True to Age True to Gender

Dedicated to programming engendered older adult education, True to Age, True to Gender, is an Erasmus+ project aims at older women’s empowerment, a truly innovative endeavor.

The project

In the Erasmus+ True to Age true to Gender TAG project all partners have become more sensitive to both societal and social issues concerning women: gender equality, women's rights and the need to introduce contents pertaining to these issues into the education of older women. The partners are aware that old age and gender issues have to be present in any educational programme for older women as to make older female learners more comfortable about their age and gender, more self-confident and perhaps also more able to become social activists concerned with women's issues.

TAG project uses gender issues as a triggering point and an updated tool to encourage adult learners to understand EU history and common values, as well as to encourage them for LLL and get more active in their social circles. At the same time, it brings to the light the value and role of women throughout history.

To achieved such objectives, partners will develop:

A handbook-conceptual background: history of belittled and invisible women as a trigger for better understanding common EU values and promoting active participation of older people in life-long learning

A blended course to adult educators: gendered, social and digital education for older learners

An interactive EU Map «The making of a woman through history”

A collaborative storytelling with working groups and elaboration of digital stories

To find more information, access theTrue to Age True to Gender platform here.

Digital books

After walking a long collaborative narrative path, our local focus groups have developed this Digital Books that tell us about different interpretations and perspectives our older generations have of our society and cultural baggage with a special focus on gender issues. The older group have shared with us their beliefs on the role of women throughout and at different specific periods of European history in these introspective and self-reflective books.

European partnership

The TAG project is an Erasmus+ KA204 project for adult education and is led by seven partners: Asociatia de Terapie Familiala si de Cuplu Timisoara (Romania), Domspain (Spain), Slovenian Third Age University (Slovenia), Wisamar Bildungsgesellschaft (Germany), N.E.T. (Networking Education Training) Associazione Culturale (Italy), Desincoop - Desenvolvimento Economico, Social e Cultural CRL (Portugal) and Les Apprimeurs (France).

Erasmus+ project

The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Clara Campoamor: My inspiration to look at the world in a different way and see new opportunities for womenWritten by Pilar Sancho Gallard (76)

Clara Campoamor was a Spanish lawyer, politician and advocate of women's rights. She was one of the main proponents of women's suffrage in Spain. She wrote the book "El voto femenino y yo: mi pecado mortal" (Women's Suffrage and Me: My Mortal Sin).

She was important in Spain and an inspiration to me. She changed my life. At 16, I started working in a doctor's small "office," if you can call that tiny space an office. I did not have a degree or any preparation of any kind, but I learned quickly. Two years later, when I moved to a bigger city, I started working in a factory. The work was hard, but I was willing to work long hours, and I did not mind the physical effort. But I just did not fit in. All the women around me were very rough. They had married quickly to leave their parents' household. They had children, and none of them were interested in talking about anything that did not involve gossip or their house.

I loved to read, and through Clara's book I knew there was more to life. I knew that the life these women were living was not what I wanted for myself. But I needed the money.

Then I read that Clara Campoamor, along with Victoria Kent (first Spanish lawyer and Republican politician), introduced health care in Spanish prisons.

I found that inspiring, and I remember my first job as a physician's assistant. So I decided to study. Studying would give me the freedom I wanted so much. I went to a doctor's office and asked to work there as an assistant, too. I learned to be a nurse while working there full time. I was the first woman in my family to have a job outside the home. I had no inspiration around me, so I am very grateful to Clara and the women who stood up for our rights and showed us that there were other opportunities.

Maria Zambrano: "Building my own way instead of meeting the expectations of others." Written by Dolores Burló Ventura (73)

I come from a wealthy family near Tarragona. My parents wanted me to get an education appropriate for a girl, so I had two choices: To become a teacher or a nurse. I decided to become a teacher. I graduated and quickly found a job in my city. I enjoyed being with my students. Their curiosity and enthusiasm for life were contagious, and that was something I needed so much at the time. Because although I enjoyed the work, I did not feel fulfilled. I never felt like that was my place.

Reading has always been one of my greatest passions. One day, at a friend's house, I came across a text by María Zambrano. She was a Spanish essayist and philosopher. Among other things, she was an advocate of the need to include poetry in the study of philosophy.

She made me realise that I did not want to just repeat what others were saying. I wanted to have my own thoughts and pass them on, develop my own ideas and pass them on. I had visions about some things that no one around me was thinking about. And because I was a woman, it was implied that they were not important, that I could not share them or write about them. That did not seem fair to me. I did not think my thoughts would be that different from those of my male colleagues.

So I started reading more essays by Zambrano and some other similar writers. And I began to write. As I felt more confident, I began to share my views with my colleagues at school. With friends, even with my poor parents, who did not understand that change in me, but did realise I was excited about life again. That was liberating.

I may not have changed anyone's life. But I have changed my own by staying true to myself and doing the things I enjoyed more and was happier, and that's really something.

“My neighbour´s words changed my life.” Written by Irene Boix Messeguer (87)

Dear Paquita,
I wanted to apologise for not writing in two weeks. I hope you have not been worried as we are all good or at least the same as always. Nothing serious has happened, although I think my life is changing.

