THE BEAR FACTS December 2025 |
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Dear {Contact_First_Name},
Today marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign that runs from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day).
This year’s theme is on digital violence - a growing threat affecting women and girls worldwide. Studies show that up to 58% of women and girls have experienced digital violence, and 90–95% of deepfake videos target women.
AWC Berlin is dedicating these 16 days to raising awareness about digital violence across our social media channels. Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about the issues and discover how each of us can help create a safer digital world.
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It's hard to believe the holiday season is already upon us. December is a busy month, especially in Germany where we have St. Nikolaus (December 6), the Advent Calendar countdown (December 1-24) and the celebration of the Advent Sundays prior to Christmas.
We have several festivities to celebrate the holiday season together:
December 4th - Annual General Meeting and Holiday Dinner (evening)
December 14th - Christmas Market Crawl (daytime)
December 19th - Holiday Cookies Exchange (daytime)
December 19th - Christmas Concert in the Berliner Dom (evening)-------- As 2025 draws to a close, I would like to thank my Board of Directors 2025 (Alex, Nelly, Barbara, Karen and Renee), as well as our dozens of Club volunteers, for your dedicated work this year. Whether it's organizing events, updating our calendar, or paying our bills, many hands make light work. I look forward to thanking you all more personally at the AGM on the 4th.
xo
My-Linh, on behalf of the Board of Directors 2025 |
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My-Linh Kunst
President, The American Women's Club of Berlin The AWC Berlin is 100% member-run - we always welcome and appreciate your contribution, feedback and suggestions. Please email president@awcberlin.org. **Please note that, depending on your email program, you may need to click “View entire message” to see the Newsletter in its entirety.** |
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WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS!
Emily Bereskin
Margareth Beshoff Renate Burstein Amanda Bush Diana Calado Emma Gerritsen Debra Guckenheimer Victoria Seifert Darynn Zimmer |
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If you know of anyone in our club who is going through a difficult time—whether it's due to illness, loss, or another challenge—please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Member Care team at membership@awcberlin.org. We’re here to offer support and encouragement when it’s needed most.
Thank you for helping us care for one another! |
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SPECIAL EVENT: 2025 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & HOLIDAY DINNER
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Thursday, December 4, 2025, starting at 6pm
You are invited to join us for the 2025 Annual General Meeting and Holiday Dinner. During the AGM, we’ll celebrate our 10th anniversary since the club's Re.Launch in 2015, elect our 2026 Board of Directors, vote for a new Constitution and enjoy a festive holiday dinner. There is also a little SURPRISE and our annual Raffle to raise funds for our charity, Donya Residence. Don’t miss it!
You are welcome to bring guests who might want to become members of AWC Berlin and your partner is also invited to dinner.
All Club members are invited to the Annual General Meeting. If you would prefer to attend the meeting only and not stay for dinner, please register for the event listing "AGM - not staying for dinner" so that we can keep a clear count.
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'Tis the Season to Give: Check Your Closets for Items for Wildwasser e.V. & DonyA
Wildwasser e.V. and DonyA have NEW REQUESTS for household essentials as they've had to replace many items recently. This cozy season is the perfect time to practice generosity, you might be surprised what's already in your home that could make a real difference!
What's Needed (see full list via link below):
✓ Kitchen essentials (pots, pans, appliances, cutlery, storage containers)
✓ Bedding and linens (sheets, towels, pillows, blankets, hot water bottles)
✓ Home basics (lamps, curtains, small furniture, bookshelves)
✓ Tech items (smartphones, charging cables, monitors, laptops)
✓ Personal care (hair dryers, running shoes sizes 36-42, new underwear)
✓ Games and activities (board games, sports equipment, art supplies)
A Family Giving Project: Get your teens and young adults involved! Let them help identify items to donate, shop for a new set of towels together, or pick out board games and sports gear to share.
How to Donate:
✓ New or like-new items only (good condition household items accepted)
✓ Drop off at Nelly H.'s (Zehlendorf) or Kirsten O'R.'s (Prenzlauer Berg for smaller items)
- Send directly to Wildwasser e.V.
- Donation receipts available for new purchases
See full LIST | Donation INSTRUCTIONS
Know someone who can help with larger items or vouchers? Questions? Contact Kendra: philanthropy.awcberlin@gmail.com
Wildwasser e.V. is deeply grateful for every thoughtful donation.
Many thanks,
Kendra Valentine
philanthropy.awcberlin@gmail.com 
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CLUB VOLUNTEERS CORNER: NEW VOLUNTEERS/NEW ACTIVITIES
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WE NEED YOUR (WOMEN)POWER!
