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Showing posts with label Women and Society. Show all posts
Women and Society
Blog Brussels Education Francolympiades National Pangea MathQuiz Woman in the spotlight Women and Society

[Woman in the spotlight] Laurence Broze: fighting for gender equality in mathematics



On the occasion of the French-speaking final of the MathQuiz, Fedactio gave the floor to the guest of honour, Laurence Broze, professor of applied mathematics at the University of Lille and vice-president of the association "Femmes et mathématiques" [literally: Women & Mathematics], who divides her time between teaching and research. Mrs Broze fights for gender equality in mathematics.


Could you tell us a bit more about your association?

Women & Mathematics has already been existing for about thirty years. We have three main objectives. First, we want to introduce young people to mathematics professions and studies and encourage girls in particular to get involved. Secondly, we also want to fight against gender stereotypes in mathematics and we also want to fight for more parity in the mathematics professions. These are our three main objectives.

Could you tell us what are the actions the association undertakes?

We visit a lot of schools including high schools and universities. We organize days to introduce young girls to the mathematical professions. We also organize an annual conference of female doctoral students in mathematics to encourage girls to pursue a thesis in mathematics. And then we also participate in various actions to promote parity in order to try to raise awareness in academic and private research circles about the promotion of women in these professions.

Why is it necessary to promote mathematics in particular?

If we take a look at mathematics in college, it is the only area (in France) where the proportion of women is not increasing. In other disciplines, there is an increase (sometimes slow), but in maths, nothing. It even tends to decrease. We do not always know why, but we try to sensitize the whole community so that they can mobilize against it. Female professors of mathematics are becoming extremely rare (30 in all for all of France). As an association, we are sad to see that young girls are not involved in it, or only to a very limited extent. I think they are afraid of the sexist behaviour of the profession and not being in their place, but they should not be discouraged. We have to fight to find our place in maths as we have found in other professions.

What would you say to young people who want to study mathematics? Is this a promising career path?

I want to tell them that it is a great job and they should not be embarrassed if they want to do maths. This is an area where it is easy to find a job because there is a shortage of mathematicians. As it is a profession in short supply, you can work on what you want after your studies, and you can even negotiate your salary if you ever work in the private sector. You can have great future prospects, because mathematics is everywhere. We need maths, even maths that we invent without really knowing what it will be used for, and that always ends up being used for something. Mathematicians are given a great deal of autonomy to do research in the subjects they like because we know that, sooner or later, it will be useful for something and that it is a real investment in humanity's knowledge. I would also tell them to see mathematics as a universal language. In all countries of the world, maths is done in the same way. This means that if they become mathematicians, they will belong to a large global community. I wish them the happiness of making mathematics their profession.
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Women and Society
Blog Brussels Education Feminism Gender Interview National Professionals Science Woman in the spotlight Women and Society

[Woman in the spotlight] Angélique Léonard: empowerment of women in science

This week, Fedactio honours Angélique Léonard, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of Liège and chair of the "Femmes & Sciences" Committee of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. In the context of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we spoke with Ms Léonard about her work to promote gender equality and empower girls and women in applied science.

Could you start by introducing yourself in a few words and describing your professional background?

My name is Angélique Léonard. I trained as a civil engineer in chemistry and materials science at the University of Liège. After my engineering studies, I completed a doctoral thesis followed by a postdoctoral stay abroad in Bordeaux and London. Then, I obtained a standing mandate as a qualified researcher at the FNRS and in 2009, I became a lecturer on a theme related to sustainable development in industrial processes. Since then, I have risen through the various ranks of the academic career, becoming professor and finally full professor. Since 2016, I have been a member of the “Femmes & Sciences” Committee and in May 2018, I have been chosen to be the chair of the committee.

Speaking of the “Femmes & Sciences” Committee, could you explain what it is and what its functions and activities are?

This committee had been existing in an unofficial way for about between 15 and 20 years before being officially established by a decree in 2016. The main objective of the committee is to promote equal careers for women and men, especially in the scientific and academic fields. To do this, we had to undertake various actions. Firstly, we had to highlight the figures, which means we had to obtain gender statistics on the different fields of study and careers. Secondly, we also had to define a set of good practices to be disseminated within universities and see how we can help to improve the reconciliation of private and professional life in order to encourage the presence of women in the highest positions of this type of career.

How do you explain such an under-representation of women in STEM studies and careers?

As we have seen during this day, this is an extremely complex issue since we have seen that, in the end, women are just as competent as men. Indeed, when conditions are favourable, [Editor’s note. literally “stereotypes’ falsification”] their performance is similar to that of men. However, we can see that we have been immersed in a gendered representation of trades since we were very young, and we clearly see that because of this context, girls are moving more naturally towards trades in the fields of social work, personal assistance, childhood, health (medical, paramedical) or education and it is no accident. In fact, we can clearly see that women have put in place strategies to reconcile professional and private life and in most cases, these professions allow the necessary flexibility to reconcile these two aspects. On the other hand, we also note that boys project themselves more in the technical field, in production and in professions where the notions of competitiveness and performance are predominant. We must admit that these are not skills or profiles that are generally associated with girls. Once again, this amalgam is the result of stereotypes and it is precisely these stereotypes that must be questioned and challenged.

