ROOTS AND WINGS

“Two things children should get from their parents: Roots and wings.” What the quotation describes can still be profitable for many people in adulthood: to become aware of one’s own roots and to use them to realise their full potential. The demand on women to live up to the ubiquitous ideal of beauty in the media is omnipresent and perhaps stronger than ever before. Mothers in particular suffer under pressure to be as “insta-perfect” as possible in their various areas of life. Yet there have always been traditions that were carried by strong women beyond the common beauty ideals and that convey an image of these strong women.

You don’t have to be slim or young to be an expressive flamenco dancer. The old folk songs sung in the Baltic states contributed to the “Singing Revolution”, and the singing festivals that emerged from this also focus on community rather than individual appearance.

We want to look together at which traditions can help women in today’s world to have self-confidence beyond the modern beauty craze. In the form of e-postcards and in the context of and adult education courses, the results of the exchange will be disseminated and contribute to an awareness of a European solidarity, which can make women strong for the challenges of today.