenne Ibn Sina Children’s Hospital: 

Association Kaouthar. 

• AVENIR Children’s Cancer Center. 

• Dar Taliba: a resident home for girls 

from rural areas to enable them to 

finish their studies. 

• Vaincre L'Autisme Rabat: training center 

for young adults with autism. 

• Residential Center for Displaced Elderly 

Persons, Ain Atiq. 

• BADEL Center for Children with Diabetes. 

• Adult Training Center for the Blind . 

• A variety of women’s training centers 

and cooperatives. 

What was your favorite activity last year? 

I really don’t think we as a group have one 

favorite activity because all our events are fun, 

knowledgeable, offer a sense of community and 

help build bonds of friendship. However, if I had 

to pick one, I think the ladies on the board enjoy 

welcoming new members, especially those new 

to Morocco at the Welcoming Tea and new 

members' tour of the Rabat Medina. We love 

sharing the beauty of this country, its 

indescribable sense of hospitality and its 

cultural richness. 

What else would you like us to know about 

your club? 

Women who become members of AIWA-Rabat 

enjoy a kindred spirit of community service and 

a desire to know and appreciate other cultures. 

The ladies of AIWA-Rabat are as dear and 

caring as all the women who are involved in the 

FAWCO clubs. Our shared goals are our strength 

as we continue to make effective changes in big 

and small ways. We build bridges between 

different nationalities, cultures and religions. 

Thus, we empower ourselves and others to make 

a difference, work towards positive change, and 

bring improvements and dignity to the lives of 

many around the world. 

Tell us a little bit about Rabat and Morocco 

Rabat is one of the four Imperial Cities of 

Morocco but didn’t actually become the capital 

of Morocco until 1912 when the French 

Protectorate moved the title from Fes. This 

picturesque city, which lies on the banks of 

the Bou Regreg River, embodies the dignity of 

ancient Rome with its Chellah Necropolis, the 

unique Moorish architectural and decorative 

style of the past, the art deco facades of the 


colonial era, and now the impressive, modern 

structures of a 21st-century capital city. This 

distinct blending of the old and the new makes 

Rabat one of the most attractive cities in 

North Africa; it is now a center for culture and 

tourism, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage 

Site. Without a doubt, expats and embassy 

personnel living here find Rabat to be a very 

attractive city, easy to live in with all its modern 

conveniences, yet it retains an ambiance of 

historical and cultural beauty that is intriguing 

and endearing. 

Any unusual/interesting traits of the locals? 

Morocco is internationally renowned for its 

warm and inviting hospitality a reputation that is 

well deserved. Its cuisine is rated one of the top 

three in the culinary world. It is often referred 

to “a cuisine of 1001 flavors.” The blend of 

varied spices is a culinary art that is rich and 

multi-layered. Moroccan food has a distinct, 

savory appeal due to the variety of 

vegetables used in making salads and 

tagines (stews made with meat, 

chicken, lamb, or fish); the use of 

olives in some tagines and prunes, 

apricots, honey and almonds in 

others; grains like couscous and 

delicious breads; and honey, almond 

and sesame desserts. Enjoying a 

Moroccan meal is the ultimate cultural 

treat and one that you will look 

forward to having again and again. 

ornate Morocco homes that have been turned 

into lovely hotels. Enjoy a real taste of the beauty 

of Morocco with their rooftop restaurants for 

dining and drinks with views overlooking the city 

and surrounding areas. Breathtaking. There are 

also many fantastic hidden gems for exploring 

nature and appreciating the country’s culture. 

• Hiking in the Middle Atlas Mountains: 

Ifrane, Aguelmam Azigza, and Tazekka 

National Parks, Sefrou, Ouzoud, 

Paradise Valley and Jbel Aklim 

• The natural stone arch of Imin n’Ifri 

• The waterfalls of Oum Er-Rhia River 

• The water cisterns and UNESCO-listed 

Mazagan Fortress of El Jadida 

What are a few undiscovered gems? 

Discovering the medinas of Rabat and 

Morocco is always a treat. It’s like walking back 

hundreds of years into the past. Some hidden 

gems in the medinas are the riads – beautiful, 

Thank you for your willingness to support this 

very important fundraising project. All proceeds 

from the sale of this book will aid the less fortunate 

in the Moroccan greater Rabat-Salé area through the 

charitable work of AIWA’s Community 

Development Committee (CDC). The price of the 

Presents: 

All proceeds 

Casablanca 

from 

and Volubilis 

the sale of this book will aid the less fortunate 

in the Moroccan greater Rabat-Salé area through the charitable 

work of AIWA’s Community Development Committee (CDC). The 

Examples of AIWA-Rabat support in the Rabat- 

Salé AIWA area includes cookbook Children’s Hospital; costs Center for $20 and is available exclusively at 

Children with Diabetes; Center for the Blind; 

equipment for handicapped in rural areas; www.lulu.com 

support 

26 INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN 27 

AIWA cookbook is $20 and available exclusively 

at www.lulu.com. At the Lulu website, click on 

Wish to order our cookbook/travelogue? 

Cookbook of 70+ recipes covering: 

Soups 

Bastila 

Fish 

Chicken 

Beef 

Lamb 

Salads & Pickles 

Vegetables 

Couscous 

Bread 

Desserts 

Infusions 

And a Travelogue for Rabat, Fes, 

Meknes, Marrakech, Tangier, 

of various women’s cooperatives including rural 

farming and rug-making; support of women’s health 

issues; supporting school and training for children 

and young adults with autism; supporting vocational 

training to young people in smaller towns; etc.

In their own words 

Shanghai 2014 

We 

understand 

your world 

Jacob Barnes, AWC Dublin 

While most of the surprises I met were pleasant, I was not so happy about a number of 

unexpected aspects. The biggest of the unwelcome surprises I met whilst in China was 

the extreme poverty that exists. Stateside, most of what we hear about China is on their 

growing economy and swift progression from "Developing" to nearly "Developed," 

leaving me appalled at how negligent the government seemed to be of the most 

vulnerable in their society. While working with the children of migrant workers, we got to 

visit the home of one of the children. We found that the family of six was living in what 

many of us would consider a small room, with several of the children sleeping on no more 

than broken cardboard boxes. For a country that is constantly being heralded for its 

growing economy, I expected it to recognize the needs of its people more aptly. 


VOLUNTEERS 



Charlotte Knopp, AWC The Hague 

“Heart to Heart” funds surgeries for underprivileged children from all over China. In China, 

healthcare is only available in the province of birth. In some provinces, adequate healthcare 

is unavailable, meaning that all necessary medical care must be received in another 

region, and thus must be paid for out of pocket. The expat organization shares the 

hospital's playroom, which is used for hospitalized children and children visiting hospitalized 

families. After the playroom opened, I helped 

one boy pick out a book. He was probably six or 

seven and Tibetan – meaning we couldn’t communicate 

in the slightest nor understand the Chinese 

characters. We sat and flipped the pages, 

followed the pictures, and made up stories, 

trying to get the gist of the book. It brought 

about a wave of nostalgia for when I was teenytiny, 

pretending to read by myself but really just 

paging through the pictures. 

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profile 

"Everyone Is Who They 

Are for a Reason" 

Paula Brandenburg, member of AWCL (American Women's Club of 

London), helps adults and teens develop the mindset and skillset 

of respect. 


I grew up in the United States, in Oklahoma and 

Colorado. My parents divorced and remarried 

when I was very young. I was raised by two 

different sets of parents who were very different 

from each other. 

In Colorado, I had a very large, Italian family living 

in a small community. My grandmother took care 

of my cousins and me while our parents were 

working. My cousins and I spent our days playing 

outdoors. My sister was born when I was ten. 

I remember the first day that I saw her; I 

immediately loved her with all my heart. 

In Oklahoma, the only family I had was my mom 

and dad. I attended a small, private school. There 

was one teacher I had, every year for eight years, 

Mr. Sennhenn. As an adult, I realized that he had 

been a rock for me; he was there for me day by 

day. He taught me the importance of consistency 

and dedication. 

I loved growing up with diversity. I loved and will 

always love all four of my parents. They each 

played an important role in my life and had a 

hand in me becoming the person that I am today. 

Paula Brandenburg and her teacher 

of eight years, Mr. Sennhenn. 


I studied Early Childhood Education at university 

and supported myself waiting tables. In my 

program of study, another student made a very 

large impact on the person that I am. She always 

wanted to be in groups with me and sit next to 

me. I wasn’t rude to her, but I did try to 

avoid her as much as possible. She was 

too needy. In one of our psychology 

Paula Brandenburg 


classes, she shared 

that the year before 

she started university, 

she was pregnant and 

lived in her car with 

her dog. One day, as 

she put a gun to her 

head, her dog licked 

her. She realized that 

she couldn’t leave her 

dog; he needed her. 

The moment that she 

shared that, I felt 

terrible and ashamed. 

There was a reason 

that she wanted a 

person in her life. In 

every class that I have 

taught, whether it’s 

children, young adults 

or adults, I end the 

sessions with this: “Everyone is who they are 

for a reason. We may never know that reason, 

it is not our right to know that reason, but we 

should always treat everyone with respect." 

Life changes 

I married my childhood crush, Rob. With his 

profession, we moved many times. In each 

new location, I located our doctors, the kids' 

schools and, just as important, friends for us. 

We have two biological sons, Robert and Lee. 

As soon as the boys were old enough to join 

the Boy Scouts, I also became involved. I joined 

a Boy Scout leadership and team building 

training, Wood Badge. This is an intense six-day 

training that immerses adults in team building 

and leadership activities. At the conclusion of 

my session, I was asked to be on the staff of 

the next session. Serving on a Wood Badge 

staff is a big honor; I have served on five. In 

addition to being on Wood Badge staff, I 

became the director of a National Day Camp 

Paula with her family, "adopted" daughter (above) and her "drama" son (left). 

school. This is an intense training that certifies 

adults to start and run a day camp for Scouts. 

The Boy Scouts of America was a place where I 

could give to communities. 

As soon as the boys were settled in their new 

community, I also taught in their school district. 

Even though I had the luxury of being a housewife, 

I couldn’t stay out of the classroom. One 

year, I had a 12-year-old student who had a 

very challenging past. She was abandoned at 

a train station in India when she was around 

three years old. The local authorities took her 

to an orphanage, where she lived for a little 

more than a year. A woman of Indian descent, 

who lived in the United States, adopted her. 

Unfortunately, when she was my student, her 

adoptive mom became abusive. My family and I 

became a respite family for that student. When 

her mother would have a spell, she would 

temporarily live with us. At age 17, she became 

a permanent member of our family. 

That same year, I had a student who was 

unable to get involved in the school’s drama 

department because he depended on the bus 

to get home after school. I knew this young 

man had a passion for the technical side of 

theater. Unfortunately, his single parent 

wasn’t interested and didn’t feed that passion. 

With permission from his mom, I became his 

“drama mom.” I was his transportation and held 

the parental role that all the other drama 

parents held. I am extremely proud to say that 

he was successful through high school, was the 

first generation in his family to go to college 

and is a technical director of a theater. He also 

became a member of our family; I am no longer 

his “drama mom.” I am his “white mom” and 

we are his white family. That year, Rob and I no 

longer had two children, we had four. 


I enjoy the challenge of getting to know them, 

figuring out what makes them click. I love the 

fact that they are one person when I first meet 

them and as I work with them, they grow into a 

different human being. I don’t work to change 

them into what I think that they should be, I 

allow them to grow into the person that they 

are, deep in their core. 

Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a 

teacher. At university, I learned about 

Differentiated Instruction. This new knowledge 

showed me the path to be the teacher that 

was naturally me; I was born to teach. I always 

knew that teaching was more than lecturing 

and distributing new information. I knew that 

I would expend the energy to learn and teach 

each individual how they best learned and at 

the level they needed. I now had the skills to 

make that happen. 

Going to make a difference in this world 

I have a degree in Early Childhood Education. 