As you know, since my brother got married and left home half a year ago, things at home are getting harder. There are fewer hands to work in the fields while my father continues to lose strength, he can hardly stand up anymore. As they say, "age is unforgiving". Neither are debts. At home, we were getting worried day by day about what to do with the next harvest, as if we continue like this there will be nothing to eat, let alone sell. However, about two weeks ago, on my way to fetch water, I saw a neighbour working in a garden and she told me something that I feel is changing my life. I asked her what she was doing and she replied: "Nobody wants to support or help widows, I can see now that either we women really start to get moving or we will starve to death".

After hours of arguing with my father, but mostly with my mother, I am writing this letter after a long day ploughing and preparing the land for the next harvest. You cannot imagine how good I feel, to be able to see my father rest and to finally get out of the kitchen. I cannot wait for you to come and show you everything. We have to get moving, cousin.
With love,
Irene

Júlia Novella Carcelén: “I am the woman I am today thanks to my mother.” Written by Juani Martínez Novella (71)

I come from a small town in Jaen (Andalusia), the land of 66 million olive trees. My family belonged to the working class. My father worked in a cinema repairing small appliances for neighbours, my mother, like most women at that time and place, was a housewife. She had 6 children and a couple of stillbirths. When I was 18 years old and my youngest sister was only a few weeks old, they decided that we would move to Catalonia to have a better future.

Our family decided to go to Reus because we had some friends and relatives who were already there. We found a small flat for all 8 of us in a neighbourhood close to the centre. Most of the families there were also from the south, so it felt a bit like home. But as is the case today when there is a sudden increase in emigration (yes, we were Spanish, but we did not speak Catalan and did not have that much in common with them), we did not always feel welcome.

My mother could barely read, but she had beautiful handwriting. She tried to learn Catalan for our sake. She wanted us to fit in, to feel like we belonged. That was not always easy. Sometimes people pretended not to understand her, sometimes they looked down on her because they thought she had too many children. But she also met many wonderful people who appreciated her situation and made her feel welcome. She always told us those were the people you had to listen to.

Her life was not easy, she moved to another country and she was a woman. She was always quiet and did not dare to speak her mind. But she fought with my father when it came to her daughters' freedom.

She was really a role model for me and my sisters. I know it was not easy for her: I married a divorced man; she supported me when I separated and decided to train to be a nurse. All these things were a shock to her. But in her heart there was always kindness and the will to understand. That is why she is the woman who made the greatest impression on me. That is why I am the woman I am today.

Angela Merkel: The German embodiment
of European values?Written by Lise

When we think about contemporary women who represent European values in Germany, Angela Merkel certainly is the first one that comes to mind. This is independent from what we might think personally of her political choices – as the first woman to hold the office of chancellor and to remain in office for 4 legislative periods, she must appear on top of the list. For many young Germans, she was the status quo while they became of age.

With Angela Merkel so many issues that are part of German social discourse came to the forefront, most importantly bias against women and the former Eastern German states. These two labels were carried so prominently by the leader of the country that there was no way of not noticing that she was measured with a different yardstick than her male colleagues. I think that might have made a difference for future generations. Or at least I hope that those young people who grew up with Angela Merkel as the status quo will not judge a woman in politics by her hair cut, the color of her suit jacket, or the way she speaks.

Even if I do not necessarily agree with the politics she stood for, I do admire the resilience she showed and the sense of steadfastness she brought to her job. I think many Germans are not aware of how much she was appreciated on an international level for that but instead see her more as a subject of caricature. Admittedly, she is not the most charismatic leadership figure. But considering that she had many major crises to deal with in her career, such as financial crisis (2009), the NSA affair (2014), the refugee crisis (2015), and the Corona pandemic (2020), I think it is fair to say she did that with a stern appearance of stability. I had repeated conversations with people while traveling abroad who pointed out to me how much they were in awe of her leadership skills and her politics. It always felt a bit odd to me because I see myself leaning more towards left-wing politics rather than the conservative CDU she was head of. Once a Greek-American woman thanked me for the bail-out of Greece as if I personally was a representative of German politics. I remember saying something along the lines of “Well, we’re all in the same boat and if an EU member country is in trouble, the others have the duty to step in.” I said this, mostly, without having any idea what was going on but looking back at it today, it is noteworthy that is the first thing that came to my mind: European solidarity. Maybe that is the one thing that strikes me most about Merkel’s chancellorship: She always acted in a way that made clear that Germany is part of something bigger. That the EU is not just a theoretical concept. That it matters that we work together on a European level and that we all have a responsibility for the Union.

Even though her day-to-day politics might have been controversial at times, I am rather sure that Angela Merkel might be named among influential world leaders in future history books—and I really hope that the fact that she is a woman simply will not matter as much anymore to future generations!

Astrid Lindgren: Kindness,imperfection,and greatness
Written by Renate

When I think of Astrid Lindgren, I immediately think of the little goblins from Ronja Räubertochter (admittedly, the film version) and the scene in the book when Lotta rides the bike she stole into the rose bushes in Auntie Berg’s garden and screams “Blooood!” To this day, it reminds me of my sister – who, admittedly, is a little dramatic. Like Lotta.

