Women are still underrepresented in the realm of US politics. This is where the “Women in Local Leadership” project came in: How do we attract more women into political life? What can we learn from each other – despite our differences? How do we change our political cultures? And why is local politics in particular so important, as the basis of democracy?
From October 2018 to the end of 2019, a Germany-inspired year of events was held in the US. Under the slogan “Wonderful Together”, a bundle of projects from the fields of business, politics, education, culture and science came together in the US to celebrate the importance of transatlantic relations. The Year of Germany was sponsored by the German Foreign Office and implemented locally by the Goethe-Institut.
EAF Berlin’s “Women in Local Leadership” project, which promoted exchange with local female politicians from Ohio, was also part of this initiative. On the German side, the non-partisan network of Helene Weber Award winners also took part. The Helene Weber Award is given for outstanding achievements by women in local politics.
The project started with a visit from our American partners. In November 2018, we celebrated in Berlin the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
In May 2019, a joint women’s political symposium took place in Ohio’s capital, Columbus. This included a delegation of EAF colleagues and Helene Weber Award winners. The trip included visits to the State House, a lunch with female senators, and participation in Parliament Day at a local chamber of commerce with a panel discussion on women in politics and their experiences. The focus, however, was on a half-day symposium and subsequent diversity training and exchange among participants. The final event was a visit to the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN).
Under the motto “Wonderful Together”, this initiative continued into 2020 and gave EAF Berlin the opportunity to contribute further to this mutual understanding with its project “Women in Local Leadership”.