However, I have a mentor who made more of 

an impact on me than anything. In 1986, I was 

17 and participating in the Model United 

Nations. Betty Williams, a Nobel Peace Prize 

Laureate, was a guest speaker. One of her 

statements was: One person who believes 

deeply enough and is concerned enough can 

make a difference. As she addressed the 

audience, there were a few moments when 

she and I made eye contact. After her speech, 

I walked to the podium and introduced myself. 

She grabbed my hand with both of hers and 

said, “Paula, you are going to make a difference 

in this world.” I wrote her and thanked her a few 

years ago and she replied. One of my biggest 

wishes in life is to shake her hand again. 


During the last few years in a classroom, in 

addition to teaching youth, I was coaching 

their parents to parent. It seemed that parents 

were taking a step back and no longer teaching 

their children how to be respectful, to build 

their character. Through the Boy Scouts, I 

was educating adults on youth character 

development when I realized that most parents 

needed that training. That is when I developed 

Respekt, LLC. I started it to help teens and adults 

develop the mindset and skillset of respect, 

which is needed to succeed not only in their 

personal and professional lives but ultimately 

in the communities in which they live. I worked 

with youth and parents and I was also hired for 

executive coaching and employee development 

in companies that were having a difficult time 

growing. I hope to better our communities one 

person at a time. 

Importance of face-to-face interaction 

Many adults and youth spend more time face to 

face with their phones than each other. Time in 

the car, in the grocery store and waiting in lines 

is time that parents could have their child’s 

attention. Instead, they allow their children to be 

entertained by a screen. 


Paula out hat shopping in London. 

I don’t know what we can do about it; I find it very 

sad. I am thinking about making a business card 

that briefly states the importance of face-to-face 

interaction. As I am walking away from a parent 

who is allowing their children to sit with a screen 

to their face, I can hand them the card. Maybe it 

will make a difference in at least one family. 

Favorite way to inspire young people 

One year I had a 6-year-old student who was the 

mascot of the Crip gang. I recognized how much 

he loved music and liked to sing. Just spending 

the first 10 minutes of class dancing, I turned 

Michael from a violent gang member to a learner. 

I taught him how to read, but more importantly, 

I taught him to love learning. I have a talent for 

observing people and finding commonalities. 

Through those commonalities, I gain trust, and 

through that trust, I educate. I inspire youth by 

accepting who they are and show them, through 

experiences, how they can grow as a person. 

Story from childhood 

I spent my childhood growing up in two very 

different areas and communities at the same 

time. I see differences as the norm. In one of 

those communities, Oklahoma, we did not have 

family. My parents' friends and a few of my friends 

became our family. I have always brought people 

together; I build communities, through kindness. 

Working on teens social skills 

My degree is in Early Childhood Education. 

I wanted to teach 6 to 10-year-olds. I was 

terrified of young teens and teenagers. After 

several years of teaching, I branched out and 

learned how exciting teaching young teens is. 

While working with that age group, there are 

days when academics need to be set aside, to 

spend time working on social skills. Young 

teens are at an age when they are exploring 

and experimenting with who they want to be. 

I love being part of that process. 


feature 

Inspiring Future 

Generations 

Katja Malinowski, a member of AWCB 

(American Women's Club of Berlin), 

uses the Sustainable Development 

Goals in her teaching. 

“There is no more powerful 

transformative force than education— 

to promote human rights and 

dignity, to eradicate poverty and 

deepen sustainability, to build a better 

future for all, founded on equal rights 

and social justice, respect for 

cultural diversity, and international 

solidarity and shared responsibility, all 

of which are fundamental aspects of 

our common humanity." 

Irina Bokova, former Director-General 

of UNESCO 

T 

oday, there are 1.8 billion people 

between the ages of 10 and 24 – 

they are the largest generation of 

youth in history. Connected to each 

other like never before, young people want to 

and already do contribute to the resilience of 

their communities, proposing innovative 

solutions, driving social progress and inspiring 

political change. 

To change course, the world 

needs our youth to have the 

knowledge, values and skills to 

better navigate this uncertain 

future and tackle its profound 

challenges. Research shows that 

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is 

a crucial tool, which not only empowers 

students to shape a better world, but also 

perform better in school. 

What is ESD? 

ESD is not about inserting new thematic content 

into an already overcrowded curriculum, which 

would make it impractical – both time and 

content-wise – especially for the teacher. Nor is 

it about removing or minimizing the importance 

of academic content. Instead, it is about 

reorienting subjects into serving a more 

socially and globally relevant purpose: that of 

contributing to a sustainable, just and peaceful 

world, with young people motivated, prepared 

and empowered to address persistent and 

emerging local and global challenges. Now, 

more than ever, education has a responsibility 

to be in sync with 21st-century challenges and 

aspirations, and foster the right types of values 

and skills that will lead to sustainable and 

inclusive growth, and peaceful living together. 

My introduction to the SDGs 

I was first introduced to the SDGs, 17 ambitious 

objectives for a greener, healthier, more 

peaceful and equal planet, in late 2015 right 

after they were adopted by the United Nations 

Campaign’s 

Global Festival 

of Action in 

2019. 


while I was teaching IBDP Geography. I was 

immediately attracted to them not only because 

of the bright colors, but because they seemed 

to give so much purpose and meaning to the 

world – they were a roadmap/blueprint to a 

better future at a time when our children were 

demanding answers to uncomfortable questions 

and inconvenient truths regarding the 

environment and their future. 

The importance of SDG 4 for me 

As a History, Geography and Politics teacher, 

TeachSDGs Ambassador and Advocate, and 

Mentor for SDGs and Education for Sustainable 

Development, SDG 4 - Quality Education is very 

close to my heart, in particular target 4.7. This 

aims at ensuring that by 2030 “all learners 

acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote 

sustainable development, including among 

others through education for sustainable 

development and sustainable lifestyles, human 

rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture 

of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, 

and appreciation of cultural diversity and of 

culture’s contribution to sustainable 

development.” At the core of my teaching lies 

the desire to instill a sense of social and 

environmental justice, a healthy and robust 

sense of inquiry and creativity, as well as a 

deeper commitment to global citizenship. One 

of the greatest testaments to the worldview of 

my students is their engagement with the UN 

Sustainable Development Goals, empowering 

them with the knowledge, skills and pathways 

to be effective and confident agents of change 

and advocates of shaping the future they 

would like to see and live in. The Global Goals 

empower them by giving them permission to 

believe in a better world. Activating our youth 

then happened in three stages: Awareness, 

Understanding and Action. I have been in a 

truly unique position of influence to educate 

my students to overcome the greatest 

challenges of the 21st century and lead healthy 

and productive lives, in harmony with nature. 

A recurrent theme for me 

The SDGs became a recurrent theme and 

common thread throughout my teaching 

and our school’s curriculum, providing many 

opportunities for interdisciplinary projects 

and student-led actions, e.g., our annual Week 

to Act 4 SDGs, creating an SDGs in Action 

newsletter or organizing regular events for our 

school community with expert guest speakers 

on SDG related topics. The students have 

participated in various global projects, e.g., 

the Goals Project, for which they designed a 

life skills unit on sexual harassment with the 

support of UN Women and the HeforShe 

Campaign linked to SDG 5 – Gender 

Equality, and have connected with 16 other 

schools around the world to focus on SDG 17 – 

Partnerships for the Goals. Meanwhile, we have 

embedded and infused the goals and education 

for sustaniable development across the sections 

of our school and have put them in the focus of 

a whole-school approach, while redesigning our 

curriculum. With the help of the Design Thinking 

method, a problem-solving approach, our 

students have been inspired through 

extracurriculars like the SDG Action Club, Model 

United Nations and the Biomimicry project in 

Science to design, create and discuss innovative 

and sustainable solutions to the global issues 

we face today. We achieved the same level of 

activism in a pilot project in which we turned a 

Geography class into an SDGs course aligned 

with the Berlin state curriculum. Additionally, 

we expanded our annual “Amazing Race History 

Challenge” in Berlin, which is a photo scavenger 

hunt highlighting Berlin’s rich and diverse 

history. This year, the students launched an 

SDG edition of the “Amazing Race,” encouraging 

other students to walk through their city with 

open eyes and find evidence of sustainable 

development. In some cases, students showcased 

littering in the park or found the SDGs 

visually on government buildings. It is this 

commitment to education for sustainable 

development for which we were awarded the 

Eco-School certificate. 

Is any of this achievable? 

While wanting to give the students hope, there 

was always that sense of disillusionment and 

skepticism from their side regarding the 

achievability of the Global Goals and the 

question if they were not too ambitious. 

After more than two years of COVID-19 

John F. Kennedy once said to the 

youth „...I come here today...not just 

because you are doing well and because 

you are outstanding students, 

but because we expect something of 

you. […] We ask the best of you...I 

congratulate you on what you have 

done, and most of all I congratulate 

you on what you are going to do." 

This perfectly sums up what I desire 

most for my students and future 

generations. 

reversing any progress towards the SDGs, their 

criticism is, of course, valid. At the same time, it 

was important to prove to them how important 

partnerships and commitment worldwide 

were. My students and I had the incredible 

opportunity to go to the SDG Action Campaign’s 

Global Festival of Action in 2019, where they 

met and interacted with politicians, social 

entrepreneurs, business people and youth 

activists from all around the world and 

experienced and were inspired by the 


tremendous actions and projects to make the 

world a better place. I remember how 

disappointed they were that, although a lot of 

topics and workshops were about the youth, 

they were the only young people at the event. 

However, this in turn, encouraged them to 

become engaged even more. 

The importance of engaging with youth 

Over the last years, I/we have been very 

fortunate to have been supported by the United 

Nations Association in Germany, which has 

hosted many incredible events and panel 

discussions with amazing guest speakers on 

SDG-related issues as well as SDG weekend 

seminars in which many of my students have 

participated. From gender equality, sustainable 

cities, climate action and ocean protection to 

sustaining peace and partnerships for the goals, 

the students have been inspired on so many 

different levels. The experience of participating 

in Model United Nations and global conferences 

enhances their world view and their 

engagement with global issues. This has led 

to many students wishing to pursue their 

university studies in international relations and 

sustainable development. 

In the context of the SDGs, we have seen an 

extraordinary movement of young people from 

all around the world who have come together 

and become agents of change. Youth leadership 

is essential in rebuilding a post COVID-19 world 

with the SDGs. We have to harness the momentum 

of this movement and their engagement 

and continue to empower our youth. 

Provided with the necessary skills and 

opportunities needed to reach their potential, 

young people can be a driving force for 

supporting development and contributing to 

peace and security. With political commitment 

and adequate resources, young people have 

the potential to make the most effective 

transformation of the world into a better place 

for all. Inspired by the words of Robert F. 

Kennedy – “Some men see things as they are 

and ask why. I dream of things that never 

were, and ask why not.“ – I aim to instill a 

sense of social and environmental justice and 

responsibility in my students to take action 

and transform our world. 

Teaching the SDGs is about changing the 

angles of how we view things. It’s an adventure, 

but it’s a good one with very positive learning 

outcomes. It’s what we want to give the 

students; it’s what we owe them. 


Louisa Bühling, AIWC Düsseldorf 

Mumbai 2015 

The experience of the FAWCO Youth Program really opened my eyes to the inequalities 

in the world, and visiting the four different charities showed me for how many different 

reasons people in our world need help. 

Meenakshi Advani, Program Chair 

All involved in the program have lasting impressions of this incredible week. Some of the 

host moms with children at home found that sharing their space with a child from the 

program improved their own child's experience at home in a unique way. 

The participants became best friends, cried, laughed, and were inseparable; were all well 

behaved at their host homes; shared with us their sensitive emotions while visiting our 

Mumbai supported charities; fit right into the cultural environment with no fuss and 

ate the local foods; loved meeting and interacted beautifully with our membership; felt 

the vast impact of being in a five-star hotel after visiting a homeless group of women 

living in a garage together; spent their down time discussing their personal lives and daily 

observations; spread their joy and knowledge not only to themselves but also to all of us 

in Mumbai! 


