10 March, 2015 (8:30 to 10:00 am) Empowerment of Women

Parallel Side Event of the 59th CSW

The Foundation for Subjective Experience and Research S.E.R. in collaboration with ERGOSOMA International and the US Federation for Middle East Peace is pleased to invite you to a Parallel Side Event on

Date: Tuesday, March 10th, 2015,

Time:  from 8.30 a.m. to 10 a.m.,
Place: Armenian Convention Center,

Room: V Hall, 630 2nd Avenue (at 35th street), New York, NY 10017

Empowerment of Women

Welcome :    Marion Glaser, S.E.R.Foundation D

Opening Remarks:  Josefine Brecht, President UN NGO Affairs and Herminia T. Littleton, S.E.R. Foundation D

                              Moderator:   Dorothy Habig, S.E.R. Foundation D

Speakers:    Mrs. Sally Kader, President of the US Federation for Middle East Peace; Increasing the Role and Participation of Women in the Peace Process

ERGOSOMA® International (Andrea Hattendorf, Dr. rer. medic. Markus Koehl, Anke Schmidt-Bratzel, Monika Volkmer); Sustainable Public Health Development for Women: How to enhance resilience and empathic perception of women?  -interactive-

Felicitas Hoffmann, S.E.R. Foundation Germany, Judge; Reconciliation through Women's Power Feminine Virtues: A New Perspective on and Approach to Women´s Empowerment

Enfoldment of women on an inner and external level through empowerment has been a cornerstone of the Beijing Declaration for 20 years. In observance of the Declaration, many of the MDGs tackled vital physical preconditions for women´s health and inclusion in society. For a sustainable transfiguration of the complex and deeply rooted obstacles the world today faces in an increasingly pressing way, it becomes more crucial than before to invigorate women on all levels. Respect for life, nature, well-being of the other and peace are expressions and natural consequences of an empowerment of innate female perspectives and forces. The speakers advance the subject focusing on the relevance of women for peace processes, the power of female virtues and empathic perception and provide best practices. 

Vita of Speakers:
Josefine Brecht
President for UN NGO Affairs of the Foundation for Subjective Experience and Research S.E.R.  and Member of the Board of Directors of the S.E.R. Foundation Germany. She holds three state Examinations and worked full time as a middle school teacher / Junior High School for 10-17-year old pupils for more than 30 years and is now retired. Since 2000 she has been doing work on a voluntary basis as PRO Media Officer and UN DPI NGO Representative for the S.E.R. Foundation.

Birgit Bilitz

Presiding Chairwoman Board of Directors Ergosoma Foundation Germany, Ergosoma practitioner, Coordinator KiMuKu - a children’s cultural program, Member of S.E.R. Foundation, Secretary of Civil Affairs, one daughter, lives in Goettingen, Germany.

Sally (Salwa) Kader

President and the Founder of the United States Federation for Middle East Peace (USFMEP), a non-profit organization promoting the United Nations' Principle and commitment to Human Rights and to international peace and justice. Mrs. Kader is well known and respected as public speaker in interfaith Dialogue; she has spoken at the UN headquarters and across the continental US, in Europe and throughout the Middle East to a wide variety of audiences.  Mrs. Kader regularly lectures around the world and participated in panels for Interfaith Dialogue with Christian, Muslim, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists. She hosted and lectured at UNHQ to unprecedented delegation of 30 Rabbis and Imams from 11 European countries first ever at the United Nations to bridge the gap between religions.  She has appeared on numerous media. She is a recipient of numerous international awards from many governments and organizations worldwide for promoting Peace and Interfaith Understanding, her work with Empowerment of Women and Human Rights her latest were the United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) awards recognition in 2010. She traveled internationally to lead Peace conferences and Forum focusing on mutual respect and better understanding the religious philosophies, cultures, history and affairs of the Middle East and the West. Youth empowerment is a priority for Mrs. Kader, and she has led and participated in programs for leadership, peace, and cross-cultural understanding among young people. These have included the Sports for Peace Walk and the international Youth Sports Program, which brought young Muslims and Christian children together to foster a culture of peace. Mrs. Kader is an Ambassador for Children in Slavery – the 21^st Century Campaign, and has extended her fight for children’s rights to the internet by working with the Virtual Global Task Force. She has worked with orphanages and youth centers in countries like Egypt, Kenya and Morocco.  She is a global peace advocate who tirelessly leads efforts to build bridges between the United States, the Arab and Muslim world; She hosted, spoke and lectured on topics including Human Rights, Human Trafficking; Her study in comparative religion and conflict resolution at Harvard University and understanding the Children’s Rights and Women Rights gives her an advantage to speak on these subjects. 

