WOMEN’S CAFÉ
Multicultural and cross-generational
Consequently, the Women’s Café in Vienna’s 21st municipal district was born to address the problem of poor integration of women from different age groups and with different social and ethnic backgrounds.
The initiative showed how strongly such alternative spaces can contribute to the creation of awareness and a sense of solidarity as well as to self-empowerment. This is clearly evident at the level of the individual but also serves to tackle ageism and gender aspects – and has measureable effects for the local community.
Children were key to the success of the project. They acted as “connectors” and “gate openers” between different generations of women with different cultural backgrounds.
This not only resulted in new friendships but also in self-organised supporting structures and joint activities outside the Women’s Café. By now, word of mouth and media reports have extended the “catchment area” of the Women’s Café to the city as a whole.
For further information (in German)
https://wohnpartner-wien.at/aktuelles/kalender
The local Urban Renewal Office (Gebietsbetreuung Stadterneuerung, GB*) likewise operates a Women’s Café in Max-Winter-Platz in the 2nd municipal district. Weekly meetings with coffee and cakes act as a starting-point for a great variety of courses and guided tours, e.g. herbal walks, knitting and crocheting, pelvic floor exercises or communal cooking and baking.
These shared activities, too, are targeted at women of all age groups and from all nations and ethnic backgrounds to enable them to spend time together in a multicultural environment. Communication and the sharing of individual knowledge foster a sense of community and harmony and provide a venue for organising joint activities also outside this framework.
For further information (in German)
https://www.gbstern.at/mitte/termine/detail/161/