In your opinion, which are the main obstacles to the integration of women in STEM fields?

I do not think there are any real obstacles to integration. This is primarily because they do not choose STEM. However, when we talk about integration at different career levels, if we consider a career in STEM at the industrial level, we realize that the obstacles encountered are generally related to the reconciliation of private and professional life. For example, in my promotion as a civil engineer in chemistry, we were five girls. Only one of us tried the industry experience but she had a mental breakdown after about 5 years because of the extremely high pressure she experienced in her job. Maybe she was putting too much pressure on herself. A little later, she reoriented herself towards teaching, as did my other classmates and myself. When I made the choice to stay in university, while not knowing if I would have the opportunity to pursue a career there, I also took into account the reconciliation of my private life and my professional life. This reconciliation represents a real obstacle, given that, as we have seen during this day, the education of children remains a women responsibility for the most part, although this is changing.

In your opinion, what are the political actions to implement in order to promote the integration of women in these sectors?

We actually realize that today, we have all the cards to make things move in the right direction. We can thus cite the Pact for an Excellent Education implemented by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, which contains various points aimed at introducing all these technological concepts at the core curriculum. Its objective is to ensure that girls and boys have access to the same types of curricula and learn the same subjects so that there is no difference at this level. The fact that teachers, who will interact with children, have the opportunity to receive continuous training within companies and in skills training centres, makes it possible for them to be able to adapt their teaching methods and ensure that their courses are always in line with the rapidly changing society. We can also mention the initial training of teachers since the decree was passed last week in Parliament. Everything has to be built. The teaching toolkits provide for the gender notion to be integrated in a transversal way in the training of future teachers, but it must also be operationalized in the right way so that they can deconstruct stereotypes and have this gendered approach in their curricula and in the lessons they will teach children later on.

If you had a message for girls and young women who are reluctant to pursue STEM studies or careers, what would it be?

I would say to these young women they have to dare. They are as competent as men and if they dare to pursue STEM studies, there are plenty of great careers waiting for them, so do not be afraid and make the choice of STEM if it is what you want to!


Angélique Léonard holds a master's degree in chemical engineering and a doctorate in applied sciences. Aware of environmental issues a long time ago, she sensed from her studies that the treatment of sewage sludge would be a major challenge. Author of a final thesis on an industrial unit for drying sludge from wastewater treatment plants, she continued her subject with her doctoral thesis (2003). She is the first researcher in the world to have used X-ray microtomography imaging technology to study the drying of deformable materials, including sewage sludge, but also synthetic gels and agri-food products. 
Since 2007, she has been a qualified FNRS researcher. Today, she is a full professor at the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of Liège, where she has headed the chemical engineering research unit since 2016. She has received several awards, including the Frédéric Swarts Award delivered by the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium awarded to original scientific research in the chemical industry. She has co-authored more than 120 articles in international journals and more than 120 conference proceedings.
In May 2018, Mrs Léonard was chosen to be the chair of the “Femmes & Sciences” Committee created in 2016 by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The committee supports the empowerment of women in academic and scientific institutions. The council provides advice and recommendations on gender equality and discusses actions to be taken in this regard.
Mrs Léonard's work is perfectly in line with the actions implemented by Fedactio to give women a voice. We salute her career and all she has done for women in science. Finally, Fedactio supports the mission of the committee she represents to promote gender equality in applied sciences.
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Women and Society
Brussels Education Feminism Gender National Professionals Science Women and Society

Place of women in STEM: inspiring measures and combating stereotypes

Within the framework of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and in line with its campaign of putting women in the spotlight, Fedactio is considering the under-representation of women in STEM and highlights inspiring measures to remedy this situation.

In this context, Fedactio took part to the meeting “Regards croisés sur les carrières au féminin dans les STIM” organized by the “Femmes & Sciences” committee held on February 11 in Brussels. Angélique Léonard, Chair of the committee and Professor at the University of Liège introduced the topic before giving the floor to various stakeholders among which:
· Marie-Martine Schyns, Minister of Education in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels;
· Dominique Lafontaine, Professor of Educational Sciences at the University of Liège;
· Roberta Pattono, Member of the European Commission’s Directorate General of the Research and Innovation Department;
· Isabelle Régner, Professor and researcher at the Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Aix-Marseille;
· Christel Opdebeeck, Policy Officer at the Flemish Ministry of Education;
as well as various representatives of field associations (Hypatia, Interface3, Elles bougent, etc.).

This meeting made it possible to raise the issue of the under-representation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). In fact, today, the percentage of women in sciences is only at 34% in Europe and only 20% of people engaged in engineering are women. Although this number has increased since the early 1990s, women remain a minority in these environments, which stay very masculine.

