Helene Weber-Kolleg

The Helene Weber-Kolleg was a nationwide, cross-party platform for women in local politics. The Kolleg was established in the context of the Helene Weber Prize, which was first awarded in 2009 to recognize outstanding local female politicians. Working with the first group of award winners, it quickly became clear that these women benefited significantly from cross-party networking.

The Kolleg launched in 2011. A central component was the regular mentoring program, in which experienced local politicians served as mentors for interested newcomers. Several hundred women participated in the programs over time, with two-thirds subsequently entering local politics. Additionally, the Kolleg website "Women Power Politics" provided current information, tips for campaigns and public relations, and included a short film of the same name. The nationwide "Kommunalcampus" event was held annually in Berlin.

Another exciting feature was "reverse mentoring," where typically younger women helped "seasoned" local politicians get up to speed with social media.

Another element consisted of multi-day workshops for young women and girls interested in politics, titled "It’s our turn! Politics needs diversity – politics needs you." In 2016, for the first time, two workshops were held that specifically reached out to girls with refugee backgrounds.