VOLUNTEERS 



Renger Van Eerten, AWC The Hague 

These (charity) experiences really stood out 

for me and gave me a completely different 

perspective on what I had previously thought 

about Mumbai and charity work in general. 

It taught me that I had to be a lot more 

appreciative of the things around me and to be 

less wanting. 


profile 

"What Makes You 

Different From 

Everyone Else?" 

Marelie Manders, a member of HIWC (Heidelberg International 

Women's Club), is a university lecturer and she loves to learn 

what make her students tick. 


I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Something that really stood out to me as a child 

was the moment when the first democratic 

elections in South Africa took place. I believe 

I was about 12 years old at the time and I 

remember the atmosphere in the country. 

I remember taking my bicycle and riding up and 

down past the voting station to see everyone 

voting. That election resulted in Nelson Mandela 

becoming the president of South Africa. 


After leaving school I didn’t move too far from 

home, about 40 minutes away to Pretoria. 

There, I went to university to study law, which I 

really enjoyed. While I was at law school I found 

my ultimate passion in law - international law. 

International law as a subject made a big 

impression on me as it was exciting, more 

current and deals with the relationship between 

countries on the international scale. I ended up 

staying in Pretoria for six years and completed 

my masters degree in international law. 

Marelie and her husband Bart 

For work I eventually relocated to Durban, a 

lovely city on the eastern coast of South Africa. 

It was the first time I was truly in a city of my 

own, without any friends or family 

nearby, and this ended up 

being the best experience of my 

life. I met wonderful people and 

eventually ended up meeting my 

Marelie Manders 

husband, who was in the city for a 


hear. We are lucky that our subject 

matter is current, which piques their 

interest even more. Interestingly I also 

learn from them, as they teach me about 

German law and how it differs from the 

foreign law I am teaching them, which is 

great, as the legal systems are theoretically 

completely different. 

Contributing to a better future 

generation 

During exam time I always ask students 

one question: "What makes you special/ 

different from everyone else?" The 

responses I get are so wonderful and 

varied, and this really teaches me who 

my students are. In Germany the 

classroom culture is very different and 

the relationship between lecturer and 

student is more formal. 


With the subjects I teach, I hope to inspire 

at least a couple of students to go on and 

follow careers in the fields of human rights 

or international law. Having the right 

people in these positions would hopefully 

end up making a bigger difference in the 

lives of people internationally. 

Marelie podcasting during the pandemic. 

short time on an assignment for his company, 

which is based in Germany. From there he asked 

me to accompany him to his next assignment in 

Brazil, and I agreed. 

Life changes 

Living in Brazil was challenging, as we were 

based in a small town. But we eventually 

managed to learn Portuguese and enjoyed our 

time there. I spent my time teaching English as 

a volunteer and met some wonderful people at 

the language school, including life-long friends. 

After three years we returned to my husband’s 

“home base” for work, Germany, and we still live 

here now, about six years later. We will probably 

stay in Germany permanently and I think it is 

a good balance between the places we’ve lived 

before. I am proud to say that we are integrated 

and I am very happy that I prioritized learning 

German immediately when I arrived. At home it 

is just me and my husband. 


I have worked at universities as a lecturer on 

and off since I left university myself and it seems 

I just can’t step away from university settings! 

Honestly it gives me immense pleasure working 

at universities and enjoying the wonderful 

atmosphere on campus. In my current job I am 

teaching first-year students and students on 

exchange to Germany. 

I love working with young people, and especially 

the first-year students, as it is just wonderful 

to see them grow from high school kids, 

completely from “school mode” where they are 

the seniors, into "university mode," where they 

are adults who have to take charge of their own 

lives at university. I am in a unique position 

where I get to teach them exciting and out of the 

ordinary courses, and I really enjoy seeing their 

faces light up in excitement at the things they 

The biggest challenge I have had to 

overcome was certainly the language and 

cultural differences working in a foreign 

university environment. Reaching students 

is certainly much easier now that I 

understand the differences in the classroom 

culture in Germany. 

A big difference in how young people are 

seen between here and my home country, 

at least from my background, is that 

students in South Africa are not always 

treated like independent adults when they 

are at university. I have to say that this could 

have changed since I lived there, as I last 

lived there about nine years ago. But I feel 

like the students there were still “spoon fed” 

a little more and treated less like adults than 

is the case in Germany. 

The relationship between lecturer and 

students in South Africa was also less formal 

and much more open than the relationship 

between German students and lecturers 

here. I am always trying to encourage my 

students to approach me when they need 

help with anything, including personal 

problems, but I haven't had many visitors come 

through my door in Germany. 

In South Africa students were not afraid to ask 

for help. Lastly, the socioeconomic differences 

between South African and German students 

are, of course, very clear. Some South African 

students also had a clear disadvantage coming 

out of high school and had to work extra hard to 

catch up and succeed at university. I saw some 

wonderful students succeed in these situations 

after brutally hard work! Some of these are now 

successful lawyers and advocates in South Africa 

today. This is really the most inspiring to see! 

Inspiration from my mother 

Although we always think that we would not 

want to be like our mothers, I think many of us 

realize that this is inevitable. I have inherited 

my mother’s personality and her drive to always 

be busy with something. She is really energetic 

and is always busy with diverse projects, social 

or otherwise. She managed to put this to good 

use to create ways for our family to earn extra 

money while we were students. Luckily I have a 

love for cooking, which I did not inherit from my 

mother - so in that sense we are very different. 


feature 

FAWCO Youth Cultural 

Volunteers 

Program 2022 

Boat ride on 

the IJ River. 

Here, the CVs 

posed with 

91-year-old 

World War II 

survivor Myriam 

Mater, who 

shared her 

inspiring 

message of 

tolerance and 

kindness and a 

positive outlook 

for this future 

generation. 

The American Women's Club of 

Amsterdam hosted this program 

for 15 volunteers from 11 countries. 

T 

he American Women’s Club of 

Amsterdam successfully hosted the 

2022 edition of the FAWCO Youth 

Cultural Volunteers Program from 

June 25th to July 2nd. This was an especially 

exciting event after two postponements due to 

the pandemic. During the one-week itinerary, 15 

Cultural Volunteers (“CVs”), aged 15-18, traveled 

from 11 different countries (Belgium, Denmark, 

Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, 

Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US), stayed 

with local host families and immersed 

themselves in a variety of enriching activities 

which were designed to provide insights into 

critical global issues and Dutch culture while 

offering them opportunities to give back to the 

local community … all while making new friends 

and having a ton of fun. 

Here are a few highlights from their week: 

The CVs learned from engaging and inspiring 

speakers, covering topics from WWII to the 

current refugee crisis, homelessness and 

human trafficking. 

It was difficult to imagine how 285 Eritrean and 

Ethiopian refugees took a voyage from Egypt to 

Italy on the very same boat that the CVs rode 

on the IJ River. They were inspired by Tommy’s 

personal story of leaving his home country after 

persecution and the challenges he encountered 

as a newcomer to the Netherlands. 

No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a ride 

through the canals. The Plastic Whale Boat Tour was an 

opportunity to check this off the bucket list while also 

learning more about sustainability and having a friendly 

competition to see which team could collect the most 

trash in a two-hour period. As you can see, both boats 

did a great job! 

The CVs volunteered to prepare a meal at a 

homeless day shelter, spruced up a kids’ 

playground, and maintained yards in a social 

housing area, meeting residents who were 

grateful for help with gardening tasks they 

were unable to do. The CVs found the activities 

rewarding and enlightening. 



Dublin 2016 

The group enjoyed some typical Amsterdam 

pasttimes - visiting the Rijksmuseum, picnicking 

on Museumplein (complete with a pick-up 

football match), and biking from the quaint village 

of Haarlem to the beach. Some even swam in 

the chilly North Sea. They dined with local families 

and youth at garden dinners hosted at AWCA club 

members' homes. 

Sustainability was also the focus of a visit to de 

Ceuvel, an innovative, creative social enterprise 

for a sustainable workplace, and to the Fashion 

for Good museum, where the CVs learned about 

the economics of fast versus sustainable fashion 

and the wave of the future where more clothes 

CVs volunteering at a homeless shelter and doing gardening tasks. 

are made of reclaimed materials and colored 

by bacteria and air pollutants. They learned 

how many of these topics link closely to the 

Sustainable Development Goals. 

This group of volunteers was intelligent, 

inquisitive, engaged, and eager to return 

their new learnings to their home countries. 

We hope the program in Amsterdam instilled 

new perspectives, purpose, and a life-long 

desire to give back to their communities. Many 

thanks to the AWCA community for donating 

their time to house, feed, educate and hang 

out with the Amsterdam Cultural Volunteers! 

Tot ziens! 

Pascal Shrady, AIWC Cologne 

I think what will stick with me most from the program were the days we spent doing volunteer 

work. I know, some people may argue that it doesn't sound very exciting cutting 

the hedges and mowing the lawn for someone. It was really fun: I could not believe how 

satisfying it was to let years of anger out on gigantic plants. 

I also felt that we all learned so much about teamwork during those two days. Not only 

did it bring all of us together and strengthen bonds within the group, but it also built up 

our confidence to take matters into our own hands and to want to volunteer in the future. 

Personally, I learned again how much little things can have a huge impact. The two people 

we helped with their yards seemed so grateful, and that is what really matters. Now I have 

more of an idea about First World volunteering and experience to go along with it. 


VOLUNTEERS 



Harriet Käte Ludolph, AWC Hamburg 

We helped an organization called “Serve the City”. They do work for people who are not 

capable of doing it themselves anymore. That could be because of a handicap (mental or 

physical) or just simply old age. We helped an old man with anxiety issues with his garden 

work. We stayed there for five hours and I feel like in those five hours we really accomplished 

something. It felt good to be able to help somebody with a simple task like that. To 

make someone's life a bit easier. Back home most 

volunteering work is very organized with no loose 

ties and strict guidelines. Climbing around on 

sheds and ripping out weeds was a great change 

especially since I was not surrounded by people 

my mother’s age. Not that I'm complaining, I love 

babysitting refugee kids with my mother. But doing 

garden work was very satisfying and I enjoyed 

being able to make life a tad bit more enjoyable 

for him. 


profile 

Sponsoring Children's 

Summer Activities 

Nancy Evans, a member of AWCB (American Women's Club of Brussels), 

on losing her daughter suddenly and setting up a project in her memory 

to help the children whom she loved. 


I was born in New Jersey, then moved to a little 

town in upstate NY, and later to a suburb of 

Boston, where I attended high school. My 

teenage years with a local youth group in 

Newton, Mass. greatly influenced my future, 

by getting me involved in community service. 

Lina in front of 

the New York 

city skyline, her 

favorite city. 


Right after I graduated from high school, my 

dad got a job in Brussels, Belgium. So, I came 

to Brussels even before my family arrived. I 

enrolled in a beginner’s French class during the 

summer and two months later started my 

university studies in Medical Technology, in 

Leuven (in French!). I met my future husband 

there, who was Syrian. We got married during 

my final year of college. After college I was very 

lucky to find the job of my dreams, working in 

the Microbiology department of a local hospital 

here in Brussels. It was very difficult to obtain 

a work permit, but the hospital was so pleased 

with my work that they did everything possible 

for me to stay and it worked out well. I held 

down a full-time job, while raising three children. 


I worked at the hospital for 45 years, taking a 

year’s sabbatical from 1992-1993, to go back to 

the US with my youngest daughter, Lina, who 

Children's 

was seven at the time. When we returned to 

artwork from 

Belgium after a year, it was very important to 

Lina's Project, 

Nancy Evans 

depicting some 

me that my daughter stay in contact with her 

of the summer 

activities they 

50 participated in. 

INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN 51

Last day of work. Nancy with her boss. 

them involved. I love sharing 

what I know and encouraging 

them to try something new. I 

think hands-on activities are 

the best way to do this. 

I discovered my affinity when 

I became a single mom and 

was free to explore many 

possibilities that were not an 

option while I was married. 