I love how kindness is such a big theme in her books. One of my friend’s favorites is Pelle zieht aus (Pelle moves out). Astrid Lindgren said about that story that it served to comfort her own 5-year-old self in retrospect by giving Pelle kind, loving, understanding parents.

Nowadays, when I give children books as a gift, I always go to Ronja first. I just love how she is unapologetic and wild but also has a deep love for her friends, her family, and the world she lives in. I think what makes the children in Lindgren’s books so special is that they are allowed to be imperfect and yet are capable of greatness. Michel might play pranks on his family and misbehave but he still saves Alfred’s life when he drives the sleigh through the snow storm to the doctor’s.

Only recently I discovered through the film “Astrid” (2018) that Astrid Lindgren herself had a difficult period in her life when she became a single mother and had to hide that fact to remain ‘respectable’ for society. I am therefore even more impressed that she invented Pippi Longstocking for her daughter: Instead of telling us to comply with social rules to have an easier life, Pippi encourages everyone to be unique and headstrong and defy conventions.

I feel that it says a lot about children’s literature that even today I cannot imagine a better role model for kids than Pippi, Michel, and Ronja. Loud and confident and unperturbed by social expectations, their apparent limitations of age, body, or status; and yet so full of love for others and themselves. Would they be terribly exhausting as real children? Probably. But what wonderful people they would make!

For this story, a digital exhibition space was created as part of the storytelling.
Follow this link to see the Spatial. Link to Spatial :

Thomas'grandmother_picture Grandma, born in 1914, being granted her most important wish in 1999: "I still want to hold my new grandson in my arms".

Why was grandma the secret heroine
of my childhood.... Written by Thomas

Despite everything she had experienced—World War 1 as a child, World War 2 as a mother, flight and expulsion, living in simple financial circumstances in GDR times, married to a husband who as a merchant at KONSUM (first sales outlet manager for a self-service store in Leipzig) never had time for family, working at intervals in responsible positions—you never heard a word of complaint from her and she was so positive and grateful.

Maybe you can also classify it as a sense of duty ... In any case, she taught me a lot in my life. Among other things, she also taught me how to cook and how to sew with her sewing machine for which she had saved money for many years.
I still have that sewing machine and taught my son how to use it. In hindsight, though, I think the most valuable lesson she taught me was to be grateful and humble, and to remember: „You have to do things yourself. Nobody is going to do it for you.“

She would invest time
No matter what tasks she had, whether it was the responsibility for the household or as a store manager during the agricultural fair AGRA in GDR times with a staff of 200 sellers. She always managed to either involve me or simply take time for me.

She was immensely patient
"Read to me again, play with me again, tell me again"—no problem... She showed me over and over how to do something on the sewing machine, repeatedly explaining the cooking recipe when I needed it. She would always listen to conflicts and suggest solutions.

She was a wealth of experience that was hard to match
When I came to her upset and had no solution, she could always reassure me with examples from her life and offer approaches to solutions. Especially in the time around 1989, during the "Peaceful Revolution in the GDR '', she managed to sort out the hot-headed thoughts. One sentence has remained in my memory: "The country is not that bad, there is no war and we have enough to eat and a roof over our heads' ' - with her past an important argument.

She was the bridge to the past
I can still remember a photo which hung on her wall - a simple table in the garden, a white table cloth on it, a few flowers, a cake in the center, and coffee for 10 people: A birthday party shortly after the 2nd World War. She has conveyed to me, for which I am particularly grateful, that it is not possessions that matter, but the people who are there with you. This lesson is particularly relevant when you think about the things we’re dealing with today and how our planet is struggling with the consequences of our over-consumption.

To my grandmother Written by Christina

To my grandmother,
You died 7 years ago, peacefully in your sleep, 98 years old. I still remember how bizarre the funeral arrangements seemed to me – the odd rational decisions one had to make while rattled with grief, like picking the area of the graveyard we wanted you to be buried in. I remember carrying your urn at the funeral, together with my siblings. It took us a year until we cleared out your room, even though you hadn’t lived there in over two years before your death. Even then, there were certain things we could not part with – your blue sun hat we had given you for your birthday one year, and the broken white alarm clock that had sat on your mantel piece in your old house for as long as I can remember. Winding it and waiting for the alarm was one of our games when we were children. Another one was sewing buttons to a piece of cloth – I think the metal cookie tin that held your button collection is still in that room somewhere, probably close to your sewing machine. You always wanted to be a seamstress, but you never had the chance. Even though you were so talented and tough. Because women did not earn the money, men did. So you put all your love and energy in taking care of other people. While building up a whole new existence, you took care of your father, your husband, your children, your grandchildren.

