A number of women in the area are isolated and there is a need to bring them into a socially active lifestyle.

The project is an initiative by women with ethnic minority background from different nationalities. In the process they were cooperating with municipality institutions, public and private groups. They also cooperated with numerous civil society groups, institutions and voluntary groups that already exist in the neighbourhood.

The women network was initiated in 2003 as a way to co-ordinate and support ideas and projects for and with women in the Western part of Aarhus, Denmark. It is a loose network consisting of approximately 50 women representing various female associations, female civil servants from public authorities working in the area as well as active women that are just representing themselves. The women network have 4 meetings a year which take place at different sites in the neighbourhood. The agenda of the meetings reflect actual themes of the area with special interest to the women.

Apart from being a forum for exchange of information and experiences, the women network is a place where ideas for new initiatives are formulated, tested and discussed. One concrete example of such an initiative is the idea of creating a house for women which should offer possibilities for various groups of women across ethnic and cultural borders to meet and to educate and qualify for the society and the labour market.

For more than 1 year a working group within the women network is trying to realize the idea of a house for women through different means, such as fundraising and positive lobbyism.

The women network wish to support women in the neighbourhood by using these means and methods: •

EU co-financed the Urban programme and hence also the Women Network Initiative Project.

The Urban Programme Aarhus.

Urban Programme in Aarhus
Denmark
Anett S. Christiansen & Hawa Hersi Aden, tel. 0045 89 48 76 00

01/01/2006

case

Urban Policy

Social inclusion & integration