My current project sponsoring 

summer activities for 

underprivileged children in 

Brussels was sparked by my 

daughter’s passing. I wanted 

to do something that was a 

continuation of who she was. 

Contributing to a better 

future generation 

Children are our future. Those 

who come from low-income 

families deserve to dream, 

broaden their horizons, and 

have new experiences, just 

as much as any other child. 

Summer activities can 

accomplish this and the 

memories last a lifetime. 

It gives them hope and 

self-confidence that will help 

them in the future as they 

grow into adulthood. 


Raising money so that Lina’s 

Project can continue is my 

biggest challenge. Every year 

we sponsor more children 

and I hope I don’t ever have 

to turn anyone away for lack 

of funds. 

Best experiences 

I usually organize a party 

in September for all the 

participants and their 

families to meet the 

children and hear about 

their experiences (except 

during COVID-19, 

restrictions). The smiles on 

the children’s faces and the 

gratitude expressed by the 

parents are the greatest 

gifts I could ever receive. 

The youth-related issue 

that makes you saddest 

Seeing girls left behind. So 

my project makes sure that 

girls participate. 


My mom and I are very different, but she definitely 

passed on to me her organizational skills, her 

determination, and her capacity to survive despite 

difficult times. I have her genes and I am very grateful 

that she gave me life. 

Importance of languages 

I hated studying French in high school. I never thought 

I would speak it fluently! I’m glad I do now. It has 

opened many doors. I loved learning words in Arabic 

to communicate with my in-laws. I would never have 

imagined that in the past either. 

American culture. So, we joined an English-speaking 

church, Girl Scouts and an English-speaking sports 

association for children. As a scout leader and Sunday 

school teacher in my free time, my focus was working 

with children and being active in community service. I 

was divorced by this time and wanted my daughter to 

learn generosity and compassion for others through 

hands-on activities. She did in fact learn these lessons 

and grew to become a kind, generous young woman. 

Unfortunately, she passed away suddenly of a 

pulmonary embolism in 2016, at the age of 30. 

I decided to start a project in her memory involving 

children, whom she loved. With the help of her former 

employer and the non-profit organization Nativitas, we 

set up Lina’s Project, sponsoring summer activities for 

children in Brussels. 

Working with young people 

They are enthusiastic and are interested in so many 

things. You just need to capture their attention to get 

Nancy with her son, Jamale, 

and her daughter, Rime. 

“We have a powerful potential in our 

youth, and we must have the courage to 

change old ideas and practices so that we 

may direct their power toward good ends” 

Mary McLeod Bethune 


feature 

Learning Leadership 

and Practical Life Skills 

Kristin Bayer, member of AWCB 

(American Women's Club of 

Berlin), is chair of the Berlin unit 

of the USA Girl Scouts Overseas 

All around Berlin, troops of girls from five 

to 18 years old are being trained to be 

the next generation of female leaders. 

And, of course, having a lot of fun doing 

it. Who are we? We’re the Berlin unit of the USA 

Girl Scouts Overseas. 

Camping 

Trip 2022 

In over 90 countries globally, USA Girl Scouts 

Overseas (USAGSO) is delivering the same Girl 

Scout Leadership Experience that is available to 

girls and their families in the US. Though most 

troops tend to center around military and 

diplomatic communities, our unit in Berlin is 

different in that we’re now made up of mostly 

civilian families. 

In 1999, I made my first Girl Scout pledge as a 

Daisy Scout in the US. 23 years later, it is my 

honor and privilege to serve as the Chair of our 

Berlin unit and make use of my own 12 years 

of Girl Scout leadership training, having gone 

through the program myself until I graduated 

from high school. 

The vision for generations of female leadership 

began over 100 years ago. In 1912 in Savannah, 

Georgia, Juliet Gordon Low believed that girls 

should learn leadership and practical life skills 

and founded what is now known as the Girl 

Scouts of America. And here’s a 

fun fact: the first age group of 

Girl Scouts is called Daisies 

because Juliette Gordon Low's 

nickname was “Daisy.” It’s a sweet 

reminder that we begin our Girl 

Kristin Bayer 

Scout journey in the footsteps of our founder. 

The program has adapted through the years to 

the times, but today as in the past, Girl Scouts 

is at its core focused on being girl-led. 

To be girl-led means that, as girls keep aging up 

in the program, they should be able to plan and 

carry out more and more of it for themselves 

and for the younger scouts. After all, when a 

girl is five or six years old, it is much more 

exciting to learn from an older girl who feels 

more like a cool sister than just another adult. 

And the older girls simultaneously learn key 

leadership skills that will serve them well into 

adulthood, no matter what path they take. 

Some highlights of our leadership program 

have been girls earning one of Highest Awards 

(Bronze, Silver, and Gold). Over the past years, 

we have seen various troops and girls earn 

each type of these. The Gold Award – the 


Left 

Junior Girl Scout bridging 

to Cadettes at the 2022 

Campout. 


Berlin 2018 

Below 

Fall 2021 All-Level Service 

Project - Leaf Raking. 

Anna Sheehan, AWC Berlin 

capstone of the Girl Scout experience – asks the 

Girl Scout to identify a problem in society and 

develop a sustainable program to tackle this issue. 

We are fully volunteer-run here in Berlin and 

have had great adult participation over the past 

few years. The secret about doing Girl Scouts as 

an adult is that it can be just as much fun to do 

as it is for the girls. It’s also a great way to bond 

with your daughter. And dads are welcome too! 

In June, we held our annual all-level campout in 

the German state of Brandenburg. A highlight of 

the trip was our bridging ceremony, which 

Kristin Bayer is a Gold Award Girl Scout and Lifetime 

Member turned adult volunteer. Since September 

2019, she has served on the board of the Overseas 

Committee Management Team for the Berlin unit 

of the USA Girl Scouts Overseas. She currently lives 

in Berlin, Germany with her beloved husband Paul, 

splitting her time between working full-time, taking 

economics classes at Humboldt University, and 

volunteering with the Girl Scouts. Kristin has been a 

member of the American Women’s Club Berlin since 

December 2018 and was a recipient of the 2020 

FAWCO Foundation Women in STEM Award. 

celebrates Girl Scouts aging out of a certain 

troop level (Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, etc.) 

and being welcomed into the next level. The 

girls made a bridge with their arms for the 

“bridging” girls to run to, symbolizing them 

leaving one level of scouting to cross onto the 

next. In 2021, three of our Girl Scouts bridged 

for the final time into adulthood. It was an 

amazing testament to our younger girls about 

how far Girl Scouts can bring you by the time 

you graduate from high school. 

Although COVID-19 has had a substantial impact 

on the types of activities we have been able to 

do over the past two years, we are so grateful 

that we were able to resume camping and alllevel 

events. There is no greater feeling of 

success than watching the older girls spending 

time with the younger ones. The leaders also 

find supportive friendships in each other as 

we all work towards developing the girls in our 

care. At the end of the day, we are all there for 

the same goal. Juliette Gordon Low summed it 

up best when she said, "Scouting rises within 

you and inspires you to put forth your best." 

May we all put forth our best daily as we honor 

those who mentored us and work hard for the 

future of the girls still to come. 

This trip has inspired me to do more 

because I am fortunate enough to have 

the ability to do so. I want to thank the 

FAWCO Youth Program for helping me 

find what makes me passionate and 

makes me strive to be better, not just 

for myself, but in hopes that one day I 

can do better for this world. 


VOLUNTEERS 



My-Linh Kunst, Program Co-Chair 

The highlight for me each year is reading their post-program personal essays. The 

preparation and execution of each year’s program is busy, leaving little time for reflection. 

But when I read the youth’s essays, I am proud and happy to see our goals achieved. We 

aim to raise their awareness that social inequalities and people in need are everywhere 

(even in “rich” places like Dubai), and to show that they CAN make a difference – in big and 

small ways. Another program goal is to get the teens together to share their experiences 

as mixed-culture kids living outside their parents’ home countries. The youth write about 

their continued friendships from the program. I hope that these short one-weeks will leave 

lasting impressions and spark a lifelong interest in our youth to engage in social issues. 

Natalie Parker, AWC Amsterdam 

During this trip, our group spent a lot of time 

talking about world issues. We discussed what 

issues are prevalent in the places we live and the 

differences and similarities in our cultures. These 

discussions also helped me gain a new perspective 

on different cultures around the world. 


profile 

Developing the Leaders 

of the Future 

Elizabeth Kelly, a member of AWCA (American Women's Club of 

Antwerp), teaches an international program in Belgium that 

prepares young people to be future business leaders. 


I grew up in New Mexico with my two younger 

brothers and wonderful parents. While I have 

many fond memories of childhood, the two 

things that seem relevant are (1) the diversity 

of New Mexico with its a large Hispanic 

population and significant Native American 

population and (2) hosting an exchange 

student from Japan during high school. Both 

circumstances introduced me to cultures that 

were new to me and later helped me to 

appreciate the value of differences and that 

effectively interacting with people requires effort 

but the benefits are worth it. 


As a young adult I worked in the healthcare 

industry as a healthcare executive. When I 

wasn’t working, I worked with the youth of 

my church. It was always nice to see them 

grow and develop more confidence in who 

they were becoming. 

Elizabeth Kelly 

The third phase of my life began when I met and 

married my amazing Belgian husband. 

Continuing my work in healthcare didn’t seem to 

be an option so I began to teach, first English as 

a second language and ultimately intercultural 

communication skills. During that time I began to 

learn about other cultures and the importance 

of understanding and appreciating differences. 

Over the last 20 years I have had 

the good fortune to work with or 

teach individuals, mostly young 

people from more than 60 

countries. During the last six 

years I have taught at a college in 

Elizabeth and 

her husband 


Belgium in an international business program. 

We are helping to develop future leaders. 


What I love most about working with young 

people is the perspective on life. Most young 

people are quite open, willing to share ideas 

and opinions, willing to listen to other 

perspectives without being too judgmental. 

I have learned so much from young people 

about cultures from around the world. It has 

been interesting to see how much students 

from around the world have in common, but 

also their differences. It has been fabulous to 

see them expand their knowledge, tolerance 

and respect for cultural differences and 

attitudes towards a variety of topics. 

In addition to cultural variations, they have also 

taught me about sexuality and gender. I had 

to learn new terminology but it also impacted 

other aspects of life. They introduced me to 

the idea of gender-neutral toys. Just after a 

presentation, I had to buy a baby present and 

their insights influenced my present choice 

and how it was wrapped. Change takes time 

and is gradual, but there is value in continuing 

to learn and evolve. 


The international program in which I teach is 

preparing young people to be future business 

leaders around the world. The world is getting 

smaller and the more people understand 

cultural variations, the more successful 

businesses can be. 

We teach respect, tolerance and understanding 

about differences. In addition, we teach young 

people the importance of being authentic and 

true to themselves. There is a term coined 

by Andy Molinsky, "Global Dexterity," which 

Right 

Elizabeth's 

thesis 

presentation. 

Below 

Artevelde 

presentation, 

2016. 

means it is important to adapt to the 

culture in which you live and/or work, 

but you must also be yourself. We are 

each unique and I try to impart to the 

students the importance of leveraging 

their cultural differences. 


Technology entered my life a bit later; 

consequently, my aptitude for technology 

was limited. However, even before 

COVID-19, I had to learn to use various 

tools and new technology to manage the 

classroom and administrative functions. 

Within days, COVID-19 required us to 

teach online, learn to use new tools and 

to problem shoot issues. Most of the 

time, I can solve technical issues. Not 

something I would have ever believed. 

Favorite way to inspire 

It is my enthusiasm and passion for 

whatever I teach. Students can tell that I 

love what I do and they appreciate my 

authenticity. They know that I am 

interested in learning from them and that 

their voices matter. I also encourage them 

to appreciate all of their experiences and 

learn from them. Life isn’t a freeway but a 

series of paths. Most of the time, the less 

direct routes lead to the most worthwhile 

destinations in life. 