While writing your eulogy, it became clear to me, once more, how incredibly different our lives were. You grew up in a world with horse-drawn carriages – for you, it was unconceivable that when I was 20, I took my first trip to the United States. For you, that was a whole world away. Unlike you, I never had anyone tell me that I could not follow my passion because I was a woman. Sure, maybe I had to fight a little harder here or than a man might have had to, but neither my parents nor you ever showed any doubt that I could do anything. Did you understand how my life worked around university and exams and traveling and computers? Not at all. But you never let me know that you doubted that way was right for me. I think that if you were here today, you would be proud.

At some point, it was our turn to take care of you. It usually was me to take you to doctor’s appointments and to the grocery store. You developed an obsession with loading the dishwasher and hanging up laundry, because those were one of the few tasks you were still in charge of when you moved in with my parents. You held your ground sternly when my sister launched her week-long cookie baking marathon every Christmas season, even though you probably were bone-tired after day two. You appreciated the occasional dirty joke, yet you were very concerned with being ladylike and proper. I remember how your cool hand felt on mine when, on your last Christmas visit, you were falling asleep at the table but when I asked you whether you wanted to leave, you said “just a little longer”. I was the last one of our family who saw you alive. We had a good talk, even though your mind was in a different space and time. I didn’t mind, I just tried to meet you there. You asked me, if I would come with you. I didn’t know what you were referring to and I answered “sure, if I have time”. I didn’t have the time yet. I’ll be there someday. You’re still here with us – in the things we say, in the alarm clock, in the way my mum and I look. Thank you.

Lella Costa: Don't nullify us because of our
demographic age, there is much , much more! Written by group "laboratory of the senses" Thiene

Dear Lella,
Your style has always made us smile and reflect at the same time. You talk about us women in a funny, ironic, never vulgar way. But at the same time, you skillfully pose important questions in your monologues. We all know you, some from your theater, some from movies or cabaret, but not all of us had seen your video during lockdown, in 2020. You talked about us, older people, how we were labeled, cornered, how we became a problem, during the pandemic. Some said we should have disappeared, to safeguard the economy. You described us so sweetly and completely because you are really one of us and your emotion shone through, you could feel it all. Thank you for being there for us, thank you for giving us a voice and saying what so many of us have been thinking, in the loneliness of an empty house.

Franca Viola: The first woman to reject
shotgun marriageWritten by Mariarosa M."laboratory group of the senses" Thiene

"Shameless," people thought, "she lost her honor," they said. Yet Franca was none of these things. The newspapers reported the news and I remember being very impressed by the story; I was the same age as her. I remember well that the kidnappers released her younger brother immediately, because he was male. You can hurt a woman more deeply and so they did with poor Franca. A few lines in the newspaper to explain what happened, but a long article in its entirety, to explain the dynamics of honor and respect that prevailed at the time in the south, different, but not too different, from the reality of our countryside. Franca had the fortune to have a family against the tide, strong and intelligent enough to reject what at the time was a horrendous, misogynistic and macho law that said that marriage was enough to fix everything, to erase the crime and make everything right again. But the souls of women were never took into consideration by these laws. The deep wounds inflicted on victims of violence in those years just weren't thought about. I have always felt close to Franca through her vicissitudes and it gives me pleasure to tell her story renewing for her in my heart admiration and affection.

Aurelia the midwife: A woman of great spirit
for our small community Written by group "laboratory of the senses" Thiene

Today we tell you a piece of history. Past history that will not return. There were women in the village, perhaps all over Italy and all over Europe and probably all over the world, who helped mothers delivering babies. They were called midwives. They were not like the midwives of today; those who say so, did not really know them. The midwives of those days were ordinary women, often uneducated, they didn't have a medical office, machines, and an appointment book. They were women of confidence, women of long experience. They were women who even during pregnancy, if you needed it, would give you a massage, a foot bath when the swelling became unbearable. In Borgo Redentore lived Aurelia, now said to be staying in the city at a nursing home. Aurelia helped many babies our age come to life and accompanied as many mothers through the difficult period of puerperium. We like to remember her, for those who knew her, for the grit and confidence she placed in birth, in mothers and also in herself. But in general we like to remember the figure of the midwife, who was also a mother at the time, for orphaned women, a sister, a nurse and certainly a trusted friend.

Ida del pane: The courage of the first stepWritten by Antonio O group "laboratory of the senses" Thiene

You were just like many, but there was something more in you. During the war, women stayed in the village and men went off to fight. The great role and value of women in this period, should be remembered, and if it is possible to make a special mention, then we make it to Ida Menecchi or Menacchi, the memory is fuzzy, but still known as Ida of the bread. Some of us in the area here have heard of her. Ida and her husband in the 1940s had a small bakery, with a wood-fired oven. During the war Ida, left alone along with her daughter, put her own bakery at the disposal of the village. In exchange for bread she would ask for a contribution in flour, bran or potatoes. In this way she had managed to help a few families and had also created a kind of small trade made up of exchanges, those who had chickens have eggs, those who could keep the cow alive gave milk and so on. It gave a little boost to the village and courage to the women of the time who had found themselves lonely and bewildered by the departure of their husbands and boys.

Simone De Beauvoir: "You are not born a woman,you become one"Written by Rosine

Simone de Beauvoir whose real name is Jeanne Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir is a French philosopher, novelist and essayist. She shared the life and ideas of the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and was committed to the fight for the status of women.

