Heidi MEINZOLT

Heidi MEINZOLT

A true European = quadrilingual: german, english french and italian …

I was born, and lived during my school and university career in and around Munich/Germany. For some years, I experienced alternative living at the countryside in a farmhouse, family life with 2 sons growing up happily. It was a fabulous experience to know and understand more about nature, commons, production of good food and commitment for a better world. This period formed an ecological consciousness, which you never lose again. Due to good friends, I learned a lot about the interconnectedness of ecology, peace and feminism.

Career

While I was teaching French, Italian and physical education in a high school, I got involved with the Green Party and enjoyed political engagement on different levels – the most interesting was in the board of the European Greens during the period of the end of the cold war and the vision that East-West confrontation will be overcome. I left the Greens in 2000 when Germany under a red-green government participated for the 1st time since WW2 in war.

In my school, I introduced methods of global learning and conflict moderation and promoted cultural exchange programs and North-South activities.

Commitments

Since the early 80th, I joined Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom/WILPF in Germany (www.wilpf.de), profited of my experiences and connections on the European level to gender views on democratic participation and non-violent conflict regulations. In 2015, I founded together with wonderful women the “Working group on women and gender realities in the OSCE region” within a network of Human rights organisations in the the Civil Solidarity Platform (www.civicsolidarity.org).

In Germany, I participate in networks, such as “Human rights forum”, “Women’s Security Council” and “Alliance of UNSCR1325”, in national and international expert meetings and hearings on feminist politics, disarmament, economic and environmental justice, migration.

In 2018, I was elected member of the International Board of WILPF, as European representative. Our actual project www.womenvotepeace.com is a great achievement in linking 100 years of “Her-story” to actual challenges for Peace.

I met her in Berlin in 2014 then in the Centenial Congress in The Hague in 2015, and I am still in contct with her. (Brigitte CASSIGNEUL)

27th February 2019