How to explain this under-representation of women in STEM fields?
Contrary to the misconceptions pretending that this gap is due to the burden of family constraints, women's difficulties in building a professional network or even lower skills than men, the real causes are quite different. From childhood, in the school environment, little girls are confronted with an under-representation of women in most mathematics textbooks, among others, which hinders the process of identification with these trades. Moreover, the lack of a female role model in scientific careers only accentuates this difficulty of identification. There is also evidence that little girls, both at home and at school, experience positive discrimination, that is to say the practice of giving more attention to girls than boys because they are assumed to have fewer skills. As we grow older, this lack of interest in STEM only increases due to the weight of the stereotypes that shape our society. Who has never heard that women are good at literature and men at math? As Mrs Régner explained, tests have shown that the anchoring of these stereotypes in our memories is such that they lead to women's underperformance in these areas, which, ironically, only reinforces them. Finally, another discrimination, the wage gap, although declining, still remains at 17%. A "glass ceiling" that goes hand in hand with barriers to professional advancement to high responsibility positions.

Attracting young girls into STEM sectors: consequences and challenges
Beyond being a major societal issue, the consequences of this disparity are many. Dominique Lafontaine explains, for example, that most girls go into so-called socially useful professional sectors such as education, health or the human and social sciences, while boys opt for the exact sciences, engineering or information and communication technologies (ICT). The gendered disproportion in educational and career choices leads to a lack of diversity in STEM, which is felt even at the highest positions, where women are a tiny minority. Thus, decisions are still made by men, for men. Furthermore, women must take part in the digital revolution facing our society, otherwise they will struggle to find jobs, the majority of which will require skills in this area in the future.

How can we make a difference?
At the European level, Horizon 2020, the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever, will aim to better integrate women in research and innovation in order to improve the quality and relevance of scientific publications. To do so, the European Union works in collaboration with Member States, research organizations and the European Commission. As Mrs Pattono explained, since 2011 the European Union has awarded the European Prize for women innovators every year with the aim of promoting the place of active women in research and innovation.

At the Belgian level, Mrs Schyns highlighted the provisions relating to the multidisciplinary and polytechnical nature of the core curriculum provided for in the Pact of Excellence, which was created in 2015. Thus, girls and boys will receive a common and non-gendered training that is supposed to eliminate disparities. In Flanders, the Flemish STEM Action Plan 2012-2020, presented by Mrs Opdebeeck at the meeting, increased the number of secondary school students wishing to move towards STEM courses through the implementation of a ten-point programme to upgrade these courses.

Beyond the political sphere, there are many organizations working in the field to raise awareness among young girls to the development of their skills in STEM careers and to encourage vocations. Isabelle Deflandre, Director of the non-profit association "Elles bougent" and Simon Moreau, "Genre-et-TIC" Project Manager of the non-profit association “Interface3”, had the opportunity to present concrete actions implemented by their respective organizations, including information on the professions and the promotion of STEM sectors within the framework of fairs and events, or a system of sponsors allowing young girls to identify themselves with female role models who have succeeded in these sectors.

Our commitment
Fedactio has been working for many years in favour of gender equality, in particular through its "Women & Society" platform. Through our "Education" and "Entrepreneurs" platforms, we encourage young people to undertake studies and provide them with our logistical support and experience. It was therefore important for Fedactio to raise awareness among its audience of STEM issues and related problems by participating in this event. As a citizen movement, we also want to support existing initiatives or propose new ones in order to fight against stereotypes and gender discrimination. As to whether this will happen in the near or distant future, we are counting on your support.
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Women and Society
Feminism Gender Woman in the spotlight Women and science Women and Society

[Woman in the spotlight] Nisreen Al-Hashemite and the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

11:44 0
On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we put Nisreen Al-Hashemite, a Iraqi princess who dedicated her life to science, in the spotlight. 

“We need to encourage girls and young women to pursue science and stay in science careers”, those are the words of Nisreen El-Hashemite, founder and president of Women in Science International League, and the Executive Director of the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT). The “Science Princess”, who is a member of the royal family of Iraq, holds a PhD in Human Genetics and a Medical Doctorate. When everyone told her that “science is not for royalty”, she persevered nevertheless. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which will take place on February 11, was created in 2015 when the General Assembly decided to recognize women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The idea was to focus on gender equality, to ensure that girls can benefit from an education and increase the possibility for women to work in the field of STEM. Nisreen El-Hashemite is indeed a great example, she advocates for gender equality in science, encourages young girls and women to pursue in this field. Her non-governmental organization RASIT is committed to sustaining future and to promoting excellence in education and science. Moreover, RASIT works with UN Women and other international organizations. RASIT launched a specific program dedicated to women and girls called “Science Princess, Global Campaign for Women and Girls in Science”. Science Princess celebrates the achievement of women who have forged the way for those of us in science today, to reach equality and parity in science. According to UNESCO data, less than 30% of researchers worldwide are women. This number is due to strong stereotypes that take women and girls away from science-related fields. Talking about girls and women in the field of science leads us to bridge the gender gap to achieve sustainable development such as improving health or combatting climate change. The main goal is to see more women becoming scientist and help make the world sustainable. Indeed, having more women or young girls in scientific fields and research could speed things up. As Princess Nisreen said “Science is the basis for many solutions to the world’s challenges. If women aren’t a part of science, technology, engineering or mathematics, they will be left out. Science and technology are the future and the future belongs to everyone”.
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Women and Society
Blog Female Genital Mutilation GAMS Gender National Women and Society

Female Genital Mutilation: A Belgian Reality?