French woman of letters, Simone de Beauvoir is remembered as an independent and totally liberated woman. Passionate, she drew on her life, her love affairs, her adventures (Russia, China, the United States, Cuba, Brazil, etc.) and wrote a few essays, including "The Long Walk" about her trip to China. She is a successful author who has won the prestigious Prix Goncourt for her book "Les Mandarins".

Committed, she has made her life and her writings an example of women's empowerment. She is recognized worldwide thanks to her feminist essay entitled "The Second Sex". She also published in 1970 an essay " The old age " in which she tackles the political, social, existential, philosophical, psychological problems caused by the ageing of the human being.

Laura flessel: Fencer and former Minister of SportsWritten by Julia

Laura Flessel-Colovic, born November 6, 1971 in Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), is a French fencer and politician.

Nicknamed "Wasp" for her ability to hit opponents with her foot, she is the most decorated French fencer in history. Since childhood, she always fought against prejudice, preferring the cape and summer wardrobe to the tutu her mother offered her, she admits it, she was a tomboy: "It took me a long time to realize that I could have charm". It is therefore natural that she chooses fencing as her favorite sport. She has competed in a number of competitions since the age of 14. She chooses a sword, a long time male weapon, with which she competes in the 1996 Atlanta Games.

A specialist in a fencing, she is a five-time Olympic medallist and wins the two gold medals of the debut of women's fencer at the Olympic Games. She has six world championship titles and one European title.

On May 17, 2017, she was appointed Minister of Sports in the Édouard Philippe government under President Emmanuel Macron. She will leave her governmental functions on September 4, 2018 for personal reasons.

Ula: A production planner on matriarchy, financial independence, and saying no Interview by Ewa

What was your experience in the professional environment, related to your gender? Did it affect your career somehow?

I worked among women, but it was always, and still is, the case that men were in management positions, or in positions where specialisation was needed (mechanics, etc.). I worked in a place where a lot of women were in management positions, I had a female boss, and women had a lot of says here. Men occupied the highest positions, but there were a lot of women in manager positions below them. In the Sluzewiec factory, the manager was a man, and women held positions for which you didn't need an education. At the moment, it seems to me that a lot has changed and is still changing. When I worked at the Art Institute at the Polish Academy of Sciences, there were professors there, and there were women in the various sections, or lower sectors. Men were in positions where you needed qualifications. In the Clothing Department, the manager was a woman, she decided everything. The designers were women. In the workhouse, in the big clothing cooperative, the manager was a man - highly qualified. I myself was also an economic manager - I held a managerial position. In my career, I was mostly in management positions.

When you were growing up, what was it like, who decided at home?

It was in the 30s and 40s, my grandmothers didn't work, they cooked and cleaned, they mainly made sure that the people they took care of had something to eat, because there were no men - at one grandmother's house the grandfather died and at another's the husband wasn't in charge, it was the grandmother who decided everything, you could say there was a matriarchy.

And your female friends?

That was a bit later. My best friend was dependent on her husband, and it was the case for most of my female friends. Their husbands were highly placed and were making a lot of money, and so their wives depended on them financially. One of my friends was completely dependent on her husband, which I never commented on, but I had my opinion, and I was surprised by it. None of my female friends behaved like that. Maria - with her, it was her husband who gave the money and Maria was the decider. When it came to my family, I was the decider - I had the money, so I decided.

Have you experienced any behaviour outside the norm, sexist, at work?

At one workplace, the manager was a young, handsome divorcee. He was used to it, for always getting what he wanted. Once, he wanted me to help him with something, but he insinuated that he wanted me to stay after work and do something more with him. My colleagues at work had told me about him, so I already knew what to expect and didn't want to. He then ordered me to do something, so I threw the documents in his face telling him to do it himself, and I left. Then I got sick and took sick leave for three days, and when I came back, I was given notice by the secretary with immediate effect, for organisational reasons. I think my colleagues all knew what it was about, or at least guessed. When I was young, I was very pretty and intelligent. I always wanted people around me to know that pretty doesn't mean stupid - I always did well on exams, and at work too, but I had to prove it very often.

Anyway, this story didn't affect my career at all, because fortunately, a few days later, thanks to my friends, I found out that they were looking for an economist in a larger company, and I was accepted there. When I came to announce it to the previous manager, he panicked, invited me to dinner to say goodbye to me, but in fact I think he wanted to convince me to stay. He offered to withdraw my notice and give me double my salary. I told him that now, after this situation, I could not continue working with him.

Valentine: A woman wants to bear her mother's name
who wants to bear her mother's name Written by Rosine

Today is the 20th of July, and today is a special day for Valentine. Together with her granddaughter, she has an appointment at the city hall of her town to take a step that will have an important impact on her identity as well as that of her family.

In 1940 Valentine was 12 years old when police came to deport her mother, a Jew, she was lucky not to have been deported thanks to the neighbours who hid her in their home. From that day on, she became an orphan and lost all trace of her mother. But today, at the age of 94, thanks to the law concerning the change of name, she has decided to add her mother's name to her father's name.

