Heidelberg International Women's Club e.V.

The Women’s Salon by the Heidelberg IWC is a monthly English-language talk and discussion on current, changing and challenging topics all related to women. From feminism and #MeToo to intersectionality and emotional labor, we want to talk about it all. Intimate and inviting, this will be a place to learn more about the issues in our lives, culture and world; a time where we can talk about it and share our own stories; and a space to foster ideas, opinions and conversations. Historically, salons are associated with the French literary and philosophical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries, and are defined as a gathering of people for the purpose of literature, art or discussion. Topics change monthly and are moderated by an HIWC Member. There is recommended reading for each session to guide the discussion and to expand our knowledge and vocabulary. We encourage you to join us and participate in whichever way you feel comfortable. Please note that while the Women's Salon is open to non-members, it is a female-only safe space. From September 2019 - March 2020, the Women’s Salon will be focusing on health topics in alignment with the new FAWCO Target Program: Health and the announcement of the next Target Project in March 2020. In coordination with our sister clubs, AIWC Cologne and AWC Hamburg, we’re excited to dive into the issues concerning our own health and the health of women around the world. Topic: Pregnancy, Infertility and Loss Description: There is a lot to unpack, frankly each topic could be given a dedicated evening for discussion, but we’ve decided to group them together. In part, it is in fact hard to discuss one without addressing the others; pregnancy, infertility and loss are often all wrap together in one form or another for many women. So here’s an opportunity to lay it all bare and get into the joys, confusion, surprises and desperation... PREGNANCY Listen Pregnancy Let’s See What This Body Can Do https://gimletmedia.com/shows/the-cut-on-tuesdays/94ho7v/pregnancy-lets-see-what-this-body-can-do Read 100 Women on the Wildest Ways Their Bodies Changed After Pregnancy https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/pregnancy-changing-body.html The Shoddy Science Behind Most Pregnancy Advice https://humanparts.medium.com/the-shoddy-science-behind-most-pregnancy-advice-aa40f42dba3d I Was So Fed Up With Unrealistic Pregnancy Books, I Wrote an Uncensored One https://time.com/5211616/real-talk-pregnancy/ Watch What pregnant women's bodies really look like https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-london-47498803/what-pregnant-women-s-bodies-really-look-like INFERTILITY Listen Awkward Adventures in Infertility https://longestshortesttime.com/episode-147-awkward-adventures-in-infertility Read “My Boss Said, ‘I Understand What You’re Going Through, but You Have a Job to Do’ ” https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/01/infertility-workplace-pregnancy-challenges-2019.html LOSS Listen One Mom’s Late-Term Abortion https://longestshortesttime.com/episode-194-one-moms-late-term-abortion Read After a Miscarriage, Grief, Anger, Envy, Relief and Guilt https://parenting.nytimes.com/pregnancy/after-a-miscarriage-grief-anger-envy-relief-and-guilt?module=editors-picks&action=click®ion=2 How to Support a Woman After a Pregnancy Loss https://medium.com/s/story/how-to-support-a-woman-after-a-pregnancy-loss-6f53c7038023

The Monthly Meeting is the regular get-together of the Heidelberg IWC. It is open to the public and gives anyone the chance to learn more about the Heidelberg IWC and meet our members. Come just us for social networking, to hear a guest speaker and get Club news and updates. You can learn more about the activities and events we have, how to start an activity yourself, find out about our charity work and fundraising, and find out how you can get involved in the Club. The timing of the Monthly Meeting alternates every month, so if you can't make a weekday morning, join us in the evening! *Please register on our website officially here: https://heidelbergiwc.org/event-3457476* Topic & Guest Speaker: Our speaker for this month was born in Afghanistan and was raised and attended school for several years in Iran. She married her former husband when she was 12 years old. This was an arranged marriage, her husband was 14 years older than her and lived in Germany. Six months after getting married she came to Germany to live with her husband; her wonderful son was born a year later. At first her life in Germany was very hard, she did not speak German and it wasn't possible for her to learn German at the time. She did not know anyone, and had nobody around her that she could trust. She was stuck in a marriage where her husband did not treat her well and was unsure of what to do. In 2002 she started working at the restaurant "Nordsee" which turned out to be a great decision as she became independent, learned German and had a chance to get to know other people. Her new friends helped her deal with her divorce and all the bad circumstances she faced at this time. Since 2014 she has been working for Caritas at a Refugee shelter in Heidelberg. It is her passion to help others, especially young people and women. She would now also like to support people in her home country of Afghanistan in this way and is looking for people and organizations to support this passion. Transportation: S-bahn station Heidelberg-Kirchheim/Rohrbach; tram lines 23 and 24 at stop Rohrbach Markt; Bus line 28 at stops Fabrikstr. or M.von-Graimberg-Haus Parking: In front of the house, on the street, or in the Lidl parking lot across the street Entrance: on the back of the building Contact: Angela Wendt, [masked], [masked]