In the context of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on February 6 of 2019, Fedactio looks at the issue of female genital mutilation, a too-often-ignored reality.


Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Today, the United Nations estimate the number of women suffering from the consequences of these mutilations at around 200 million. Even if most of the countries concerned are generally located in Africa, Asia or the Middle East, Belgium is not spared. Indeed, according to the latest prevalence study carried out in 2016 by the FPS Public Health, more than 25,000 women and girls are reported to be concerned by female genital mutilation in Belgium. This study also highlighted that between 2007 and 2012, the number of women and girls who had undergone or were at risk of undergoing this type of mutilation doubled due to the arrival of women coming from countries including Indonesia, Guinea, Iraq and the countries of the Horn of Africa on the Belgian territory. These practises are generally motivated by socio-cultural factors. Typically, the most common reasons given by people perpetrating these acts of violence are social pressure, mutilation as a part of young girls’ education or cultural tradition. Of course, FGM has serious consequences, both for the physical and mental health of the women who have been cut.

This international day is part of several issues that have already been addressed by Fedactio in the past, such as violence against women and gender-based discrimination. As a Federation, Fedactio has been working for years on these various issues through its "Women and Society" platform. In fact, Fedactio advocates the emancipation of women as well as the recognition of their status as equal of men. These practices violate the rights of girls and women, but also of children, and therefore have no place in today's world.

In Belgium, several field associations, including the Group for the Abolition of FGM (GAMS Belgium), work on a daily basis to fight these practices. Fedactio had the opportunity to interview Fabienne Richard, Director of GAMS Belgium. The activities of this organization are structured around four main areas, namely:
- Prevention and awareness of families;
- Psycho-social support for women already excised;
- Training of professionals;
- And advocacy at the political level.
One of GAMS' most important achievements to date is the global action plan for victim support developed from 2016 onwards in collaboration with Fedasil and Intact. This project has made it possible to train at least two staff members present in each of the reception centres where women who have already been excised or are at risk of being excised arrive. Today, we need to focus on education and the inclusion of training that considers the issue of female genital mutilation in the school curricula of future midwives.

Although the subject remains a sore point, there is no doubt that things are changing. One of the most striking examples of this change is the 2018 Nobel prize-giving ceremony where Dr. Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. This February 6, the date of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, is therefore an opportunity for Fedactio to draw attention to the fight against this violence.

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World Cancer Day
Blog Cancer Feminism Gender Immunology Interview Woman in the spotlight Women and Society World Cancer Day

[Woman in the spotlight] Interview with Sophie Lucas, researcher and professor in cancer immunology



[Woman in the spotlight] In the context of World Cancer Day, Fedactio had the opportunity to speak with Sophie Lucas, researcher and professor in cancer immunology, about her daily life as a woman of science.
Interview by Alexandre Thiry
Could you tell us more about your background and motivations as a researcher?

My name is Sophie Lucas and I am a researcher in cancer immunology at the Duve Institute, which is a biomedical research institute hosting several laboratories of the faculty of medicine of UCL (Université Catholique de Louvain), where I am also professor. I studied medicine and then decided to devote myself to research. What motivates me is working in the biomedical branch to understand how organisms work, and especially the human being’s, but also how they dysfunction in the presence of very specific diseases such as cancer. As a team, we try to understand how the immune system can detect tumour cells and reject them in patients with cancer. Above all, we try to determine how to manipulate it to be able to correct these dysfunctions and develop new forms of cancer therapy.

What is immunology?

Immunology is a branch of biology that covers the study of immune system’s responses, the way our body defends itself against external aggressions, mainly of the microbial infection type (by viruses, parasites, bacteria…) but also against other forms of aggression which can come from within such as the development of cancer. We now know that our immune system is able to recognize tumour cells and reject them. This is the specific field of tumour immunology.

What does an immunologist’s daily life look like?

The daily life of an immunologist is very similar to that of any biomedical researcher, which means laboratory work and team meetings.  My job consists in managing a team of around ten people working in the laboratory on a joint research project. This team includes doctoral and post-doctoral students, as well as laboratory technicians. We handle reagents of different types, either cells that are grown in vitro or molecules whose modifications are examined following certain treatments, but also animal experiments. The closer we get to a potential clinical application, the more necessary it becomes to conduct animal experiments to test new forms of treatment that could eventually be applied to humans. My daily routine is to interact with all those people who are conducting cellular, molecular, or in vivo experiments, and to discuss with them the interpretation of the results, the direction of the project, hoping that from time to time an original idea will emerge and eventually lead to the development of a new drug.

As a woman, have you ever experienced any difficulties in your work?