Due to the efforts of Mrs. Kader, the USFMEP has established chapters across the world.  The USFMEP has hosted conferences, seminars, workshops, roundtables and public forums.  In addition to her activities pursuing peace and reconciliation in the Middle East; Mrs. Kader advocates, not only concern for human trafficking on the street, also over the Internet.  Mrs. Kader works with the Virtual Global Task Force, which is the first international operational, law enforcement task force to protect children worldwide over the Internet.

Felicitas Hoffmann
Member of the Board of Directors of the S.E.R. Foundation Germany, has served as UN NGO representative of the S.E.R. Foundation in New York from 2003 on a voluntary basis, invitations to speak on aspects of reconciliation on panels related to UN conferences in New York. Since 1989 judge at the District Court of Duesseldorf/Germany, in between also at a Superior Court, with priority on law of guardianship (adults) and on civil law, trainings in `Focusing´ (Gendlin), current training in Ergosoma.

Barbara Helmbrecht

Chairwoman Board of Directors Ergosoma Foundation Germany, on the Committee of Ergosoma teachers, Ergosoma teacher and practitioner, Pharmacist, Alternative health practitioner, Member of S.E.R. Foundation, lives in Goettingen, Germany.

Anke Schmidt-Bratzel
Editor Public Broadcasting Union ARD/ NDR, UN NGO Representative, Ergosoma Practitioner, former Member Board of Directors S.E.R. Foundation 2005-2014, former Chairwoman/Presiding Chairwoman S.E.R. Foundation Council 1996-2005, Scholarship by the German Merit Foundation, MA Political Sciences, Theater/Media Sciences, Roman Literature, studied in Germany and Italy, married, three children, lives in Hamburg, Germany.

Monika Volkmer     
Member of the Committee of Ergosoma Teachers, Ergosoma Teacher and Practitioner, Alternative Health Practitioner, Ayurvedic Therapist, Trainer for stress-management, Participant of a research at the University Witten /Herdecke, in Germany on the effectiveness of Ergosoma concerning different physical parameters. Studied Geography, married, four children, lives in Goettingen, Germany

Herminia T. Littleton, BA, MA.
Past Program Director, Center Director YWCA Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA
Retired Academic Advisor/Career Counselor, Advisor International Students & Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society, Coordinator, Services to Disabled Students. Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, Maryland, USA

Andrea Hattendorf
Nurse, Member of the Network in the Health System and of the Committee of Ergosoma Teachers, Ergosoma Teacher and Practitioner, Member of S.E.R. Foundation, Participant of a research at the University Witten /Herdecke, in Germany on the effectiveness of Ergosoma concerning different physical parameters, Coordinator of a Complementary Health Care Congress at the Klinikum Oldenburg, married, lives in Oldenburg, Germany.

Dorothy   Habig, B.Mus., M.Ed. UN NGO Representative in N.Y., Member of the S.E.R. Foundation, professional musician: former French hornist; New Jersey Symphony, U.S.A.,Basel Radio Orchestra, Switzerland, Stuttgarter Philharmonic, Germany, Hamburg State Opera, Germany, concert singer, professional accompanist, former school teacher- music (gr. 1-12) New York City, Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.,Ergosom practitioner,, translator, residence: Hamburg, Germany  

Marion Charlotte Glaser, Teacher for “special” education, Ergosom practitioner,

founding member of the S.E.R. Foundation, co-organizer of the Waldhof gGmbH,

UN NGO Representative, married, lives in Wuppertal, Germany

Dr. rer. medic. Markus Koehl
Dr. rer. medic. Markus Koehl studied art and literature and wrote his dissertation about Ergosoma and the processes of perception. He worked in medical research to analyze  widened apperception and empathy. In addition to his scientific work at the University Medical School Hamburg he is working as executive secretary for the research institute ISER (info@i-ser.de). His main actual field of research is obesity and physical feeling for prevention and management of obesity. He is supporting science for old people and a new form of living in a retirement home. He is also coordinating projects for the Baltic Sea Forum.