The Transregional Center for Democratic Studies held a workshop in leadership skills for women, entitled Women in NGOs and Beyond: Strategies for Greater Participation and Representation of Women in Decision Making in Post-Communist Europe, at Przegorzaly Castle in Cracow, Poland from July 23-31. The workshop brought together 25 women from 8 countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia) and was funded by a grant from the United States Information Agency. Workshop trainers included Delina Fico (Women's Center, Tirana); Vesna Kesic (B.a.B.e., Belgrade); Ewa Letowska (Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Warsaw); Sonja Licht (Fund for an Open Society - Yugoslavia, Belgrade); Elzbieta Matynia (New School University); Urszula Nowakowska (Women's Rights Center, Warsaw); Ann Snitow (Committee on Gender Studies, New School University); and Elaine Zimmerman (Connecticut Commission on Children).

As the workshop was held during TCDS's annual Democracy & Diversity Summer Institute, many of its students, especially those from Ann Snitow's seminar, Theories of Gender in Culture, were able to join the workshop. As a result, women from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, the United States, and the Former Yugoslavia were also able to benefit from and contribute to the workshop's discussions and exercises. This broadened participation enriched the quality of the workshop, as women exchanged experience, expertise, and perspectives from a wide range of socio-political realities. It also increased the total number of women connected by this newly established network.

Workshop participants included representatives of both older and younger generations of activists, allowing for a unique sharing of experience from women who had taken part in the breaking down of the old systems, and those who will be driving forces in the building up of new democracies.

Women's roles in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) served as one focus for developing strategies to increase women's participation in decision making, as these have emerged as important loci for women's leadership. Another focus of the workshop was the use of policy as a tool to build bridges between citizen's initiatives and governmental structures. One exercise called for workshop participants to craft their own policy initiative, along with a strategy for enlisting support from the public, politicians, and the media. Proposed policies dealt with questions of domestic violence, economic justice for women under privatization, sex education, and employment rights. Participants also discussed how to use the media in order to push forward policy initiatives. A hands-on media exercise gave participants the opportunity to tape a video interview, which was then viewed and critiqued by the group as a whole. The workshop culminated in a Women's Policy Forum consisting of each country's specific presentations and discussions of future projects.

The relationships which were forged at the workshop will continue to grow, as TCDS will maintain contact with participants and facilitate follow-up projects based on ideas which emerged during the workshop. The follow-up projects include: a campaign to promote women's participation in elections (Romania, Bulgaria); media training for new NGO leaders (Albania); a coalition building initiative (Hungary); maintenance of web site on gender stereotypes in politics and press (Czech Republic); TV programs on violence against women (Poland); and training sessions on policy, legal instruments, and organizational development (Slovenia).
 

Vesna Kesic, Journalist and Founder and Director of the Croatian women’s human rights group, B.a.B.e. (Be Active, Be Emancipated), founding member of the Center for Women War Vicitms in Zagreb.

Ewa Letowska, a prominent public figure in Poland, a professor of law at the Polish Academy of Sciences, and formerly Poland’s first Commissioner of Civil Rights Protection.

Sonja Licht, Executive Director of the Soros Foundation for Serbia and Montenegro, former researcher at the Institute for International Politics and Economy, and co-Founder of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly (HCA).

Elzbieta Matynia, Professor and Director of the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies (TCDS) of the Graduate Faculty, New School University

Urszula Nowakowska, Director of the Women’s Rights Center in Warsaw, a lawyer and Regional Coordinator of the Legal Coalition for the Network of East-West Women.

Monroe Price, Professor of Law at the Cordozzo School of Law in New York, Director of the Law and Media Studies Center.

Ann Snitow, Founder and Chair of the Network of East-West Women (NEWW) and Professor at the Graduate Faculty, New School University.

Elaine Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission on Children.

Delina Fico, a lecturer at the University of Tirana, founding member and long-time coordinator of the two successful Albanian women’s organizations: The Women’s Center and Reflexione.
 

Georgeta Adam, Ariadna, Romania

Kamelia Boyanova Assenova, Bulgarian Association of Women, Bulgaria

Marina Brucher, Cred Foundation, Romania

Daniela Crasnaru, Partners for Change, Romania
 

 
Eva Danova, Charles University, Czech Republic

Palma Fazekas, NANE, Hungary

Afroviti Gusho, Counselling Center for Women and Girls, Albania

Emina Hadzihalilovic, Zena Zenama-Women to Women, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Barbara Ljezerowicz, Family Planning Association, Poland

Daniela Leskaj, Independent Forum of Albanian Women, Albania

Jivka Ganeva Marinova, Bulgarian Center for Human Rights, Bulgaria

Judit Nogradi, NANE, Hungary

Mojca Pajnik, Association Against Violent Communication, Slovenia

Ewa Panufnik, Karat Coalition, Poland

Agata Pitter, Sustainable Human Development program, Poland

Lenka Prusova, Center for Gender Studies, Czech Republic

Jaqueline Toleva, OSSE Ombudsperson, Bulgaria

Malgorzata Tarasiewicz, Network for East-West Women, Poland

Szilvia Varro, Journalist, Hungary

Jolanta Zalog, School for Special Education, Poland
 
 

USEFUL WEB LINKS:

Gender Studies Center, Prague
http://www.feminismus.cz

Women's Rights Center, Warsaw
http://free.ngo.pl/temida/general.htm

Bulgarian Association of University Women
http://www.ifuw.org/bauw

B.a.B.e. - Be Active, Be Emancipated
http://www.interlog.com/~moyra/

Suada's Bridge, Sarajevo
(project promoting women's rights and reconciliation in former Yugoslavia)
http://www.rt66.com/vday/suada/project.html