Most important message to pass on 

Many of the young people at our 

university are the children of immigrants 

who moved to Belgium for a better life, 

particularly for their children. These 

young people know the sacrifices their 

parents made to give them a better 

opportunity than their home country 

offered. The drive and hard-working 

attitude of these young people are 

impressive. I wish these stories were 


the ones being told to the average person, 

because it might help people see that most 

people are not trying to abuse social systems; 

they simply want more for their children. 

Who doesn’t? 


Athens 2019 


As a shy, small girl, I was picked on a bit and 

mostly ignored. At some point in college, 

that person disappeared. I learned that I 

had value and something to offer people. 

Over the years, I have had good mentors who 

saw my potential, gave me opportunities to 

grow and shine and encouraged me to strive 

for excellence. While I thrive in positive 

environments, I have used negative situations 

to learn what I don’t want to be. I am a strong 

believer in self-direction, but being supported 

and nurtured helps tremendously. 


Pioneering, supportive and much more are 

just a few of the adjectives that I would use 

to describe my mother. She was intelligent, 

fair, hardworking, determined, and always 

expressed her opinion. My mother had one 

of the first Apple computers because it would 

make her work more efficient and she didn’t 

shy away from a challenge. If we commented 

that she didn’t work, she always corrected us 

saying "I work from home, but I work." She 

encouraged me to work hard and believe in 

myself. In reverse order, I always have an 

opinion and am not shy about sharing it. I 

view challenges as an opportunity and address 

them head-on. Especially in teaching, I have 

endeavored to be fair and transparent. My 

employees knew where they stood with me 

as do students in my classes. I believe I’m 

intelligent: at least I’m smart enough to know 

that there is a lot I still don’t know. I’m always 

interested in learning more. 

Our profilees in this issue were asked: "If someone wrote a book about your life, 

what would the title be?" Here are some of the titles ... 

Bennett Motha, AIWC Cologne 

I was impressed by the history of Greece. I personally enjoyed the food, although it was 

sometimes too much :). But most of all, I enjoyed the social work we did. It felt very good to 

support people and improve their lives during difficult times. Working in the soup kitchen 

was the highlight of my week because we could actually engage in conversation with the 

people we were helping. That was probably the experience that touched me the most. To 

see how much the food was appreciated was especially moving. Through these social 

projects, we also became more aware of the many challenges Greece faces. 

Stacey Papaioannou, Program Chair 

Leading the Athens program reminded me what an inspiration teen volunteers can be, 

and their sensitivity and perceptiveness touched me. They also were able to “go outside 

the box” in their takeaways from their volunteering experience by seeing both the small 

details as well as the bigger picture of the problems faced by the folks they encountered. 

I have no doubt that 20 years from now each participant will be doing something in the 

way of volunteering because of the time they spent in Athens. 

Sophia Kusch, AWC Zurich 


VOLUNTEERS 



It was very satisfying to volunteer at so many 

charities, especially when you could see the need 

for it when just walking down a street. You don’t 

see these things in Zurich, so the sheer amount 

of people was slightly shocking. My favorite day 

of volunteering was when we visited the Caritas 

soup kitchen. There we gave food to people in 

need and sorted clothes for the same people. 

It was my favorite because you could directly 

see the people you were helping, and I felt like I 

made a difference, however small it may be. 


feature 

“What is going on here?” 

Jane Indreland, a member of FAUSA, is a 

docent at the Yellowstone Art Musuem in 

Billings, Montana. 

All of my life, I harbored a desire to 

visit England, so I was thrilled when 

my husband Terry told me that we 

had an opportunity to live in the area 

that is now North Lincolnshire. We lived there 

four years before returning to the US. After 

two years in Ponca City, Oklahoma, we moved to 

London, where I discovered the AWC London, 

FAWCO, and The Foundation. I loved working 

with these inspirational women, and when 

we returned to our roots in Billings, Montana, 

FAUSA gave me the opportunity to keep those 

connections through the last 23 years. 

Education Department — outreach to children 

In the year before COVID-19, the Education 

Department connected with approximately 

8,400 children. 

Hank French 

looking at Willem 

Volkers's Portrait 

of My Father. 

Between a Rock 

and a Hard Place 

Bently Spang 

(Northern Cheyenne) 

Tsetsêhesêstâhase/ 

So'taahe 

This work refers to 

the Indian Boarding 

Schools, where the 

boys had their braids 

cut off when they 

arrived. This was 

devasting culturally. 

After a few months, I saw an ad looking for 

docents at the Yellowstone Art Museum, and 

my volunteer life took a new turn. 

Yellowstone Art Museum background 

In 1964, the Yellowstone Art Center opened 

in the former Yellowstone County Jail. (Some 

believe that the building is haunted by its 

previous occupants!) After a $6.2 million 

expansion campaign, the new state-of-the-art 

Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) opened in 1998. 

Montana is in a region that generally focuses on 

historical or Western art, but the YAM focuses 

on contemporary, avant-garde work originating 

in the northern Rockies region. It promises “to 

connect the contemporary past and present by 

preserving and exhibiting art. We promise to 

inspire and educate curious minds of all ages.” 

Currently, the museum has 8,500 works of 

historic and contemporary regional art and 

archival items, either on view or stored in a 

separate building called The Visible Vault. In 

addition to its own works the YAM features 

traveling exhibitions. 

There are studio opportunities for children and 

families including: 

• z Art and a Story for young children. 

• z YAM Camp for two weeks during 

the summer. 

• z Art Academy for one week in partnership 

with Rocky Mountain College. 

• z Summer Art Studio, one day a week for 

eight weeks. 

• z Studio Second Saturday October-May 

• z Fam at the YAM, classes taught by 

local artists every first Friday (a city - 

wide event the first Friday of the month). 

• z Explorer’s Academy Head Start – 

approximately 300 Head Start 

students do an art project in their own 

classrooms followed by a tour at the 

YAM and another art project. An 

exhibition in the Young Artists Gallery 

for the children and their families 

attracts many people who had never 

seen the museum. 

• z YAM Teens—A group that is currently 

working on a mural. 


Hank French looking at a work created by Sean Chandler, an Aaniiih (Gros Vente). 

“Chandler feels responsible for working toward cultural revitalization for his tribe. He is the president of Aaniiih Nakoda 

College in the Fort Belknap Reservation in Harlem, Montana, and is dedicated to revitalizing the Indigenous lifeways and 

language of Aaniinen and Nakoda Tribes, all alongside his artistic practice. “ Lisa Ranallo, Minneapolis Institute of Art 

• z Partnership with Billings Public Schools: 

• y Juried Exhibitions in the Young Artists 

Gallery for Grades 5, 7, and 8 with free 

bussing for Grade 5. 

• z Outreach to underserved populations: 

• y Crow Agency Elementary School on the 

Crow Indian Reservation (one-hour drive). 

• y Students from Lame Deer, on the 

Northern Cheyenne Reservation, visit 

the YAM for a tour and an art project, 

followed by an exhibition in the Young 

Artists Gallery. 

• z The education department also 

has partnerships with three other 

surrounding communities. 

What is a docent? 

The word “docent” is derived from the Latin verb 

“docere,” meaning to teach, but a docent is often 

much more than a (usually) volunteer museum 

tour guide. A docent is the public face of the 

museum, and the visitor’s experience is often 

determined by the docent. 

The 20 members of the YAM Docent Corps 

have much more flexibility than those from larger 

museums. We give tours, assist in the studio, 

visit classrooms, and help out in any way needed. 

The group meets every Monday morning, 

September through May, so we get to know 

each other very well. 

My specialty is visiting the 4th grade school 

classrooms to present the Art Suitcase Program. 

When I started 21 years ago, we hauled posters 

to schools, but now the images are shown 

electronically on the classroom smart board. 

During COVID-19, we did it through Zoom, which 

was challenging for me, because it was difficult to 

see and hear the students. 

Our goal as guides is to help the viewers engage 

with the artwork. When I started, I thought that 

my job was to give information about the artwork 

and artist, which didn’t always interest the 

students. Then we were educated about Visual 

Thinking Strategies. VTS sounds simple at first. 

In involves three questions: 1. “What is going 

on here?”, 2. “What do you see that makes you 

say that?”, and 3. “What more can we find?”. The 

leader shows respect to the child by paraphrasing 

the answer and pointing out the thing they are 

talking about. The presenter never tells a student 

that she or he is wrong. In its purest form, the 

guide never gives information or tries to lead the 

group to a conclusion. I discovered that 

using VTS results in a much more engaged 

group. (However, personally, I do inject a little 

information now and then as well.) 

Indian Education for All 

Approximately 4% of Montana’s current 

population is American Indian. Most tribal 

groups currently refer to themselves as 

“American Indian,” but the term “Native 

American” is frequently used, and when I speak 

with the students, I use the term “Native.” There 

are 13 tribes and eight reservations in Montana, 

and many of them are working on preserving 

their original languages and tribal names. 

When Montana rewrote its constitution in 1972, 

it included Article X, Section 1(2): “The state 

recognizes the distinct and unique cultural 

heritage of American Indians and is committed 

in its educational goals to the preservation of 

their cultural integrity.” In 1999, the legislature 

enacted the law referred to as Indian 

Education for All. It states, “Every Montanan, 

whether Indian or non-Indian, should be 

encouraged to learn about the distinct and 

unique heritage of American Indians in a 

culturally responsive manner … all school 

personnel should have an understanding 

and awareness of American Indian tribes to 

help them relate effectively with American 

Indian students and parents …” My personal 

observation is that the decision to include 

American Indian studies in the elementary 

curriculum has made a difference. When I 

started visiting classes 20 years ago, it appeared 

to me that the Native children were reluctant 

to participate, but now it seems that they have 

more confidence in expressing their opinions. 

In spite of their small numbers, Native artists 

have made a huge impact on the art of the 

Northwest, and many works by Native women 

and men are in the permanent collection. I 

am proud that the YAM is trying to increase 

diversity by reaching out to the Crow (Apsaalooke) 

and Northern Cheyenne (Tsetsêhesêstâhase/ 

So'taahe) tribes, as well as others. 

For a docent, there is nothing much more 

rewarding than to see children’s eyes light up 

when they suddenly connect to an artwork. It 

has been my pleasure to work with the staff 

and other docents to bring that moment of 

inspiration to the museum visitors. 

Hank French is looking at pots by Jesse Albrecht, 

above and below. They have harrowing images 

from Albrecht's military service in Iraq. After his 

tour in Iraq, he struggled with PTSD, leading to 

seven weeks at the Veterans Affairs hospital. 


profile 

Destined to Be A 

Teacher 

Rebekka Klingshirn, HIWC (Heidelberg International Women's Club), 

started her teaching career when still a child herself! She has tried other 

things over the years, but always seems to come back to teaching. 

"I'm about 5 or 6 years old in this picture – 

of course I can’t remember when it was taken 

and what I thought of or felt that moment. But 

looking at it now, I see a strong, cheeky, happy 

me. Does it show me as someone who would 

teach and love it? No, I wouldn’t think so. But I do 

remember that I’ve been wanting to be a teacher 

since second grade." 


I grew up between Bonn and Cologne, in a 

village called Niederkassel-Rheidt. Before we 

moved to our own house, we lived in a cul-desac 

and had lots of children our age close by. 

We built igloos in winter and played at the playground 

closeby, but we did have to be home 

for dinner at six. 

My favorite memories of my childhood were 

the picnic we had in our playroom (we had been 

promised one, but on the day it was raining, 

so my parents arranged everything for inside: 

we had a green carpet, it was perfect!!!), that 

my dad took each of us on a cycling tour over a 

weekend when we were in third grade, and that 

my mom managed to make my birthday special 

every time (it’s during the summer break when 

lots of kids were away). 

I have always loved going to school. When I 

started in secondary school, I would go in early 

and meet with two friends to watch rabbits and 

have the place to ourselves. I enjoyed learning 

all the languages I did (Latin, English, French, 

Spanish) during my years at the school. In 11th 

grade, I took part in an exchange program and 

went to high school in Texas before graduating 

in 1994. 


