"Idea generator, doer, calming influence"

Founding the EAF: A brilliant idea

Helga Lukoschat co-founded EAF Berlin with Barbara Schaeffer-Hegel about 30 years ago. On a night train. Their goal was to build an academy for women in politics. "The founding of EAF Berlin was the start of a bold, attractive, and exemplary venture," emphasizes EAF board member Margret Mönig-Raane.

Feminism as a promise of freedom

Helga Lukoschat studied German language and literature, political science, and history in Erlangen and Berlin. She earned her doctorate with a study on women in leadership positions at the Technical University of Berlin. Before founding the EAF, Helga Lukoschat worked as a journalist for the TAZ—formative and helpful years, as she describes them. She also worked for the Green Party and as a freelancer for the Heinrich Böll Foundation. She gained her first political experience in the autonomous women's movement.

"After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was about engaging with a new political reality and taking responsibility ourselves," says Lukoschat. Even then, her focus was on gender equality as a matter of freedom. She views feminism as a promise of freedom, with everything else being a form of coercion—a liberation from restrictive role models and the opportunity to take control of one's own life. But it was also always about the question: How can we influence society, and how can processes of change be set in motion? A clear feminist vision, but always with "principled flexibility."

Setting the course together

And it cannot be done alone: "Without the many companions and friends, whether on the board of trustees, in the support association, on the executive board, or in our corporate partnerships, we would not have been able to advance our projects, topics, and causes in this way. It is very moving for me to see how much has been achieved together, through unusual alliances and partnerships, and of course through an EAF team that pulls together," emphasizes Helga Lukoschat. "I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Kathrin Mahler Walther, a companion since the early days of the EAF. This is my greatest joy: to hand over the EAF into such excellent hands."

Networker and bridge-builder

Throughout her career, Helga Lukoschat has been active in various committees, organizations, and alliances: For many years, she was the Managing Director of Femtec.GmbH, which was founded in 2001 by the shareholders EAF Berlin and TU Berlin, and she remains on its supervisory board to this day. She is committed to the Berlin Declaration, the #ParitätJetzt initiative, and the Berlin Alliance for Parity. She is a volunteer with the global women's organization Soroptimist International and the network of Helene Weber Award winners closely connected. She is also a member of the advisory board of Femtec.Alumnae e.V. and the board of trustees of Total E-Quality Deutschland e.V. and the advisory board of the #SheTransformsITinitiative.

Everyone who knows Helga Lukoschat agrees: she is intelligent, appreciative, solution-oriented, principled, and composed. She possesses intellectual sharpness and a clear vision, yet remains pragmatic in all her endeavors. As Margret Mönig-Raane put it, she has always been an "idea generator, a doer, and a calming influence."

Helga Lukoschat remains connected to the EAF as an honorary board member and Senior Advisor.

EAF Berlin: Still a truly unique organization today

EAF Berlin has evolved steadily over the last 28 years, as the new Chair of the Board, Kathrin Mahler Walther, points out. "Our tagline is 'Diversity in Leadership,' and we have significantly broadened our focus beyond just 'women.' Through our work, we are part of emancipation movements that strengthen diversity and equal opportunity in society. This makes the EAF a truly unique organization even today: one of the few that works across various sectors, building bridges and seeking alliances to advance our causes together."

Margret Mönig-Raane emphasizes: "An idea has become a magnificent reality."

Farewell party on the Spree

Helga Lukoschat was bid farewell in a festive setting during the EAF Berlin summer party, where she was celebrated and honored by numerous companions, partners, and friends. We have put together some impressions here. (Photos: Tanja Schnitzler)