Direct difficulties, specifically related to my gender, honestly not really, but I have experienced organizational difficulties. It is always difficult for a woman to find her place in a work environment, knowing that a lot of time and importance is given to her family life, to carry children when she wants them. All this has an impact on our working life. That said, I personally found answers to these questions, quickly realizing that my work was a very important thing and that I wanted to devote a lot of energy and passion to it. All this required some accommodation. In my case, I had the chance to have children with a person who left a lot of space for this passion. So, I would say that as a woman, and as a scientist, I have had more support than real disabilities in my career.


We often hear that science is mainly a male environment, is it true?
What do you think would be the cause of this imbalance?

Yes, it is true. I cannot even remember the number of meetings I attend, with people in higher hierarchical positions, where I am the only woman. Still today in 2019, the percentage of women in decision-making positions in the field of science is abnormally low. It would be very difficult for me to identify the root causes and origins of this disproportion, because I am not a sociologist, but I am somehow obliged to acknowledge the facts. Maybe women still have a bit of trouble giving their work the place it needs when they progress in their functions, in their careers? It is even more surprising since in the field of biomedical, pharmaceutical or medical sciences, there is a majority of young women students or doctoral candidates. In my laboratory too, women are in the majority. Beyond that, the proportion of women who persist (postdoctoral training) gradually decreases. We - women - must be very careful to ensure that we persist and progress in our careers without considering our gender as a disability. It must no longer be so today.

Isn't the fact that you have more female students in your field due to the "female" image that our society attributes to health care?

When we have chosen the path of basic research in the biomedical sciences, we are moving relatively far away from direct patient care. In my career, even though I am a physician by training, I have never had to interact with patients after my medical internships. My job is different, it is still a rigorous fundamental science, explicable at the molecular level. I do not know if it is the possibility of care, of therapy that justifies having more female students in biomedical programs. It remains an enigma to me.

What advice would you give to young people who wish to resume studies in this field?

At 50, when I look back, I have absolutely no regrets. I tell myself that I had the chance to have a great activity, so I would encourage these young people to get started. Now, do I have any specific advice for young women who want to go down this path? Maybe to think about them when they organize their family life. Because one day, when children grow up and leave, it is important to have something that motivates us incredibly. Research careers, in the field of biomedical sciences, but also in any scientific field as well as in the human sciences, can take you to the very long term. After the formation of a family, having raised children, and having brought them to independence, there is still a lifetime left. When you have the chance to do an exciting job, it is this whole life after that remains exciting.

What do you think about the place devoted to research in Belgium?

I think we have nothing to complain about because we are fortunate to live in a developed country where a significant proportion of GDP is devoted to basic academic research. I believe that the funding of basic research must be supported by the State if we want our societies to progress. If I am lucky enough to work in a country where research is relatively well funded, I think more support would benefit everyone.

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Women and Society
Brussels EPN Featured Gallery Professionals Women and Society

Member organisation EPN organized a panel about the Istanbul Convention in the European Parliament

Fedactio 12:10 0

On the 15th of May, our member association EPN (European Professionals Network) organized a round table meeting about the importance of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in all countries, and female empowerment in the European Parliament to reduce structural discrimination based on gender.

The Istanbul Convention, also known as the ‘Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence’, is one of the most important initiatives to protect and improve women’s rights. Forty-six countries signed the convention and Turkey was one of the first to do so. The convention was signed in Istanbul and recognizes equality between men and women as one of the requirements to reduce violence against women.

The following topics were discussed:
  • The implementation of the convention within the E.U.;
  • E.U. laws or recommendations which form an obstacle to the reduction of violence against women;
  • The conditions of female refugees, asylum seekers, and homeless/stateless women and girls, being confronted with discrimination and violence;
  • The connection between gender-related violence and employment insecurity for women, the pay gap and unequal partition of power;
  • Effective initiatives and campaigns, aiming at the promotion of female empowerment, and raising awareness about gender-related violence.


The speakers were


The complete report can be found here.


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Women and Society
Gallery Golden Rose Limburg Member Activities Women and Society

Volunteers distribute flowers for the International Women’s Day at Diest

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Women with different backgrounds found each other on Sunday 11 March for the International Women’s day that took place on 8 March. On the general theme “wellness: body and soul”, workshops such as “yoga” and “cooking with herbs” were given to the participants in the evening. More educational approaches such as “spirituality today” were also among the options.

Golden Rose’s volunteers left the greatest surprise for the end: for every participant a free rose. And in return, what did Golden Rose Limburg’s volunteers receive? At least 150 bright smiles.

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Women and Society
All Brussels Featured posts Fedactio Activities Gallery Social Cohesion Top Projects Women and Society

Fedactio celebrates the 50 years of migration

2014 is an important year for our Federation. There has been exactly 50 years that our country signed bilateral agreements with Turkey in order to attract people who could work in the industry. In the framework of the 50 years of migration, Fedactio organises the project '50 years in Belgium'.