Indeed, since the 1st of July, France has voted on the law on the change of name. This law allows people to replace their patronymic name with their mother's or add it to their birth name. Her granddaughter, Pauline, also wishes to bear and pass on to her daughters her grandmother's new name, which will now include the name of her great-grandmother. This step is a way for Valentine and her granddaughter Pauline to make the name of the women in their family visible and to maintain the memory of their Jewish family deported during the Second World War.

Amália Rodrigues: Born with cherries Written by Luisa Oliveira

She was born and died in Lisbon. She is the only woman buried in the National Pantheon to the present day. Fado owes its recognition as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to her, she "invented the figure of the fado singer dressed in black, positioned in front of the guitarists and performing with her hands together, in prayer". Amália reclaimed poets from the past and consecrated her contemporary poets and composers. Her music took her to the theatre, cinema, television and to the most emblematic stages throughout the world. In 1950 she performed in the Marshall Plan shows for Europe (Berlin, Dublin, Paris, Bern). Her first performance at the Olympia, in Paris, in 1956, at Josephine Baker's farewell party, gave rise to an international career which crossed all continents interpreting repertoire in various languages, such as Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French and English. In Cannes she was awarded three MIDEM prizes for the artist who sells the most records in her country, a feat only achieved by the Beatles. She received the widest range of distinctions in Portugal and in many countries where she performed. Her success is indicative of her voice and the "intelligence with which Amália sang". The girl who sold lemons on the streets of Lisbon is in the collective memory of the Portuguese as an independent woman, who associated culture with her faith, who suffered from rumours about her connection to the Estado Novo and who remained loyal to those persecuted by the regime. The Fado singer to whom one of the most remarkable cultural transformations of the Portuguese 20th century is due.

Maria de Lurdes: Personality, ethics and character, a woman of ruptureWritten by Luisa Oliveira

"What concerns me is the human person, is happiness, but to be happy one needs a minimum of dignity. How can one aspire to happiness without these conditions, how is it possible? This was one of the many questions that Maria de Lurdes Pintasilgo raised in the public arena. Her importance in founding the Grail, an international Catholic movement in Portugal, inspiring all to "care for the future" was fundamental in breaking with a conservative vision of the Catholic Church and in systematically introducing the importance of women, their role in society; the importance of Christian roots and the importance of social commitment.

The engineer of utopias, as many called her, went down in Portuguese history as the first woman to be appointed to a senior position in the largest national company, CUF (1953), the first to hold a ministerial post (1974), to be Prime Minister, holding the post for around six months (between 1979 and 1980) and to run for the Presidency of the Republic (1986). She was also President of the Commission for the Feminine Condition, currently the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality - CIG.

The serenity of her eyes, the empathy and determination of her voice inspired many women who entered political life in a world of mostly men.

Letter to Etty Hillesum written by SilviaWritten by Silvia Lemos

Dear Etty,

I have had several women who have inspired me - grandmothers, aunts, mother, friends...I feel very grateful for the contact I had and still have with so many women who lifted my face in such a way that I could feel the light breeze on hot days.

And you, Etty Hillesum, have inspired me on several occasions in my life so often touched by the fog. Reading your letters and diaries I feel I have always known you and with you I have realised that it is possible to protect a certain inner sun in times of great gloom. In your story of a Jewish woman, converted to Christianity, I discover the capacity for wonder even if the circumstances of life want to imprison us. During the period when you were in the ghettos, those places where Jews were allowed to live during the German occupation, you looked at the den of heaven and you said: "One should also be able to do without books and without anything. There will always be a visible patch somewhere and so much space around me that my hands will always be able to join in prayer."

This is, for me, of enormous beauty. I am moved by your enchantment with the mystery of life, in the midst of your impressive mundanity. Your dignity in acting against the current of " beggar-my-neighbour" is magnificent. And so often I breathe, like you, floating on the surface of the sea, contemplating the stars, with little concern for a lifeline. I save myself so often in that breath...

My grandmaWritten by Teresa Laranjeiro (67)

My grandmother was born in 1901 in a village in the municipality of Viana do Castelo, where my maternal great-grandfather practiced medicine at the time. She was the first daughter, of 3 endearing boys, according to her. A quiet and well-behaved girl, she didn't give any problems, according to witnesses of the time with whom I still lived. In her words, full of humor, she used to say " I was a jerk and more than a jerk".

Perhaps because of this exemplary behavior, she was chosen at school to present a bouquet to King D. Manuel II on a visit to Viana.
She soon revealed an aptitude for handicraft, embroidery, painting, sewing, ..., which was also taken advantage of by her family at a time when trousseaus were made at home. According to her, she made hundreds of buttonholes for her brothers' trousseaux, who emigrated to Brazil when they were very young. She studied piano, painting and took exams at the Liceu equivalent to the 5th year of Portuguese and French. Times were not easy and her father said she might have to earn her living.

