Women's Network of Oikosnet Europe organizes pre-conference before annual assembly in Trondheim/Norway: When Women Take Over…?

Women's Network of Oikosnet Europe organizes pre-conference before annual assembly in Trondheim/Norway:
When Women Take Over…?
Gender Equality in Norway. Possibilities and Challenges.
September 10 to 12, 2012
The seminar will introduce some of the main strategies to achieve gender equality in Norway; increasing women’s labour market participation, the principle of gender balance in positions of power and decision-making, increasing the number of women in higher education and research etc. 
We will also take up some of the challenges that still remain, like the situation for Women with Non-Western Ethnic Minority Background. Another possible challenge is linked to the terror attacks 22. July 2011, and the traces of an anti-feminist attitude incorporated in the terrorist’s right wing extremist ideology. 

57th OIKOSNET Europe Annual Conference in Trondheim/Norway starts with a public conference on the Mediatization of Evil

From September 12 to 16, members from all over Europe will gather for their annual conference in Trondheim Norway, invited by the Norwegian Church Academies, starting with a public conference on media, religion and evil, analyzing the wider context of the Breivik case. 
The second focus of the gathering will be a discussion about the future scope and perspective of Oikosnet Europe under the headline "Oikosne(x)t".

"Big eyes and big ears" for bottom-up inspiration - Oikosnet International Board Meeting 2012 in the US

What can we learn from the inspiring new activities of our colleagues in ecumenical centres all over the world? That is the focus for Oikosnet International and its regional associations in different continents. This was the main focus of the work during the Board meeting of Oikosnet International, which was held from June 2 to 6 at Kirkridge Retreat Centre, Pennsylvania, USA.

It is obvious that our members in all continents are facing big challenges, not least regarding their funding. Times have changed towards a much tougher situation for many or them. However, this does not apply to the enthusiasm and creativity of many colleagues all over the world. They develop new activities, find innovative strategies and methods, since the world changes and the way to react has to adapt as well. In the coming years, Oikosnet International will concentrate on communicating such initiatives and methods that have  proven to be helpful in certain situations. The sooner and the better such activities are known by colleagues elsewhere, the more they can learn from it and apply some of the learnings, thus at the same time joining the global community of learning and practice that Oikosnet International can offer. Developing "big eyes and big ears" for sharing first hand contextual knowledge and practice in the global community of Oikosnet International describes the vision for the coming years. Creating a communication environment without bottlenecks that supports this vision is therefore a priority. This is also crucial for staying in contact and supporting Oikosnet members who are facing hard situations. The Board heard dramatic reports about the present situation in Syria and discussed the challenges to a continued presence of Christians in the Middle East . This and reports about other troubled places highlighted the importance of mutual exchange and encouragement, of using our "big eyes and big ears" for designing - if small - transformative steps towards a more just and peaceful world.