I started university the same fall, 

at the University of Heidelberg. I 

was born in Heidelberg, and my 

grandma lived in the same house 

we live in now, but we didn’t live 

together back then – she didn’t 

Rebekka 

Klingshirn in 

New York, 

on top of the 

Empire State 

68 INSPIRING WOMEN Building. 

INSPIRING WOMEN 69

understand the idea of using the 

phone to chat and that could have 

caused a lot of problems … Instead, 

we met each other every week – 

except for when I was traveling all over 

the world during the semester break. 

She passed away just before I went 

away for yet another stay abroad; this 

time I went to the University of Stirling 

in Scotland. 

After I had finished university with an 

MA in English and German linguistics 

and literature in 2000, I was lucky to 

be offered a job at Universiti Teknologi 

Mara (UiTM) in Shah Alam, Malaysia, 

to teach German as a foreign language. 

I ended up staying for two years 

instead of one, and would have 

probably stayed even longer, had I 

not met my now husband at the end 

of my second year. 

Christoph and I got together at my sister’s 

wedding, and it was hard to go back to Malaysia 

to teach – we basically “instantly” (I had actually 

known my sister’s best friend for about eight 

years before that wedding) knew that we would 

get married. When I returned to Germany, he 

was still in Kaiserslautern to finish his PhD; I 

commuted between Heidelberg and there, but 

Rebekka and her family on a recent trip to Scotland. 

then was accepted to do my own PhD in 

linguistics at the University of Kiel (ALL the 

way in the North of Germany), with a part-time 

teaching load. After all the commuting and 

trying to figure out what I actually wanted to 

do to earn money (I figured life should be 

something besides teaching, see more on that 

below), we moved to Niederkassel again. 

Christoph got a job in Cologne and I was still 

commuting to Kiel, but at least the commute 

was cut from almost 

eight to almost five 

hours … 

Eventually, I realized that I simply had to do my 

student teacher training, and was just about 

finished when we were expecting our son. 

Christoph realized that he wanted a job change, 

applied, and we’ve lived in my grandmother’s 

house since 2008, right before Linus was born. 

I went back to teaching when he was almost a 

year old and am still teaching. 

My training and mentors throughout the years 

I have formal training for students from 5th-13th 

grades (secondary / high school) in Germany, in 

English and German as subjects. I love to teach 

English, German is ok … (I am German, mind 

you). I have not had official mentors, really, but I 

had two wonderful elementary school teachers, 

Ms. Hunger (German) and Ms. Sick (math) – no 

laughing at names here – who were kind, strict 

and generous. My mom was a teacher, and 

she was my teacher in sixth grade (religious 

education). My German teacher in high school 

(grades 5-10), Mr. Jacob, taught me to speak up 

for myself and use my voice. My US high school 

math teacher, Ms. Hebert, was so smart and 

was able to “unlock” my brain on so many more 

levels than just math. As much credit goes to 

these teachers as, unfortunately, has to go to 

the terrible ones I’ve had: those were teachers 

who were lazy, arrogant towards us students, 

who didn’t listen, weren’t empathetic. I never 

wanted anyone else to have such bad teachers. 


Some of the biggest challenges I have faced 

were school-related but not teaching-related. I 

have been bullied for making my family my first 

priority (mind you, I had just lost a child six 

months before). My official “mentors” during my 

teacher training didn’t mentor me – one even 

ate crisps/chips during an official visit from the 

My parents and I in 2011 on our way to Kiel to receive my PhD in English Linguistics on the “Syntax and Semantics 

of Shakespeare’s Adjectives.” It was such a long and rocky road, but they were always by my side – as was my 

husband Christoph, who took the photograph and made my hat, displaying all the things I / we had gone through 

during those tedious years. I cannot thank them enough for all the guidance, teaching, mentoring in all these 46 

years. 

A couple of years ago, 

I taught sewing to a 

group of students at 

an inclusive 

elementary school. 

We made aprons for 

the coming students 

as the farewell and 

thank-you present at 

the end of the school. 

The proud moment 

for them (and thus 

for me) was when the 

kids turned the workpiece 

inside out and 

all of a sudden saw 

their finished aprons. 


Visiting an experimental art museum with my students in 2018; they graduated 

last year. The experiments started before we went in with a rather wet art 

installation right at the entrance – heaven-sent on a hot, hot day. 

school board (!!!). Currently, the biggest 

challenge I face is paperwork that has 

nothing to do with teaching and wearing a 

mask during the lessons – both these things 

tire me out. In these and similar situations, 

I have looked for my own, real mentors – 

people that inspired me and that I wanted 

to learn from. 

Best successes 

A lot of my (vocational) students tell me that 

they are afraid of speaking English because 

their previous teachers made fun of them. 

Usually, when they leave my classroom 

at the end of a school year, they speak at 

least a little English – even the refugees that 

have not heard a word of English before. 

Today, I saw a student for the fourth time 

this school year: first session, two class tests 

(which he obviously failed) and today. He 

said, “I really can’t speak English and I’m 

afraid of it, but I thought I’d give it a try with 

you.” We have one more session before the 

end of the school year. I thought that was 

a huge success for both of us. What makes 

me happiest as a person is when former 

students have become my friends: I don’t 

know what I did to make that happen in 

any of the four cases I have in mind, but 

I am so glad that I get to call my former 

students – Pala, Wiebke, Destan and 

Sandra – my friends. 


What I love most about teaching (young 

and old students) is that they teach you 

so much. Of course, there are curricula 

that I have to follow, and I sometimes have 

to push to get things done, but the indirect 

feedback I get is incredible. Sometimes it’s 

the keen interest in a topic, sometimes the 

improvement of the students’ grades that 

let me know something went well. The 

same goes for lessons that were boring 

– both for them and me. When listening 

to students and their experiences, I have 

found that that helps me to provide lessons 

for them so that they can learn what I have 

to teach them. 

I think I have been a teacher all my life, 

really. As an older sibling, I would (sorry 

to have to admit that) boss around my 

younger brother and sister, thinking that 

was teaching. At the same time, I also 

learned from my older sister about how 

to navigate life. I have wanted to become a 

teacher since I was in second grade, and I 

started tutoring other kids and working at 

a summer camp when I was in 10th grade. 

Even though I thought that I was meant to 

do other, bigger things for a while, it turned 

out that everything I did and tried ended 

up in me teaching somebody something. 

In the end I caved in. 


I am a teacher, like my mother, although 

I think that our methods of teaching are 

quite different from one another. She’ll be 

80 this fall and still teaches. I guess it runs 

in her blood just as it runs in mine: I take a 

sewing class at a community college once a 

week, and everyone helps out the beginners 

whenever the teacher is busy. Quite often, 

I am told “Thanks, I’ve learned so much 

from you. You explain so well. You should 

be teaching.” It makes me smile. 

Getting advice 

The worst piece of advice was not to trust 

students. I have experienced so much trust 

and respect because of me trusting my 

students. I don’t think that needs an 

explanation. The best piece of advice I 

have given myself is to trust my guts and 

instincts. That might have saved a student’s 

life this year: I had a feeling when I saw 

him sitting in the hallway and asked him 

what the matter was; he had experienced 

his friend’s suicide online, while video 

chatting with him. 

First aid training for teachers 

I would really like to have mandatory first 

aid training for teachers. A student had a 

terrible accident at the beginning of 2020; 

he fell off a railing and onto a staircase. 

Luckily, we had three or four teachers who 

could rush to give first aid. I organized a 

first aid course for our colleagues this year; 

only 20 signed up out of 60. That makes me 

sad and angry. 

I would also like to see more empathy and 

the corresponding training for all teachers; 

this should also be mandatory. It makes me 

furious when I tell colleagues about classes 

with harassment situations, students with 

(mental) health problems, dyslexia, etc., and 

that we should get together to find a solution 

– and the answer is: “I am a teacher, 


that’s not my job.” What also infuriates me is 

that not enough is done to detect and help 

dyslexic children at an early age. I have no 

solution to that, I’m afraid. 

Inspiring young people 

I learn my students’ names by heart in the first 

lesson I have with them. This year, that’s about 

280 names in 12 classes. All I do is ask them 

their names and to tell me the one thing that is 

their superpower. What it does is to make them 

think about themselves in a positive way and 

that sets the tone for the whole school year. 

The fun thing for me is that after about the 

third or fourth students, the explanations 

usually become longer and longer, and that 

gives me more time to connect faces and 

names. I have had several students contact 

me once they had started university, asking 

me how I do that: memorize so much in such 

little time. And that leads to another, informal, 

lesson on how to get organized and focus on 

something important. My superpower and 

passion is teaching, by the way, but I think that 

has become quite obvious by now. 

Story from childhood explaining who I am 

That is probably the other most difficult 

question I have ever come across. I don’t think 

there is one simple answer to that, but my 

travels all over the world, getting to know 

another culture, “surviving” on my own in a new 

environment is probably what has made me 

an open-minded, soulful, thoughtful, restless, 

relentless and inspired person. If I am lucky, 

also an inspiring one. 

Who knew? 

I never, ever thought I would enjoy 

gardening and experimenting in the 

garden. My dad, a lawyer, frequently asked 

for help when we were kids and showed us 

how to do this and that, and I hated it every 

single time. Turns out, he was also a teacher 

in more ways than one. I am so happy with 

growing my own tomatoes and trying my hand 

at growing potatoes and onions as well as 

experimenting with which flowers and herbs 

grow best in my garden. It gives me peace of 

mind, it relaxes me, it brings me joy – just like 

it did (and still does) for him. 

Some creative examples of projects and 

activities, such games, role playing, and 

English conversation that Rebekka has 

used to inspire her students. 

Contributing to a better 

future generation 

I do hope that all of my students 

are more empathic and kinder to 

each other after my time with them, 

and that that is my doing. I would 

love for them to be proud of their 

accomplishments, yet humble. 


feature 

Inspiring The Future 

Generation - One Award 

at a Time 

Barbara Bühling, President of the 

FAWCO Foundation, explains how the 

FAWCO Education Awards function. 

T 

his issue of Inspiring Women is 

truly about each and every FAWCO 

member past and present. Whatever 

role you choose to play in FAWCO, 

large or small, shows that you care. 

Your involvement with FAWCO can serve as a 

role model for other members, and your 

fundraising activity helps more students further 

their education. We at the FAWCO Foundation 

are very proud of what we have achieved in our 

efforts to provide Education Awards to FAWCO 

members and their children. 

I believe that the best way to inspire the 

future generation is to invest in it and, as any 

investment adviser will tell you, the wisest way 

to invest is to diversify! The FAWCO Foundation 

Education Award Program has been diversifying 

its investments in the future for over 50 years! 

The first Education Award was given to Joy, 

whose mother was a member of AWC Madrid. 

Since then, the FAWCO Foundation has given 

out 359 awards totalling $1,142,000! 

Here are some of the most common categories 

of Education Awards offered: 

Arts, Humanities and Sciences: 

These award categories are our 

mainstay. At least one award in 

each category has been offered 

each year since 2005. 

Special Challenges: 

There have been ten awards granted in this 

category. These awards were given out before 

the world went digital; this means that we have 

limited information about the recipients. 

Vocational: 

This category has been offered since 2019. 

Sadly, in 2022, there were no applicants. We 

believe that this is a wonderful opportunity for 

an individual enrolled in a training program or 

course at a trade school – we can only 

encourage you to apply! 

Dual Cultural: 

First awarded in 1988. Since then, 29 Dual 

Cultural Awards have been given to children of 

FAWCO members who have one American and 

one non-American parent and who have lived 

outside of the US for more than six years. With 

the award comes the opportunity to attend an 

American high school or structured summer 

educational program in the US, allowing the 

recipient to experience the American way of life. 

Member Awards: 

Approximately 50 Member Awards have been 

granted since 1997. FAWCO members have 

benefited in many ways by pursuing a further 

degree, by learning a new skill or by broadening 

and fine-tuning already existing qualifications. 

Setting up 

Silent Auction 

items at 

Foundation 

Night. 


