Due to the Great War, many wonderful women came to Stuttgart. Through numerous encounters and exchanges between the diaspora representatives and the newly arrived women, the idea of founding a women's network was born. We will announce the name and logo of the network in January 2025 - stay tuned!
The first official meeting took place in mid-December 2023 at Café Merlin, organised by Olena Burmenko (Kyiv) and Afina Albrecht (Stuttgart). We talked about life in Germany and compared German and Ukrainian societies, norms and traditions. It was an opportunity to introduce ourselves, share our ideas and projects and collect topics that could be of interest to refugee women. These topics include, among others:
- The German school system and education
- Payroll accounting and taxes
- The transition from the job centre to the world of work
- Application processes in Germany
Many meetings followed over the course of 2024, during which we practised job interviews together, analysed application questions, created CVs and went through important terms. Kateryna Ilchenko provided training on self-presentation and LinkedIn. There were also language cafés with a moderator Dorothee Frei-Stahl, networker and consultant Eric Hägele and the Director of the Concordia Social Projects Foundation, Galina Markschläger. In addition Olga Potsiluiko their knowledge of application processes, and Maryna Seifert was and remains an outstanding co-organiser, without whom the network would not be possible, as there are still many ideas and much to do.
Another important part of our work was the collaboration with the Stuttgart Education Partnership Department, to explain the education system. We also have the Volunteer agency attended. Courageous women among the refugees who were willing to share their knowledge prepared valuable sessions on topics such as home economics, payroll and tax payments.
Throughout the year, the overbooked motivational courses organised by Olena Burmenko in Stuttgart StadtPalais from dream to action„. Olena motivates the women not only with her own example, but also with structured knowledge to set goals, find sources of motivation and organise their lives in Germany in such a way that they remain healthy, positive and courageous. The courses will certainly be repeated in the new year, as there were always more interested people than places.
Two large motivational meetings were held in the theatre where women who are already working or in training shared their success stories and encouraged others. Special thanks go to Anna Bakinovska for providing the location and co-organising these events.
The network is connected via a dedicated Telegram channel and we are also working on an Instagram profile (coming soon). If you have any questions or are interested, please get in touch!
We would like to thank Porsche AG for the financial support that has enabled us to organise these valuable activities!
Join in: You can share your knowledge with us, coach the women or check their CVs, organise excursions, contribute your ideas. Or support the activities with a donation - using the hashtag #Frauennetzwerk.