Widowed at 39, she faced adversity by investing in the education of her then teenage daughters. She rented out part of the house, managed her small patrimony and, did odd jobs. Nothing unusual for a woman from the Minho coast, where the matriarchy is very strong.
But after all, what was so special about this grandmother with whom I was close from birth until she died at 83? Honesty, Kindness, and Beauty. The same grandmother, who played cards with her grandchildren, played "pico pico (maçarico) torch who gave you such a beak", "cat's bed" and told stories to entertain us, never hesitated to call my attention if I acted incorrectly, to scold a grown-up brother or to tell the truth about a friend who had been slandered in social conversation. But she always had a layer of mercy for the misdeeds of those less close to her. She was kind, not in the sense of crude kindness, but kindness, that "higher form of intelligence", as Agustina Bessa-Luís wrote.

She had the soul of an artist and was an artist. She appreciated and contemplated beauty, whether it was a perfect buttonhole, a fancy dress, a fresh and young face, a beautiful body, a painting, music, a room, a house, or a landscape. And the flowers in her garden...
She knew how to listen and give good advice. To keep her parents, uncles, brothers, and sisters, and friends’ company, already frail and elderly, to accompany them in their hour of death and close their eyes... naturally.

Letter to Maia Morgenstern, "the morning star” which has lit my spark Written by Maria

Dear Maia Morgenstern,

I am writing this letter to tell you that I believe you are an amazing woman, who has succeeded to move my heart (and most probably the hearts of millions, Romanian or from abroad) with your performances in plays and movies, but also with your key appearances in the public eye regarding peace keeping and environment protection. I am two years older than you, but I have always been inspired by your attitude towards life and art, by your devotion to your opinions and words, by your fearlessness of being different and making a difference! I also embraced a short hair-cut because of you!

I am not a public person, but I have been preoccupied with the safe-keeping of the natural and social environment from a young age. I work within the education system and I have the chance to shape the attitudes towards the world of many pupils and to guide them towards ecological behaviours and protection of life in all its forms. So, I have often used your appearances as a source of inspiration or to convey a powerful message to the younger generations – as a result I am still playing for my students the now famous video clip about the Romanian gold, urging them to meditate about the value of human life.

I am proud to be your co-national and I am grateful to be your co-temporary, witnessing you on the stage and off of it.
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Maricica Puica: The ambitious girl with golden hair Written by Gheorghe

I have always been touched by simple people who worked their way up to the top of their carrier. I believe the real value of a person is given by the amount of effort that one puts in the process of self-shaping to be better at what one does, regardless of the final results. But when the odds are against that person and the effort is still invested I think we witness greatness. I remember watching with great interest the evolution of the Romanian athleets at the Olympics, especially during the communist era, in which sportsmen and sportwomen from our country were beacons carrying out into the world, not just our banner, but our values and hopes. 1984, Los Angeles summer Olympics and a young golden haired young woman, who made it into the history of sports as the first female olympic winner of the 3000 m challenge (which was freshly introduced among the summer Olympics athletism challenges that year) captured my attention and my heart. She was a new-commer and certainly not among the favourites of the challenge. She even had a rough accident a year before and no one though she would be able to compete at the Olympics. But that did not stop her from running like no other and win the challenge. She attended four challenges in four consecutive days – no one has ever tried that before – but she remained focused and got a podium place again, winning the bronze medal at the 1500 m challenge. Later on she would confess that „it was difficult and the price for that was high”, but she was convinced that if she had just another few hours more of rest, she would have been able to win that one, too.

Golden medal or bronze medal or no medal at all, Maricica Puică is a model of tenacity and ambition, of hard work and concentration, who inspired me not to quit in the trials that my own life has reserved for me.
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Ana Gaspar: The fight of a simple woman to survive changes the lives of those who fight for their lives Written by V.O

She had married when she was 14 years old and by 24 years old she was a widow with two kids. She was a simple country girl with no education, because in that period girls (especially the poor ones) were encouraged to marry of when young and rely on their husbands for financial support, instead of going to school and get a more thorough education. So, all of sudden she found herself alone, with two small children and no income. She could have stayed in the village and work the land, but she understood that would be a life of suffering for both her and her children. She understood the importance of education and she was a determined to offer her children a better life. She decided to become a nurse, even if life in the town was not easy at first, as she had to endure hunger, lack of heat and sleepless nights, on top of grieving for her lost and much loved husband.

She worked on the ER in the Lugoj hospital all her life, becoming one of the most respected and loved nurses in the whole hospital. The doctors praised her for her hard work and integrity, the patients were grateful for her kindness and tenderness, her colleagues appreciated they could rely on her for professional support and personal advice. Even after her retirement, she still received visits and gratitude gifts from patients which she had tended to a quarter of a century before. Everywhere she went around the town she would have met somebody that knew her and appreciated her. She became a self-made woman and a respected member of her community, despite her humble origins, through her strong will and relentless work. She has never remarried, but she managed to keep her children through college, to witness her grandkids graduate universities, thus fulfilling her greatest wish: pursuing superior education, because through education she has managed to save so many lives, including her own… and mine.

I just want to say to you: “The people whose lives you have changed might be fewer and fewer, but your life mattered!”