This article would be incomplete without recognizing the inspiring women who have spent amazing 

amounts of time and energy to fundraise for the FAWCO Foundation Education Awards Program 

as well as those who work behind the scenes to review all the applications. Everyone does her part, 

and together we keep the Education Awards Program alive. As a team, we can be proud to call 

ourselves inspiring women for the future generation. 

Barbara Bühling 

There are many, many different kinds of awards 

that have been given, sponsored by individuals 

or clubs. There have been Foundation Awards, 

Federation Awards, Achievement Awards. We 

have lists of all awards, but often the details 

are lacking. If you have any information about 

awards (especially pre-2010), please share and 

send it to me at president@fawcofoundation.org. 

Each and every award given has helped to 

shape a future, and we would love to know 

more about them! 

We have received wonderful messages from the 

EA recipients who had dreams of being doctors, 

lawyers, architects, scientists, teachers, fashion 

designers and more, as well as from students 

enrolled in varying degree programs. What is 

common to each communication is the heartwarming 

messages of gratitude and thanks. 

Bernadette: “I could not have done 

this without you and send 

a multitude of thanks to 

FAWCO.” (2003) 

Martha: “I would like 

to thank FAWCO for 

making this life changing 

experience possble.” (2004) 

Robin: “I would like to 

express my gratitude for 

the support that FAWCO 

and the FAWCO 

Foundation have provided 

not only to me, but also 

to past recipients. For 

students, whether at the undergraduate or graduate 

level, acquiring funding for their research 

is extremely difficult. This support is pivotal for 

young scholars just beginning their careers and 

acts as the seed for future research, scholarship, 

and advocacy.” (2020) 

Not only have these students benefited from the 

award money itself, they have learned the value 

of philanthropy. For example, 2020 Dual Cultural 

Award recipient Alisa told us she tutored 

students in her school in math and science to 

help raise money for our Target Project S.A.F.E. 

And many of you know the story of 1993 

Foundation Award recipient Sami, who 

generously donated money to fund the 2022 

Foundation Award; he was so appreciative of 

the help he had received when he was a student 

that he wanted to help someone else. The 

generosity of paying it forward is an incredibly 

inspiring way to support the future generation. 

Barbara stepped into the world of fundraising at 

the Silent Auction in Bern (2013). She headed 

the Silent Auction team before becoming the 

FAWCO Foundation’s VP Fundraising in 2017. 

Barbara has been the FAWCO Foundation 

President since 2019. 

“I believe my inclination to be involved in fundraising 

for Education Awards began when I was a teenager. 

My father (Col. J.J. Ward USMCR) was President of the 

Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, and for several 

years, my sisters and I were hostesses at the 

Leatherneck Ball in New York. I think I am just following 

in my father’s footsteps.” 


profile 

Empowering Athletes to 

Achieve Their Best 

Kayleigh Karinen, a member of AWCF (American Women's Club of 

Finland), is a four-time world cheerleading champion who now coaches 

young cheerleaders. 


I could never have imagined that signing up 

for the cheerleading team as a child would 

eventually open the doors to higher education, 

foreign studies, and an international sports 

community. Cheerleading unexpectedly 

became the catalyst that set me off on a path 

to new opportunities, including becoming a 

four-time world champion athlete with Finland, 

the nation of my heritage. Most importantly, 

joining a sports team gave me a supportive 

community, one I found to be inclusive and 

inspiring. Sports provide an environment for 

people to come together to reach a common 

goal regardless of their history, linguistic 

background, and gender identity. 

Ultimately, my involvement in sports led me to 

pursue a degree in a foreign language, which 

led me abroad and enabled me to impact young 

people as a coach, as well as establish lifelong 

connections across culturally and linguistically 

diverse communities. 

Kayleigh Karinen as a child. 

My journey athletically first brought me from 

Michigan to Kentucky then to Oklahoma. After 

that I studied abroad in Spain, Chile and 

ultimately in Finland. In all of these places I 

became involved with cheerleading, both as 

an athlete and coach. 

I grew up in the lower peninsula 

of Michigan. I started 

cheerleading around age eight/ 

nine. When I was 13, I started 

living half the week in Chicago 

and half the week in Michigan in 

Kayleigh with 

her medal. 


order to compete at the elite level. I learned a 

lot about time management. Overall, this 

experienced shaped me in a lot of ways as an 

athlete and a person. 

I graduated from high school a year early and 

moved to the University of Kentucky to cheer 

but did not make the team there for a year. I 

then went to Oklahoma State University, where 

I cheered for one and a half years before going 

abroad to Spain, then to Chile and eventually to 

Finland through my linguistic interests. 


Currently I am in Helsinki, Finland, where I work 

as an entrepreneur owning a cheerleading 

business. A list of recent successes includes 

being four-time world champion athlete with 

the Finnish National Team, a 2022 female 

athlete of the year nomination, and a FAWCO 

Foundation Education Award to support my 

academic research. I am finishing my Linguistic 

Diversity and Digital Humanities master’s degree 

at the University of Helsinki. My MA thesis 

research focuses on the role of sports in 

language revitalization/normalization with 

Basque as the case study. 

Sparking my interest 

I starting coaching in 2009. It all happened 

because I loved the sport and just wanted to 

get more involved. Since moving abroad, I knew 

I wanted to coach but not maybe to the extent 

that I am now. I am fortunate that I just ended 

up in the situation I am in and sometimes it 

feels like it all just fell into place. 

Training and mentors throughout the years 

I have a bachelor’s in Spanish Philology and am 

completing a master’s in Linguistic Diversity. 

Related to my work, I just completed a 

specialization portion of a degree for sports 

entrepreneurship. I constantly attended cheer 

conferences and trainings to expand and share 

my knowledge. I have had many, many mentors 

in, and outside of cheerleading; I cannot imagine 

getting to where I am without the guidance and 

advice from these special individuals. 


My biggest challenge was being an immigrant. 

When I first moved to Finland, I was a cleaner at 

the cheerleading gym, coaching part-time, and 

sleeping on the couch of the gym. I have had so 

many struggles with immigration, but somehow 

all while, studying, working full-time and winning 

four world championship titles along the way. 

Young people in Finland 

In Finland young people have more freedom to 

think for themselves. They have the opportunity 

to contribute to the conversation and change 

things whether it is in sports teams or in the 

community. I was so accustomed to a system 

of “You do what I say” coaching mentality; 

coming to Finland where athletes and young 

people have such open hands was like a breath 

of fresh air. 

Saying no 

I believe my ability to understand my value and 

also to say "no" are valuable skills. As a female 

entrepreneur in sports, I under-sell myself too 

often. I would never let my athletes do that, 

so why should I let myself? In addition to 

embracing my value, saying “no” to 

opportunities that do not serve me is a journey 

I am on and working to improve. 

Inspiring young people 

I think my coaching style is empowering as 

opposed to demanding. I have learned so much 

through living in different countries and being 

exposed to different ways to approach youth. I 

think this style works so well because while you 

still have a superior position, the athletes feel 

much more appreciated and not talked down to. 


I think we are both very easygoing but also can 

stress too much about work. My mom is more 

of a homebody, and I am the complete opposite. 

Currently coaching has me in a different country 

every two weeks. 

Too much and too little time 

I spend way too much time 1) on social media 


When I was eight or nine I opened 

the Yellow Pages and found a 

cheerleading gym. I called and asked 

if I can join: the rest is history. I have 

always been very proactive and if I 

want to do something, I make it 

happen no matter the circumstances. 

mostly because of the nature of my work and 

2) overthinking raising prices for my clients. I 

don’t spend enough time reading, investing in 

different cultural events that I love, and just 

simply being. 


feature 

Live in the Garden 

with Friends 

4 

One of the hosts of the Inspiring 

Women LIVE Garden Party, 

Carol-Lyn McKelvey, FAUSA 

member, tells us more about 

the event. 

Screen shot of 

“Inspiring 

Women LIVE 

- It’s a Garden 

Party” 

1 2 3 

With a glass of Pimm’s in hand 

and festive fascinator in place, 

Inspiring Women’s Editor-in-Chief 

Liz MacNiven, AIWC Cologne, welcomed almost 

50 gardeners and aspiring gardeners to the 

“Inspiring Women LIVE - It’s a Garden Party” 

event on June 8. Amanda Kreuder-Carrington 

(AIWC Düsseldorf) kicked off the party with a 

tour of her beautiful garden of both indigenous 

and non-indigenous plants, while giving helpful 

tips for those aspiring to create a similar 

garden universe. A picture of her relaxing in 

her fabulous cabana made us all want to head 

to Düsseldorf! 

During the first break out, fellow gardening 

aficionados were able to choose from three 

fabulous sessions: Busy Bees Bring Better 

Blooms, hosted by Liz Janson (FAUSA) (photos 1 

& 4); Let’s Get Dirty - the Benefits of Composting, 

hosted by Sandra Montgomery (AWC Bogotá) 

(photo 2); and Getting Started - Planning your 

Flower Beds, hosted by Kit Desjaques (AAWE 

Paris) (photo 3). These informative presentations 

were enhanced with Q & A time that bloomed 

organically from the participants! 

The group came back together to hear and learn 

from Margaret Hunter (AWC Denmark) as she 

discussed Permaculture - A Revolution Disguised 

as Gardening. We were all inspired to look 

beyond the beauty of our gardens to find their 

functional value and their yummy offerings! 

Our second break out featured three more 

innovative gardeners: Sharon Smillie (AWC 

Amanda Kreuder-Carrington's garden 

Amsterdam) hosted Bugs, Birds, Bullfrogs – 

Biodiversity in the Garden; Judy Steinemann 

(AWC Bern) hosted Gardening Adventures with 

Children; and Berit Torkildsen joined us from 

AWC Oslo to share the secrets to her delicious 

and highly sought after chutneys. A field trip to 

Oslo at the holidays might just be in order! 

A special thank you to the knowledgeable 

presenters who shared their colorful, 

fragrant, functional and/or delicious 

corners of the FAWCO world with 

us. Thanks, too, to Liz MacNiven, 

Elsie Bose (AWC Paris/FAUSA) 

and Michele Hendrikse DuBois 

(FAUSA), whose vision for the 

Garden Party several months 

ago culminated in a fun and 

informative event. The 

atmosphere was jubilant as 

participants leaned into the 

theme with drinks, outfits and 

backdrops. Everyone came away 

with at least one tip to apply in 

their own spaces, be they big or 

small. With a nod to Claude Monet, 

we hope that you were inspired to make YOUR 

garden “the most beautiful masterpiece.” 


profile 

Working to Provide 

Quality Education to 

Children in Nepal 

Mary Palmer has been a member of BWN (Barcelona Women's 

Network) since 2011. Born in Spain, she considers herself an 

international person, having traveled & lived in other countries. 

Mary now lives between Spain - Barcelona and Nepal - Pokhara. 


I was born in a small village in the Spanish 

Pyrenees, near France, where I spent my 

early childhood. I went on to obtain a full 

teaching degree in three stages: basic in 

Huesca (Spain), further development in 

Barcelona (Spain) and then in Edinburgh 

(Scotland) with a Master of Education. 

My married life was spent in Edinburgh, 

Scotland, where my son was born. I have worked 

in education my entire life - in Spain, France, 

Scotland, England, the USA, and at present in 

Nepal at Shamrock School. I consider myself 

an international educator and I have extensive 

experience and total dedication. I have also 

been running English Summer Camps for 

children and teens in the Spanish Pyrenees 

and in Edinburgh, Scotland, for many years. 


I have been involved with youth and in 

youth work throughout my life 

and most specifically since my 

retirement in 2010. 

Mary in Nepal 

walking to the 

Mary Palmer 

villages in the 

Annapurna. 


Fundraising dinner for Shamrock. 

Earthquakes are one of various natural disasters 

which affect the country, and every 60-80 years 

Nepal can expect to be hit by a big earthquake. 

