The Older Women’s Network, Europe is a recently established foundation (Stichting) registered in the Netherlands (January 2008).

It seeks to work with and through NGOs, the public and independent (private) sectors and other stakeholders to improve the lives of older women by influencing policy development and change at European, national and local level.

The foundation’s principal aims are to:

promote networking in order to share the knowledge, skills and experiences of older women across Europe
challenge the negative stereotypes of age, gender, race, disability, sexuality and faith/religion/belief
affirm the rights and capacity of older women through self-help, social groups and political activity to contribute to policy development at local, national and international levels
work across cultures and generations recognising that age discrimination is a life-course issue
work with the EU and its institutions to mainstream gender and age across all aspects of policy
work with researchers across Europe and internationally to provide the evidence base to inform policy.

OWN, Europe is run and managed by a Board of up to nine individuals. All Board members are active in their own countries at local, regional or national level.

Our principle areas of interest include:

Working with European NGOs on policy development and change

Mainstreaming gender and age equality in public sector policy

Dissemination of good practice in gender and age equality

Working with the research community across Europe and internationally to provide the evidence base to inform policy development at local, national or international level.

The OWN, Europe foundation has been built and developed from the rich experience of the OWN Europe membership organisation which ran from 1994 – 2007.

Alvy Derks, Chair

Since 1995 she is involved as a volunteer in the work of and
for older women. Born in Suriname (South America) she is
especially interested in migrant women. Her main activities
are concentrated on banning age-discrinimation and social
exclusion of older people and giving older women a voice
at local, national and international level.

Elizabeth Sclater, Executive Officer

Elizabeth has been passionate about age and gender equality for over 20 years. As a local government officer in London, she has had experience of mainstreaming equality across a large public sector organisation. Following her retirement in July 2007, Elizabeth is active locally, as a member of OWN, Lewisham and in supporting the development of an older people’s project promoting independence and wellbeing. She is also a member of two national older people’s advisory groups. One has been set up by to advise the director of the New Dynamics of Ageing Research Programme (NDA) and the other advises the recently established UK Equality and Human Rights Commission. As a member of EURAG and the International Gray Panthers, she represents older people, and in particular older women, at the UN in New York and Geneva.

Maria Teresa Marziali, Treasurer

I was born and live in Central Italy.

The social construction of Europe has been a great part of my interests since 1991, when I met Elizabeth Sclater, Gender issues are core in my job.

I worked for and with women both at Institutional and local Movements levels for 25 years.

Presently I am a teacher on Adult Education and on the Autobiographical writing approach in Education.

Enrica Mata, member board of Arts Fundation

I have spent my working life in the Barcelona Municipality as an expert on Equal Opportunities and on planning services for older people.

Presently I am a member of the Board of the Arts Foundation “Felicia Fuster, which helps women artists and orphans with University fees.

My interests have a focus on health, spirituality and meditation and I volunteer to accompany terminal sick to death.

Annikki Korhonen, Board member

Master of Arts. She has been working in Finnish Red Cross as specialist of social services till 1984 and from 1984 she has been working in Stakes (National Research and Development Center of Social and Healh Affairs) as senior adviser until 2001. She is a member of the board of different volantary organisations, boardmember of OWN since 1998.
She is married, mother of three kids and the grandmother of seven grandchldren.

Els Messelis

Doctoral Candidate, Free University of Brussels, 2002-2007
MA, Social Gerontology, Free University of Brussels, 1999
BA, Education Sciences, VIVO College, Belgium, 1997
BA, Social Medical Sciences, Free University of Brussels, 1997
BA, Social Work, IPSOC College, Belgium, 1986

Coordinator Training Senior Consultants, Lector and Staff Member in the Higher Institute for Family Sciences, Brussels
Director of LACHESIS, Office of Expertise on Ageing and Gender (Education and Research 50+ women and 50+ men), Roeselare
Member of the Belgian Society for Gerontology and Geriatrics
Member of the Commission for social participation of the elderly (Flemish Council for Older People)
Member of RHEA, Research Centre for Gender and Diversity
Chair of workgroup older people (Flemish Women Council)