HANAU, Germany -- Volunteers from throughout Europe will gather in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, April 29 to May 3 to enhance their professional and personal development opportunities.
The 51st annual American Women's Activities Germany Conference will host 65 distinct classes and nearly 50 speakers from Europe and the United States, said Juliet Davidson, AWAG chairperson.
With the theme, "AWAG ... Key to Success," the conference aims to enhance the skills and know-how of people who are contributing enormously to improving U.S. military communities in Europe, Davidson said.
And with the Department of Defense facing tighter budgets annually, Davidson pointed out that the value of volunteerism is growing.
"We feel that volunteers are key to our success and to everyone's quality of life here," she said. "We know how hard it is to get people with enhanced training and expertise."
While core classes will address topics such as managing organization finances and fostering German-American relationships, conference delegates can also expect to find a wide variety of classes geared toward helping them personally.
"We'll have classes on how to become a motivational speaker, topics on raising your children and advice on how to get through the hard times as a military family," Davidson noted.
Networking is another critical element of the AWAG Conference. "Our goal is to link everyone together," Davidson explained. "We want to make AWAG a one-stop shop for volunteers."
"We're very excited about the upcoming conference," Davidson said, adding that volunteers can expect to find many new features at this year's event. "We want them to discover the new face of AWAG, a new way of doing business. We look forward to hearing feedback - which will be critical - from delegates after the conference."
Besides providing skills that all volunteers can use, the conference classes also are force multipliers of sorts, Davidson said. "We want participants to return home and share what they've learned in their communities - to share the wealth."
For more on AWAG, visit their website at www.awag.us.
(Karl Weisel works in U.S. Army Garrison Hessen, Germany, Public Affairs Office)
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