Effect of earthquakes on education 

More than 8500 schools were destroyed or 

badly damaged and many children became 

orphans and homeless. Some students were 

compelled to leave their studies forever. Most 

of them went to the cities to look for work and 

some of them were sold into India at the open 

border shared by the two countries. Many 

children are still suffering from mental illnesses 

due to the effect of the earthquake. So far only 

5400 schools have been re-built. I believe that 

education is the only source to help. 

During my first visit to Nepal in 2010 I 

encountered children from the villages walking 

to school a minimum two hours each way. 

There is hardly any medical care in the country 

and certainly no education for all the children. 

There is definitely no Special Needs Education 

and many issues such as "Menstrual Health" 

are not covered. This can all be resolved 

by providing children the means of receiving 

an education. 

Recently, with the cooperation of a team of 

trustees, I have set up a charity in Barcelona, 

Spain – Asociación Shamrock Nepal – to help 

sustain Shamrock School Nepal 

(www.shamrockschoolnepal.org). 

I believe that we must work together to provide 

good quality education to children in Nepal. I 

am proud to say that not only did I think this, I 

said it and have done something about it too! 

Interest in education 

Since my childhood I have been interested in 

education and helping others. Being the eldest 

of five siblings I had to help at home. My father 

was an open-minded person who believed in 

education for his children and freedom of 

movement to achieve that. I was inspired to 

follow that route, quite unusual in Spain in the 

1940s (I was born in 1945). I feel privileged to 

be able to help children in Nepal, which I never 

imagined I could do … 

I visited Shamrock School, Pokhara, Nepal for 

the first time in October 2010, after retiring 

from Oak House School in Barcelona, Spain, 

where I had been a teacher and Primary 

Coordinator for 31 years. Since then, I have 

spent two months each year at Shamrock School 

in Nepal volunteering my efforts and sharing my 

experience and knowledge. I truly believe the 

work I am 

doing in Nepal 

is extremely 

important and 

absolutely 

worthwhile. 

earthquakes in 2015, when the world focused 

for just a few days on this incredible country. 

It occurred on Saturday, April 25th, and about 

9000 people were killed and thousands more 

were injured. The magnitude of that earthquake 

was 7.8 on the Richter scale. Let's not forget that 

this year is the seventh anniversary of one of the 

most devastating earthquakes in Nepal. 

Nepal 

earthquakes 

Most people 

have forgotten 

about Nepal 

after the 

devastating 

Oak House School 

Barcelona, Spain 

retirement photo 

with the children 

in Infants. 


feature 

Inspiring Reads: 

What Is a Perfect 

World? 

Nancy Lynner, a member of 

American Women's Club of 

Central Scotland,is the author of 

What is a Perfect World? – her 

first book for children, parents 

and teachers. With a Master of 

Education degree in Curriculum 

from Vanderbilt University, 

Nancy has taught performing arts, 

drama, and theater to people of all 

ages. She has run a family events 

business, The Wonder Company, 

and managed events and 

development at the Smithsonian 

Institution and at the John F. 

Kennedy Center for the Performing 

Arts. 

She lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

uring the summer of 2020, 

D 

during the first lockdown, my 

son and daughter-in-law were 

expecting their second child. 

This inspired me to think about 

the state of the world. I wrote 

this book for my two grandchildren. 

How long did it take you to 

write the book? 

Including all the drafts, it took less than a 

week. I had been writing children’s stories 

for 15 years, and never published. Amanda 

Drollinger (AWC Central Scotland) introduced me 

to Tharien van Eck (AWC Antwerp) and through 

several months of teamwork, the three of us 

produced the book. Joyce Halsan (AWC Central 

Scotland) became our designer. The four of us are 

all invested in dedicating all proceeds to the Target 

projects of FAWCO Foundation. 

What is the most important thing you want 

readers to take from your book? 

To inspire children and their readers to 

improve human life on this planet now and 

for future generations … 


When did you start writing? 

I started writing children’s books, and 

creating story theater and plays in the 1990s. 

As a writer, what would you choose as your 

mascot/avatar/spirit animal? 

A Red Bird. 

What is your favorite childhood book? 

I love the books and the illustrations of 

Rosemary Wells. Her McDuff series are 

underappreciated. McDuff is a West 

Highland terrier. 

What are you reading now? 

In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia 

Vazques-Lavado, for FAWCO. It’s a difficult 

read because of the struggles she suffered, 

and for an emotional break I interspersed 

reading that with Richard Osmond’s second 

book from his Thursday Murder Club series 

The Man Who Died Twice. 

If you could tell your younger writing-self 

anything, what would it be? 

• Never give up 

• Look for creative solutions to all 

questions 

• Never give up 

A short summary of the book 

What is a Perfect World? helps a reader share 

11 world issues with two seven-year-old 

children. By having the title as a question, 

reader and listener start with a dialogue 

about the issues brought out in the text, and 

in the illustrations. From clean air and clean 

water to the right to food, medical help and 

education, the whimsical illustrations (by 

Tharien van Eck, AWC Antwerp) lead the 

reader through a journey of hope for what a 

perfect world will include. Vital global issues 

are addressed but the weightiness of the 

topics is lightened by a soft finish. 

Each page has a red bird flying, playing, 

nesting, or listening to the book along with 

the reader. The characters in the book were 

all given names by FAWCO members who 

were approached by van Eck. A glossary of 

the characters is in the back of the book. 

The simple text means this book functions as 

an Easy Reader. 

All proceeds from the book go to the 

FAWCO Foundation. 

Books presented in the 

Inspiring Reads feature are 

available for purchase via 

the FAWCO website in the 

Books by Members or Books 

by Clubs sections. 

Enjoy! 

inspiring you 

Founded in 1931, FAWCO is a global women's NGO (non-governmental organization), an 

international network of independent volunteer clubs and associations comprising 58 member 

clubs in 31 countries on six continents. FAWCO serves as a resource and a voice for its members; 

seeks to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide, especially in the areas of human rights, 

health, education and the environment;advocates for the rights of US citizens overseas; and 

contributes to the global community through its Global Issues Teams and The FAWCO Foundation, 

which provides development grants and education awards. Since 1997, FAWCO has held special 

consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. 

our mission statement 

FAWCO is an international federation of independent organizations whose mission is: 

• to build strong support networks for its American and international membership; 

• to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide: 

• to advocate for the rights of US citizens overseas; and 

• to mobilize the skills of its membership in support of global initiatives for 

education, the environment, health and human rights. 

magazine feedback 

We want this magazine to be interesting for all FAWCO members. 

In an effort to provide articles of interest to all our readers, 

we have created an online feedback questionnaire. 

It should only take a few minutes of your time to complete 

and will be a great help to us! 

Please click on the link or paste it into your browser 

to complete our short five-question survey. 

thank you! 

SURVEY 

Advertising disclaimer 

FAWco receives financial remuneration for page space from advertisers. Views expressed or 

benefits described in any display advertisement, advertorial or in any webpage visited online 

directly from these adverts are not endorsed by FAWCO. 

copyright 2022 fawco 

Inspiring Women© Magazine is owned and published electronically by FAWCO. 

All rights reserved. All bylined articles are copyright of their respective authors as indicated herein 

and are reproduced with their permission. The magazine or portions of it may not be reproduced 

in any form, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means - electronic, 

mechanical, photocopy or otherwise – without written consent of the publisher. 


more about 

this issue 

The Inspiring Women Team 

our next issue 

Coming in 

November 2022 

Liz Elsie Karen Berit Michele Haley Kristin 

For more information about this magazine, please contact a member of the Inspiring Women team: 

Editor in Chief, Liz MacNIven, inspiringwomen.editor@fawco.org 

Advertising and Sponsorship Manager, Elsie Bose, advertising@fawco.org 

Distribution Manager, Karen Boeker, iwdistribution@fawco.org 

Social Media Manager, Berit Torkildsen, iwsocialmedia@fawco.org 

Features Coordinator, Michele Hendrikse Du Bois, inspiringwomenfeatures@fawco.org 

Profiles Coordinator, Haley Green, inspiringwomenprofiles@fawco.org 

Layout Coordinator, Kristin D. Haanæs, inspiringwomen.layout@fawco.org 

Acknowledgements: 

Thanks to our profilees: Elizabeth Kayleigh, Marelie, Mary, Nancy, Pat, Paula, Pooja and Rebekka, 

with thanks also for the use of their photos and those of their friends and families. Additional 

thanks to Althea, Ann Marie, Barbara, Carol-Lyn, Hafida, Jane, Katja, Kristin, Meg, My-Linh, both 

Nancy’s and Souad for their work on the features. 

The cover photo is of the FAWCO Youth Cultural Volunteers during their week in Amsterdam in 

late June. They had just returned to the dock after spending a rewarding and fun morning on two 

boats, competing to see which team could gather the most (and most interesting) trash from the 

famous canals during a cleaning expedition. This tour was led by Plastic Whale, an Amsterdam 

social enterprise with a mission to rid the sea and land of plastic worldwide, while educating 

people about the economic value of plastic waste. 

Special thanks to the proofreading team of Karen Boeker (AWC Denmark), Laurie Brooks (AWC 

Amsterdam/ AWC The Hague,and FAUSA) Mary Stewart Burgher (AWC Denmark), Sallie Chaballier 

(AAWE Paris), Janet Davis (AIWC Cologne), Kit Desjacques (AAWE Paris), Mary Dobrian (AIWC 

Cologne), Carol-Lyn McKelvey (AIWC Cologne/FAUSA), Lauren Mescon (AWC Amsterdam) and 

Jenny Taylor (AIWC Cologne and Düsseldorf). 

Please note: images used in this publication are either sourced from the authors themselves or 

through canva.com or pixabay.com. 

We would like you to post the link for this issue of Inspiring 

Women, Women and Youth: Inspiring The Future Generations, 

in your club publications until "Who Would Have Thought" is 

published on November 15, 2022. 

Call for November Nominees! 

Inspiring Women is known for 

selecting big themes for every 

issue and we are always surprised 

and amazed at the interesting and 

high quality individuals profiled 

and the features written for every 

theme. But as much as we like to 

Deadline for Submissions 

September 23 rd 

believe we are on top of all the 

current trends, we don’t know everything! So we are taking advantage of FAWCO’s big tent full of 

women with vast and varied ideas and we are seeking out members and stories about issues and 

trends that haven’t, as yet, hit our radar. For our November issue we are looking for someone in 

your club who has been doing something - a hobby, a talent, a task, a passion - that they have 

turned into something “more”. We are looking for people who can say, “I always loved to read so 

I started a book program for kids", " I like to knit, so I started a group that makes baby caps and 

booties for the infants of single mothers", ”I love to ride my motorcycle so I started a senior biker 

group". Maybe it's simply something that gives meaing to your life. Why do you love what you do? 

These women have a passion for something which they have then taken to the “next level”. 

Please tell us your story or nominate someone else you think has a story to share. 

To nominate candidates for profiles, please send the candidate's name, candidate's email 

address and a brief description (50-100 words) of why you think they are inspiring and fit the 

theme for the issue. Send the information to inspiringwomenprofiles@fawco.org 

To submit a feature: We use features to complement the theme. This can be broadly applied; 

let us know what you'd like to write about! Our features are 700-800 words plus photos. 

Contact Michele at inspiringwomenfeatures@fawco.org 

Photographs are integral to our magazine. We end each issue with a page of a photograph 

that offers a unique perspective on its theme. The photo can be provocative, amusing, 

entertaining and/or a photo that you think says "That's Inspired!" for this issue. Please contact 

inspiringwomen.editor@fawco.org 

The deadline for submitting 

nominees, features and photos 

for our next issue is ... 


That's 

Inspired! 

96 

Photo by Anna Ljung Grüner-Hegge, 

a Swedish photographer living and 

working in Colombia. 

Photo title, Divine Inspiration, 

Villa de Leyva, Colombia, 2021. 

"Divine Inspiration is an ode to all the 

nuns who work tirelessly and selfishly 

with youth here in Colombia. So many of 

the orphanages and recreational centers 

in this part of the world are run and 

operated by nuns who manage to survive 

solely on private donations and working 

many tireless hours themselves."

Inspiring Women Magazine September 2022

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