The club runs on volunteer power. We can only offer as much as we have volunteers for, so would you consider joining one of our teams to bring new energy and ideas to the club? Please let My-Linh know at president@awcberlin.org. We need help in the following areas:
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Monthly newsletter: are you interested in creating an electronic newsletter like ours? Gwen, our newsletter editor, could use a hand.
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Neighborhood Coordinator(s) for Charlottenburg
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(Co)-Coordinator for the following activities: Women’s Salon, Professional Women’s Networking, Excursions (Day Trips)
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Or start a new activity!
You can also join one of our Teams:
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AWC Berlin is a founding member of FAWCO, a network of American and international women's clubs around the world. As a member of AWC Berlin, you are automatically also a member of FAWCO, connecting you to philanthropy and advocacy on a global scale. Learn more at FAWCO.org. Go to www.fawco.org to register and subscribe to receive FAWCO newsletters, and for additional information, contact our FAWCO Rep, Veronica Riffle, at fawco.awcberlin@gmail.com
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Region 5 Meeting 2025 Heidelberg Reporting back
Let me preface this by saying this was not my first professional conference but it was my first experience with a FAWCO Conference and it was one of the most amazing experiences for me. What a gathering of learned, wise, energetic, enthusiastic women this was! The agenda was packed with a variety of activities that were thought provoking, informative, creative and even somewhat controversial.
READ MORE
FAWCO global conference
FAWCO’s Interim Meeting (so named because there is no Board election - therefore it’s shorter than the Biennial Conference) is March 20–22, 2026 in Malta. As an AWC Berlin member, you are invited to attend. It’s a great opportunity to meet clubs from all over the world. Hope to see you there! FAWCO Interim Meeting in Malta (login required).
FAWCO Foundation Education Awards
I encourage you to apply for The FAWCO Foundation's education awards. There are 13 education awards of $5000 each for members, members' children and grandchildren, usually with not very many applicants. So check them out: EDUCATION AWARDS, and let me know if you need any help. So give it a go and good luck!
Sister Club with Naples Event
On November 12th we held our inaugural event with the AIWCNaples Club. Six members of the Naples club and four members from our club participated. After club and participant introductions, we moved into breakout rooms to discuss the theme”What would you recommend I see/do when visiting your city?” The discussions were lively and quite friendly and all participants agreed that we should schedule another event soon. I hope you will consider joining in. Dates will be published on Wild Apricot and the Weekly News. |
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Calendar of Upcoming FAWCO Events in December |
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We're very excited for everyone to read our Art Works issue, out December 4th. You can subscribe for free to have it automatically delivered to your inbox! Encourage your fellow club members, friends and family to do so, too.
In the meantime, don't miss our most recent issue, The Phases of Womanhood to be inspired and uplifted by several personal journeys of FAWCO and FAUSA women, including six AWC Berlin members: Claudia Tessier (page 50), Kim Douglass (page 51), Elizabeth Kang (page 51), Rebecca Kimmons (page 57), Vivian Birn (page 62) and Dina Honour (page 91).
Please follow us on Facebook so you stay up to date with everything we're doing. |
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AWC BERLIN DECEMBER EVENTS |
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WEEKLY - NEW PLAYERS WELCOME Tennis Winter Season 13.09.2025-10.04.2026 Tuesday int/Adv., 10am-12pm Wednesday int/ beginner 10am-12pm Thursday beginner 10am-12pm Contact Ferah at ferahlaue@gmail.com for more info. WEEK OF DECEMBER 1 Potluck with a Difference - Women Who Gather
Tuesday, December 2, 7-10pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & HOLIDAY DINNER
Thursday, December 4, 6-10pm
WEEK OF DECEMBER 8
German Conversation
Monday, December 8, 9:30-10:30am
Regular Book Club (Zoom meeting)
Tuesday, December 9, 7-9pm
Intimate Gathering with American Academy Fellow William Hitchcock
Wednesday, December 10, 7pm
Art & Culture: Max Ernst to Dorothea Tanning
Thursday, December 11, 11am-1pm
Classical Music Event at the Philharmonie - 60 Years of the Philharmonic Organ
Thursday, December 11, 7pm
Monthly Coffee Morning, aka Kaffee Klatsch
Friday, December 12, 10:30am-12pm
Southwest Stammtisch
Saturday, December 13, 10:30am-12pm
Christmas Market "Crawl"
Sunday, December 14, 1-5pm
WEEK OF DECEMBER 15
German Conversation
Monday, December 15, 9:30-10:30am
Art & Culture: Guided Tour of the Konzerthaus Monday, December 15, 3-4pm
Art & Culture: Artist Talk - Jean Collier Hurley
Wednesday, December 17, 1-2pm
Women & Finance: Season 5 - Artificial Intelligence (Zoom)
Thursday, December 18, 7-8:30pm
Holiday Cookie Exchange
Friday, December 19, 11am-1pm
Christmas Concert in the Berliner Dom: J.S. Bach Weichnactsoratorium
Friday, December 19, 8-9:30pm
WEEK OF DECEMBER 22
German Conversation
Monday, December 22, 9:30-10:30am
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AWC BERLIN ONLINE AWC members can manage their account, access the membership directory and sign up for events by logging into their AWC member account. You can access your account from your smartphone via the Wild Apricot Mobile app, or simply by going on any computer with internet and visiting the "Members Login" area of the AWC Berlin website. Calendar and Event Registration As a reminder, AWC Berlin members must log in with a user name and password to access events on our calendar and register for them. So that we know to expect you, please remember to register for events you wish to attend.
