About us
From a group’s own initiative to the Amazone association
The initiative of a group of girls led to the establishment of the association in 1998 under the name “Kecke Quecke” by setting up the first Girls’ Centre in Vorarlberg and was renamed Amazone in 2001 by the visitors at the Girls’ Centre. Although main focus was on feminist girls’ work of women and girls for girls during the first few years, the Amazone association has been focusing on the development of gender equitable work for the creation of gender equality since 2011, with the objective of also strengthening girls in mixed-gender contexts and to continue consolidating girls’ work with other gender-educational approaches. This expansion of the fields of activity called for a corresponding organisational development. The realisation of the core work areas vocational training, health, violence, culture, multimedia, work, politics and sexuality is carried out with a feminist mindset using access to education and promotion in the three columns of activity:
- the Girls’ Centre with homogeneous gender offers and services such as a café, work shop, rehearsal room, workshops and Girls4Girls activities for girls between 10 and 18,
- the Guidance Service for girls and young women and their parents or guardians as well as
- the Special Gender Department, which offers measures for the deconstruction of gender role models with and for girls, boys, adults, institutions and the entire public.
The interlacing of practical projects with offers for qualification and further education in the Amazone association enables access, which emanates from the girls and their living environments. The Peer education or the Peer to Peer approach still has an effect on all activities in the association. The girls are the key members! They get the ball rolling and with the help of the association’s know-how, a structure is developed, to pursue the vision of a gender equitable world together.
The association, which started with a practical project for girls, has turned into a central facility for gender work from girls’ perspective in Vorarlberg and beyond the national borders.
And, despite the success...
There is a lack of sufficient structural promotion. The insufficient structural coverage is still being compensated for through high organisational and project management costs. And, the staff members of the Amazone association are still battling with a great uncertainty of their employment. A lack of funding should not be the reason for failing to provide promotion and support for girls. A continuous provision of respective funds is required, to couple girls’ work with youth work and to ensure it on a permanent basis, in order to achieve a more equitable distribution of funds.
Contact
From the train station in Bregenz:
Head towards the town centre/pedestrian zone (across the large car park along the row of houses on your right). Then, cross the Montfortstraße at the traffic light, continue straight ahead and make a right into the Kaiserstraße before the Kleiderbauer. Continue up that road until you reach the GWL shopping centre. Then, continue up the road - a sign “Kirchstraße” is hanging across the road. Follow the narrow Kirchstraße until the road forks at the pub “Uwe’s Bierbar”. Keep right and continue until you reach house number 39 on the left side of the road (across from the Landesarchiv).
The Amazone door is heavy, made of dark wood and has a sign with the name “Amazone” on it. The door is opened during the opening hours of the Girls’ Centre - just come in!
You can find us on the 2nd floor outside the opening hours of the Girls’ Centre - just ring the bell!
The Amazone association is located in an older house on an inclined road. There is an elevator however, the rooms are unfortunately not handicapped accessible. The way to Amazone is also not an easy one for wheelchair users for example. It is important to us that all girls can benefit from the offers and services at the Amazone association. Please contact one of the staff members; we are more than happy to help!
Always willing to listen to what you have to say
Guidance Service for girls and young women
If you have something difficult to deal with or you need someone to listen, you can come by during the opening hours of the Girls’ Centre and talk to us. Sometimes problems seem to be unsolvable and you feel like you’re in over your head. That takes more than just one conversation. We support you with difficulties you may have with family or friends or with questions regarding relationships, sexuality, contraception, vocational training, bullying or whatever else is burdening you. We are always willing to listen to what you have to say!
We’re on your side!
Our offers and services are free!
We treat your concerns with strict confidentiality!
Simply come by, call 05574 45801 or write an email to Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!
Special Gender Department
The Special Gender Department sees itself as a facility for promoting education and competence in all questions and topics regarding gender work with an overall focus on feminist girls’ work. The girls’ work perspective, the mixed-gender perspective and the perspective of development, qualification and awareness raising are integrated into the Special Gender Department. Measures for the deconstruction of gender role models with and for girls, boys, adults, institutions and interested parties are offered in these three perspectives.
The realisation of this work is carried out using access to education and promotion in regard to the following eight topics, which became apparent during many years of work: work, vocational training, health, violence, culture, multimedia, politics and sexuality.
The area Qualification includes information on lectures, seminars, specialist counselling and work materials.
Furthermore, the wide range of the professional work is evident in the projects devised and accompanied by the Amazone association. The already concluded reference projects provide additional impressions.
Trained Peers act as role models for other adolescents in many of the association’s services.
Moreover, the association works with a trained pool of instructors, who pass on their expertise as needed and in doing so, consolidates the approaches of girls’ and boys’ work.
The AmazoneThek includes a selected offer of specialist literature, trade magazines, films and work material on gender and girls’ work as well as on the eight topic areas of the Amazone association.
Publications and information about the Amazone association’s exhibitions are listed in the respective menu items. These are available to download or borrow.
Video clips can be accessed at: www.youtube.com/MZAmazone
Welcome to the virtual Amazone!
Here in the girls’:zone, YOU and YOUR interests as girls take centre stage. You can test yourself, catch up on things, get creative or simply just relax.
The Amazone Girls’ Centre is a youth centre for girls only! Here, girls between 10 and 18 can experiment in the work shop, get information about their future profession in the communication room and surf on the Internet, develop pictures in the dark room, play tabletop football, relax in the café and listen to music, romp about in the exercise room, have sound sessions in the rehearsal room, talk about problems in the South Seas room and much more during opening hours!
In addition to numerous workshops and events, there are many activities in the Girls’ Centre, which the girls organise themselves: video sessions, birthday parties, sleepovers, dances, board games in the afternoon and much more. The more colourful your ideas are and the more committed you are, the more versatile the event will be.
We captured the greatest moments in our Photo Album! Have a look!
girls only
As you may have noticed, some pages have a girls only stamp. This stamp immediately lets you know: this event is for girls only! Neither boys or parents or instructors can participate. This stamp shows you, this is YOUR area. It’s only about YOU here.
The Amazone association is located in an older house on an inclined road. There is an elevator however, the rooms are unfortunately not handicapped accessible. The way to Amazone is also not an easy one for wheelchair users for example. It is important to us that all girls can benefit from the offers and services at Amazone. Please contact one of the staff members; we are more than happy to help!
Come visit us. The Amazone is looking forward to meeting you!