The project consists of a variety of 50 social, cultural, sport and education activities spread accross the country. With the project "50 years in Belgium", we want to take a look behind to the history of immigration, but we also want to create bonds for the future and invest in the intercultural lifestyle and social cohesion.

The project was started in 2012 with an opening reception where eminent people were present; such as the Vice-Prime Minister Joelle Milquet, the President of the Flemmish Parliament Jan Peumans, the Minister of the Brussels Government Brigitte Grouwels and the former Turkish ambassador Ismail Hakki Musa. In 2012 and 2013, we organised concerts, exhibitions, conferences, festivals and many other events in collaboration with our member associations as well as our external partners. Through those activities, we reached dozens of thousands of people. Our festival "The Cultural Days of Brussels" alone attracted more than 30 000 people.

Two years and 40 projects later, we are coming to the summit of our project "50 years in Belgium". We are starting 2014 with the cartoon contest, followed by its exhibition; an initiative of Beltud, our member association. The contest aims to use the eloquent and humoristic language of caricature to take a different look to the 50th anniversary of immigration. The exhibition will travel accross the country. We also promote the "Art of Living Together" project, that brings together people from different horizons in a friendly environment in order to create bridges between different cultures. Many other activities are planned, such as the drawing contest themed on peace, the talent-show "The colours of Belgium", the show "BX Stand-Up" and many others.

The complete list of activities is available on www.50ansenbelgique.be
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Women and Society
Damla Gallery Member Activities Women and Society

Ladies coffee night with Joke Quintens

Damla, member organisation of Fedactio, organised a Ladies Coffee Night on the 19th December. Joke Quintens, currently assistant head of SP.A and creative coach, was invited to the event. Our general coordinator Duriye Demircan and the coordinator of Fedactio Genk Fadimana Gokuzum welcomed the guest to the event that started at 7pm.

Fethiye Akyazi, president of Damla, first gave some information about the association. Then, Quintens shared her perspectives on a life that is “well-achieved” and her positive and negative experiences as a working mother.

Originally from Heusden Zolder, Quintens has two siblings. Her mother taught marketing and her dad was working as a builder. They divorced when she was 11, an event that transformed her mother into an independent and strong woman.

Quintens decided to study History, her favorite subject, in Leuven. She did a lot of voluntary work when she was younger and wrote her thesis on Turkish immigration. She learned many things while she interviewed 50 Turkish women for her thesis. She mentioned that, although she likes history, the future always interested her more than the past.

She worked in different places before teaching history in schools. Then, she taught the Dutch language to newcomers in Brussels. She also worked at Sp.a Nationaal as a career adviser. She gave some courses to politicians, like creative politics, while staying backstage in the world of politics.

Quintens decided to live in Genk with her daughter. She shared with us the three slogans that she installed in her own life:

-Be positive
-Be constructive
-“While you carry on doing what you’re doing, you’ll carry on collecting what you’re collecting” A. Einstein

The audience was very happy with the talk and very much liked Quintens’s dynamic and interesting speech.
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Women and Society
Damla Gallery Member Activities Vuslat Women and Society

Damla and Vuslat organize Ladies Coffee Night with Ingrid Lieten

By means of networking and taking a break after a working day, Damla organized a Ladies Coffee Night with Ingrid Lieten (Vice-President of the Flemish Government, Minister of Media, Poverty, Innovation and Public Investments and Chairwoman of sp.a Limburg) on the 3rd of December.
The Ladies Coffee Night is a meeting moment between women of various backgrounds. The purpose of these meetings is to improve the social contact and to tighten friendship relations whilst enjoying a cup of coffee. With this event Damla offers women the opportunity to discuss issues of present day society.
The shared experiences of our guest speaker Ingrid Lieten gave the participants an insight into present day problems and how these can be avoided in the future.
Minister Lieten was welcomed by the president of Damla, Fethiye Akyazi, the coordinator of the association Fadimana Gokuzum, Yakup Tuncay (Fedactio Limburg) and Fatih Kilic (Vuslat Genk). After a brief presentation on the activities of Fedactio, Vuslat and Damla the main program started.

Minister Lieten talked about her own experiences first. We were given tips on how to combine a family with a job. Besides being an active woman in society, Lieten is also a terrific wife and a concerned mother of two children.

The minister continued her conversation on the importance of diversity. Next, she emphasized the presence of gender equality in Governing Boards. Lieten stated that “women should have more self-confidence and should not put their career on the side. Women should also support each other instead of being critical towards one and other”.

The future starts in the cradle

Following, Lieten underlined the methods of dealing with child poverty, youth and education. Just as developmental psychologists the minister believes that education starts from age 0. A healthy education is essential for a bright future. This is only possible when children are given all the opportunities they need. The politician underlined that education opportunities for children with arrears should be improved.

Youth and Education

The minister mentioned the necessity for a fairer education system. Every child deserves the education to strengthen him. Children should be given the opportunity to improve their talents.

The Coffee Night ended with Fadimana Gokuzum guiding the participants through the building. The participants and the minister were able to observe the Ebru course that was taking place at the moment.
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Women and Society
All Brussels Gallery Golden Rose Member Activities Platforms Region Women and Society

Seminar: How to save energy?