IN THE MEMBERS ONLY AREA, you can:
- Register for and cancel events
- See your event registration
- Add events to personal calendar
- See who else is going
- Much more...
Step 1: Go to the AWC website and click "Members Login" (request new password from the website if needed). Manage your events from the calendar.
Step 2: You could also download the Wild Apricot Member app to your smartphone or tablet and use your website login on the app.
Step 3: Poke around and get familiar with the tools. See the Instruction Guide for detailed steps and pictures of set up and navigation. Currently, the event registration feature of the app is not available to Android users, but otherwise the app is fine for Android users. Questions? email membership@awcberlin.org |
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ARE YOU USING OUR MOBILE APP ?
AWC’s events calendar and membership directory live on a platform called Wild Apricot. Download the Wild Apricot App for Members to view and register for events, and access the membership directory. You can also add events to your personal calendar with just a click. |
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Logging In: You will have to log in the first time, using the same email and password you use for the AWC website member login (see AWC website section of this document).
Navigating: When first logging in, update your profile before registering for events. Select the Members tab to access the Members Directory. You can view and register for Events From the Events tab (iPhone only). To cancel your registration, go to “My Tickets”, click on the event, and click “Cancel”. If you have any questions, please write to: membership@awcberlin.org |
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AWC BERLIN FACEBOOK POLICY The AWC Berlin Private Members Only Facebook group is open to current members only and is a casual, respectful and friendly forum for member announcements (for example, babies! weddings!, etc.), discussion, information and questions regarding AWC-related topics and/or life in Berlin. Thank you for your cooperation! AWC Berlin Facebook Page | AWCB Website |
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AWC BERLIN WHATSAPP COMMUNITY
AWC Berlin has a WhatsApp Community where all of our WhatsApp groups reside. If you are the administrator on a WhatsApp group that is not already in our "AWC Berlin" Community, please email membership@awcberlin.org. The benefits of a Community include:
- Visibility into all AWC Berlin-related WhatsApp groups.
- Group chats are restricted to group members, but as a Community member, you can see the title and description of all the groups. If you are eligible to join based on the group's description, you are welcome to "ask to join" any of the groups.
- Administrators can make announcements to the whole community (e.g., for last-minute event info)
Currently, we have the following WhatsApp groups which are run by an array of amazing coordinators:
Neighborhoods: Charlottenburg, Westend, Schöneberg/Wilmersdorf, Mitte, Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer-Berg/Friedrichshain, Reinickendorf, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Brandenburg
Interests: Advocacy and Human Rights, Afternoon Concerts, Berlinale, Book Club Charlottenburg, Book Club Southwest, Bowling, Citizenship, Classical Music, Community Volunteering, FAWCO, German learners, JFKS Families, Movie-Goers, Philanthropy, Professional Networking, Spanish, U30, U40, Vegan, Women on the Move - and a Travel Group is in the process of forming!
If you use WhatsApp and are not yet in the Community, write Nelly at membership@awcberlin.org - she will add you.
Our WHATSAPP policies are similar to our FACEBOOK policies
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Please do not post charity donation requests or political items not related to the AWC Berlin.
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No self-promotion. You are invited to let us know about your business on MARKETING MONDAY - in our private FACEBOOK group. Be sure to preface your post with MARKETING MONDAY. No more than one post per member each Monday.
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When in doubt, please send your questions to membership@awcberlin.org.
Thank you for your cooperation!
AWC Berlin Facebook Page | AWCB Website |
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