Maria Grosu: The kind lady who invested all her energy into educating kids Written by Dan

Dear Teacher,
I remember your chestnut hair and your green skirt, your warm eyes watching us from behind the glasses, your firm, yet kind words in order to get our attention during classes, your calligraphic handwriting on the blackboard, your hands and your voice… “Use your potential!” you said…, but what you meant was “Fight for your beliefs!” In those four years that we have been together, you have done so much in order to make us believe in ourselves and to stay faithful to true moral values.

You gave us your time and your knowledge, you gave up to an entire year with your grandkid just to be there for us and take us to the end of the school cycle, you risked your freedom to teach us about the Christian rituals during harsh times, you invested all your energy in shaping our minds and souls. I am grateful for that!

I hope you are able to look at me now from wherever you are and be proud of what I have achieved… I am a teacher myself and I can only hope that I am able to inspire my own students to develop themselves, use their potential and stay loyal to their beliefs, as much as you did with us!

Vida Tomšič: An outstanding womanWritten by A. Šolar

After the second world war Slovenia/Yugoslavia was advanced in the field of women’s rights.
A lawyer, a university teacher, a policy maker and a social activist, Vida Tomšič was a pre-war communist whose contribution to women’s rights is still underrated. She was an international activist for women’s rights. As a member of the Yugoslav communist party elaborated a plan for women’s emancipation modeled on the international claims of women’s movements. Political equality, protection of women’s reproductive rights, socialized care for children, education, work were her endeavors. She was implementing this programme after 1945 and she contributed to the creation of many policies. She managed to set up a system of social institutions in the otherwise destroyed and ruined post war country thus wanting to guarantee social rights to all and particularly women and children. She represented Yugoslavia in the UN. She presided over ECOSOC and was a distinguished member of the Federation for planning the family. In the times when Simone Veil was still struggling for the law on the interruption of pregnancy, Slovenia already had infant mortality close to zero, excellent family planning centres, excellent elementary schools promoting gender equality, many new nursery homes, kindergartens etc. due to Vida Tomšič and her strong will. My bourgeois family was a passive opponent of the communist government, so I was raised not to like her. Today only, I understand and appreciate her.

Meta Kutin: A curious mindWritten by M. Živec

Meta was born in Ljubljana. When she was 18 years old, her mother suggested she should study architecture due to the fact that one of her relatives was a civil engineer. This has turned out to be a good choice. Due to her curious mind and inclination to inventing, Meta, with some help of her mentors, got interested in older adult education. She started developing a programme making older people sensitive to their built environment and she started studying the impact of older people men and women on the environment and vice versa. In long lived society this is an important topic. She has recently conceptualized and implemented two major exhibitions regarding City 65+, she made a film about this topic, she initiated a new topic in professional literature and has been invited to be on the board of some NGOs in the field of architecture and urbanism. She is currently a PHD student, an awarded architect and a mentoress at Slovenian U3A. She is getting familiar with Hungarian culture since her husband is Hungarian. Recently, influenced by the TAG project she started paying interest to older women and their double stigma, the stigma of their sex and the stigma of their age. She is researching the relationship between older women and their built environment.

Nives Ličen: A life for learningWritten by D. Cizelj

Nives comes from a small village in the West of Slovenia. In her village elementary school she was an excellent pupil and later on an excellent student in grammar school in the near town. Given her outstanding academic achievements her teachers suggested she should study medicine, which used to be among the most codified studies and professions in the past. She highly respected her teachers and adults in general and gladly followed their advice.
She was already a third year student of medicine when she realised that she could not work for sick people whom she might not be able to cure. She was courageous enough to quit her studies and enrol into the studies of andragogy. In 1984 she joined a small group of students moderated by Prof. Ana Krajnc and got involved in researching a completely new topic: older adult education. Later on this fact led her to a new life path. She entered the academic world but she continued working in real life with people in need. She launched a number of innovative nation wide set initiatives and has become one of the most appreciated university teachers in her field. She is special to me because of her virtues. Generous with her knowledge, energy and time she has been supporting people in quite different ways. She has proven you can be devoted to others, especially when your social position allows it. Having a public name obligates her to struggle for social fairness. That’s how she feels.

Alenka Hebar: A chance for allWritten by A.Trontelj

Alenka studied andragogy. During her studies she got familiar with numerous institutions and started working on a voluntary basis in a Slovenian prison. There she helped two prisoners, respectively to finish his baccalaureate and to start studying mechanical engineering. One of them, with her assistance, was awarded by the National Institute of Adult Education. It was the first time that a young prisoner got this kind of public recognition. Alenka finished her post graduate studies of family therapy and she went on with her PHD studies of andragogy. When she found out that she would have difficulties finding a job tailored to her wishes (many people were out of work in those days) she took exams proving her with practical job skills like accountancy, English language, she passed a state exam in social work and welfare. Step by step she set up an agency dealing with over-indebtedness from a number of points of view. She met her future husband with three growing up children. She worked hard to persuade them to study. She is an extremely caring mother to Rok, a young boy. I like her because she is reliable, overt (sometimes too overt) and ready to help people, because she is a helper by nature and it is joy for her to help others.