This week Golden Rose organized her third and last seminar in partnership with ‘La ligue des familles'. The seminar titled ‘How to save energy?' was presented by Jonas Moerman from the association Ecoconso. Moerman gave tips on how to reduce the costs of energy.
The information session began with a question from Moerman: Which devices consume more energy – heating equipment that is only used in the winter or electronic devices used on daily basis? The participants answered unanimously ‘electronic devices’. However Moerman informed that heaters only used during the winter consume more electricity than electronic devices do during a whole year.

Heating takes 70% of our yearly energy consumption. The expert advised to keep the heating temperature at 18-20°C. To avoid the loss of warmth Moerman recommended to place reflecting radiator foils behind the radiators. Before going to sleep, the temperature should be reduced to 16°C.  Setting off the heating device causes the room to cool down and warming up the room again would cost more energy.

Unplugging devices is another way of saving energy. Hundreds of euros can be saved by reducing the use of the clothes dryer, by switching to LED screens, by ironing once a week etc.

After the seminar a question and answer session was held. Moerman was asked which energy company is the most advantageous one. The speaker announced that the website www.mesfournisseurs.be determines the company most fit for each client. Another question was posed about the difference between gas and electricity. Moerman answered that gas is a cheaper remedy for heating.
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Youth
All Brussels Gallery Golden Rose Member Activities Platforms Region Women and Society Youth

Seminar 'Bullying at School'


 On November 18, Golden Rose held its weekly brunch after which an information session in collaboration with 'La Ligue des familles' took place. The topic of the discussion was 'bullying at school'. Mr. Serge of the Youth and Family Service of the local police was also present to provide information on what can be done against bullying in schools and how it can be avoided. After the seminar, the participants were given the opportunity to share their own experiences.


A child who is bullied at school cannot easily tell this to his parents. He will talk less at home, be anxious, lock himself up and not want to go to school. To understand the problem well and intervene in time, the child should tell his parents everything and for this there must be adequate communication between the child and his parents. Another important means to tackle the bully problem is by talking with the management of the school and the teacher. The CLB (Student Guidance Centre) can be optionally asked for advice to detect the cause of the problem and to reconcile the two parties. According to Mr. Serge most bullying cases take place in secondary school and less in primary schools. The police are often invoked in case of theft and violence. "In common cases, we find that ethnicity and discrimination play a role. It is mainly groups that pick the weak of the school and bully them", said Mr. Serge.

The conclusion we can draw on bullying in school is that children who are less self-confident are usually bullied in school. Children who do not have friends and are less social, become victims of violence.
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Women and Society
All Antwerp Brussels Damla East-Flanders Fedactio Activities Gallery Golden Rose Limburg Member Activities Platforms Region Women and Society

Active Citizenship and Women brought to the table in the European Parliament

The Platform Women & Society of Fedactio organized a panel titled 'Active Citizenship & Women' in the European Parliament with the partnership of member associations Golden Rose, Damla, Inspiration and Koza.
Myriam Wauters (coordinator of Federatie Wereldvrouwen), Beatriz Camargo (researcher ULB), Aviva Dierckx (vice-president of Vrouwenraad) and  Fethiye Akyazi (president of Damla) were the experts of the day. Betty Cleeren (journalist RTBF) was the moderator of the panel hosted by MEP’s Philippe De Backer and Annemie Neyts. De Backer announced during his opening speech that he was glad to welcome event, because this topic is also on the agenda of the EP. As a liberal politician he was satisfied with Fedactio’s choice to bring  both rights AND obligations to the table. After the welcome speech of De Backer, Elif Alduman addressed the audience on behalf of the Platform Woman & Society of Fedactio and explained the functioning  and objectives of the Platform and its member associations.

Following the speeches, Fethiye Akyazi took the floor as the first speaker. The president of Damla talked about active participation of women on the local level. She bespoke the role her association plays in the encouragement of women’s participation in society. Moreover, Akyazi stated that their activities have a positive influence for women who are trying to improve their Dutch. Damla supports the social cohesion between the different communities in Limburg and is trying to fill in the gap between these communities by organizing, among other things, Cultural Nights where a foreign culture is in the spotlight and is acquainted with "the other".

Aviva Diercks is vice-president of Vrouwenraad and her work involves women issues on the national level. Her experience shows that participation and citizenship are natural phenomena. Individual women who have something in common, group themselves and take action. Those structures evolve into associations and organizations later on. Both the individual and the structures are required to acquire women’s rights. According to Aviva Citizenship & Women are a perfect duo because women are standing close to the daily life.

Beatriz Camargo is researcher at ULB. She confirmed that there is lot of work to do on the level of men and women’s equity. Camargo further stated that the ‘natural’ structures should be questioned in order to move on.

