American Women's Club of Hamburg Currents Magazine January 2014

FAW C O R e g i o n 5 M e e t i n g R o c k s ! by Tracy M. After an opening evening of entertainment Friday and an early morning start with FAWCO Board and FAWCO Foundation updated we got down to brass tacks with an introduction to the new Target Project. We were up early again on Sunday and back to work to discuss common issues all clubs face in their daily operations, offering a platform for the exchange of ideas and information. My-Linh, FAWCO President, began by asking each club what their primary challenge is today. A discussion followed on how clubs’ members perceive FAWCO and what can be done to better promote FAWCO among members. My-Linh followed with the topic of External Relations which encompassed PR, advertising and corporate sponsorship. Michele from The FAWCO Foundation covered the session on fundraising and shared that a “How To” toolkit on corporate sponsorship is in the Michele Hendrikse Du Bois, President of works. My-Linh took up again addressing the issue The FAWCO Foundation, spoke about the of volunteers: how to increase participation and philanthropic work FAWCO is doing by explaining motivate members to help. how member clubs and individual members can benefit and how they can contribute! Laurie Richardson, FAWCO VP for the Target Project and all Committees, gave an introduction to the new Target Issue: Human Rights for Women. This was followed by a moving presentation by Sybille Fezer, Program Manager, Liberia of medica mondiale e.V., about their work in Liberia assisting women and girls who are subjected to sexual and gender-based violence. Then the working sessions began. Liz Janson, Munich IWC, facilitated a dynamic session on Communications. As always Region 5 conferences do have a fun portion and we went on the Rooftop Tour of the Cologne Cathedral and Cologne Walking Tour -a special opportunity to experience this amazing gothic cathedral from a unique perspective. Currents January 2014 Barbara Bühling, of Düsseldorf and FAWCO Youth Program Chair, brought two FAWCO Youth Volunteers to speak about their experience in Dubai. The day ended with a tribute to Frauke R.H., who after 10 years stepped down as Region 5 Coordinator. Frauke is due all the credit for making Region 5 such a strong and cohesive group through her dynamic leadership. Taking over is Angelika M. of Berlin. Session notes for all of these topics and Liz’s session 25

American Women's Club of Hamburg Currents Magazine January 2014 | Page 25