Myriam Wauters of the Federatie Wereldvrouwen accused the society of ignoring women’s achievements during her speech.  Studies show that women are active citizens and most of them are members of an association, neighborhood committee or board. For women of foreign origin there is greater barrier because she is depicted by a stereotypical image. When it comes to conciliation both Belgian as migrant organizations are hindered. The Federatie Wereldvrouwen is trying to intervene in this issue. “Politics can break with stereotypes, but refuses to do it”, claims Wauters. For instance, the conciliation grants for Equal Opportunities have been largely abolished.

After the interesting presentations by the panelists, the debate could start. Issues such as ‘how can we sensitize men to the importance of the active role of women?’, ‘Why did the women of the first generation fight harder for the education of their children in comparison to present day women?’, ‘ Are the women in Belgium free to choose between career or children?’ were put on the table.

The panel ended with a speech by MEP Annemie Neyts. She warned the participants to remain vigilant, because the freedoms acquired today, are not necessarily acquired forever. Finally, she said she was glad to see that women are present in various fields of the society and by this referred to Catherine Ashton and the Pakistani Malala.

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Women and Society
All Art and Culture Beltud Brussels Gallery Golden Rose Member Activities Platforms Region Social Cohesion Women and Society

Hans Vandecandelaere told us about his new book at the friendshipbrunch organised by Golden Rose and Beltud.

In his book, Hans Vandecandelaere describes the sixty years of the migration patterns of 40 different nationality groups. There are about 170 different nationalities present in Brussels, but their migration reasons depend on several factors. Actually, the moment when those people arrived in Brussels and the reasons that made them come determinate their living conditions and their future. To understand those 60 years of migration, Vandencandelaere gave a little insight of the history. He then explained the 4 legal ways of migration today. The principal one is through studies, there is then the familial grouping, profesionnal migration, and political asylum seekers. The author also talked about the Zinneke Parade, artistic result of 60 years of migration.
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Women and Society
Art and Culture Golden Rose Member Activities Women and Society

Visit to Coloma Park

On Sunday, September 29th, Golden Rose visited the Coloma park. Many families came along to admire the Brabant horses.
On Sunday, September 29th, we went to explore these magnificent horses in the cultural center of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.

The day was full of events for everyone and activites were designed for all ages! Children sat on a carpet and pulled by horses, were laughing out loud. Two clowns also amused them, and later they did not hesitate to get in line to ride horses.

And since the theme was horses, no carousel powered by electricity! The carousel was also pulled by horses.

Participants observed the blacksmith at work and admired the horses participating in the contest of the Flemish Brabant region.

The park and the castle were both beautiful and we enjoyed the pleasant scape of the event.
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Women and Society
All Brussels Golden Rose Member Activities Women and Society

Golden Rose explores Roses

The members of Golden Rose have visited the Rose Museum in Park Coloma, September 24th.
During the last week of September members of Golden Rose have visited the Rose Museum in Sint-Pieters Leeuw. This event was organized in the framework of the project ‘Exploring the Brussels Periphery’.

The participants were amazed by the 3000 various roses, in the rose yard, coming from 25 different countries. The sunny weather and a slight breeze made the trip more pleasant since the visitors were overwhelmed by the wonderful smell of the roses.

The yard consisted of 5 sections, that is the red-white rose yard, the Flemish rose yard, the old rose yard, the international rose yard, the rambler rose yard and the Japanese rose yard. In the old rose yard more information was given on the history of the rose. Furthermore the origin of the roses were explained to the visitors, especially the origin the ones produced by the most known producers in Belgium.

The last part of the visit consisted of tips on how to plant a rose on your own yard. The Rose Museum trip lasted for about an hour and half.

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Women and Society
All Art and Culture Brussels Damla Golden Rose Member Activities Women and Society

Photo contest gets citizens to action

The photo contest ‘Citizens in Action' organized by the associations Golden Rose, Inspiration, Damla, Koza and Cedicow of our Platform Woman & Society was a success. The contest's finale took place on the first of June. 
60 pictures were chosen for the national finale from hundreds of pictures sent from all over Belgium. The finale pictures were first selected by a regional jury in the regions Brussels, Antwerp, Liège, Ghent, Hainaut and Limburg.

The opening speech of the national finale that took place on the first of June was held by the President of the Platform Woman & Society Elif Alduman. In her speech, Alduman, stated that the purpose of the photo contest was to create an awareness for active citizenship and social responsibility through the universal language of photography. She also declared that the organizing associations aim to make a contribution to social cohesion, volunteering and intercultural dialogue by their activities.

Deputy Mayor of Schaerbeek Sadık Köksal held a brief speech before the award ceremony and underlined the importance of ‘The European Year of the Citizen’ and congratulated the Platform Woman & Society for the organization.

The jury consisted of tremendous artists and academics like Charif Ben Helima, İlknur Cengiz, Christophe De Jaeger, Michael Hendryckx, Filip Naudts and Johan Swinnen. Aurelie Geurts from Ghent won first prize for her picture of a migrant family’s home. Onur Çıldır from Brussels came in second with the photo he took during a journey in Palestine. Joyce Kiebooms from Antwerp was the third finalist who tried to express the issue of dilemma by pressing two different pictures on one sheet.
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