Featured Leader - Brita Schmidt of Women for Women International Talks Hope, Leadership, and Human Rights
Posted on Tue, Oct 19, 2010 @ 09:24 PM
Guest post by Kate Stence
Question #1: Tell me a bit about your background.
I was born in Germany but then moved with my parents and brother to Venezuela when I was 14. I then moved to England and studied first at Essex University and then at Sussex University where I did a Masters in Women’s Studies. When I finished my studies, I moved to Brussels and worked there for a while at the European Women’s Lobby, before I moved back to London. After having worked for 10 years at Womankind Worldwide as Head of Programs & Policy, I now work for Women for Women International as Director of Policy & Development as well as serve as a Commissioner for the Women’s National Commission for the United Kingdom. I am married to Jose Luis and we have two daughters, Emma and Sara.
Question #2: Why did you decide to work in the field of human rights, in particular women and girls?
I cannot remember ever really deciding it – it was just a state of being. From my earliest memories, I remember an outrage at injustice and in particular at being treated differently because I was a girl. To see my mother and her relationship with my father and to see my father treating my brother differently to me, asking me to tidy up the table, while my brother was sitting down. Then, of course, seeing the inequality of women in Venezuela, and how women and girls were being treated, how it was absolutely normal to be talked at, and looked at, no matter where you went – as if you were on display.
When I went to university to study Latin American Studies, I soon found myself enrolled in a course on feminism taught by Elaine Showalter, and it was also her who recommended the Masters in Women’s Studies, which I then took. That sealed my fate. I loved the connections I was seeing, and I knew that if there was a way that I could live to change the power dynamics that turn women into second-class citizens then I would.
Question #3: What are the biggest work-related challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them?
I think the biggest challenge is not to lose hope. Everything else is insignificant compared to the importance of keeping the hope, the belief, that change is possible. When you meet a sister in Rwanda who has lost her entire family in the genocide and who has been raped multiple times; when you meet a woman in Bosnia and her 16-year-old daughter, who was conceived through rape; when you meet a girl in Ethiopia who was forced to marry a 60-year-old man when she was 13, then it is really difficult to imagine how you can possibly carry on, how can you possibly ever change this.
Yet, it is those very same women who have taught me that you must NEVER give up, that you must do everything you can to change, to talk about the injustices, to speak up, and do what you can do to ensure that such atrocities do not happen. So, I take this pain, this challenge. And every time I meet another sister, who has endured the most horrendous monstrosities, I become stronger and more fervent in my commitment to feminism, sisterhood, and to speaking out against violence against women as a human rights violation.
Question #4: Tell me about the mentors you have had in your life (male/female).
I have always had mentors, whether formally or informally, but I have learned most from being with other inspirational women. One of my recent mentors, who accompanied me closely over a period of four years, really helped me think through development, gender, women’s rights, and what our role is in the Global North. Tina Wallace has many years of experience working with non-governmental organizations in the Global North and South.
One of the most important lessons she has taught me is that we must never cease to ask questions and we MUST listen.
Question #5: Anything you wish you had known when you were in earlier stages of your career?
Not to be afraid to speak your mind, to be passionate about your beliefs, and not to worry what others might think because you have a strong view on something. Actually, I live my life not really regretting things, because I believe that everything has a time and a place and so it would probably have been boring if I had known this then. What would I be thinking about now? I think the most important thing is to be as true as you can be to yourself.
Question #6: What are leadership qualities you value most in others?
The ability not to abuse power. True leaders inspire leadership in others. I value immensely when I see leaders who are aware of their influence, but they are modest about it and they use it carefully and strategically. Other qualities I value in a leader are the ability to listen and to provide encouragement and inspiration.
Question #7: What is your greatest achievement?
There are so many thing that I feel very happy about. One is my family and how we manage to make time for each other and really value and appreciate each other despite the enormous pressures of everyday life. The other is my team at work and how well we work together, how we respect each other, and how we support each other. I feel it is a great achievement whenever I manage to be true to my values and encourage others to do so, too.
Question #8: Who inspires you?
Where do I start? My husband, because he is able to challenge stereotypes and live a very different life to most men surrounding him. My daughter who is so much wiser and reflective about life than I will ever be, or the girl in Ethiopia I mentioned earlier, or the woman in Rwanda. Of course, there are famous and important women and men who also inspire me, but my real inspiration comes from women and men whom you won’t know; women who are brave, strong, beautiful, who believe in life and who make a difference every day to the people surrounding them. I am inspired by the humanity that I see in such women. We all do extraordinary things every day and I think we should all celebrate this and be inspired by it.
Question #9: Do you have a mission statement or a tenet that you try to live by?
Life is a journey, not a destination. The other is: Relax, take a deep breath, and let go. Letting go is probably the key to a happier life. Letting go of anxieties, fears, expectations – all of which narrow our life so by letting go we will expand our life and be happier and normally then beautiful things happen and change becomes possible. That is how I try to live my life.
Question #10: Do you have work/life balance?
YES. This is so important to me. I passionately believe that to sacrifice your personal life for your work – no matter how important it might be – is a big mistake. I believe you can only give if you are also able to look after yourself. Having my family and a completely other life outside work is what keeps me sane and happy, and vice versa. I have always worked and will always work for women’s rights – I cannot imagine it any other way. But, it has always been about balancing work and personal life.
Associate Editor of the International Museum of Women’s Her Blueprint, Kate Stence is a writer, editor, and an avid endurance runner. She has studied 18th Century Literature at the University of California Berkeley, feminist theory at Mills College, the French language at the Sorbonne, creative writing at New York University and the University of Iowa, as well as poetry at the Barnard Center for Research on Women. In 2010, she completed the 85th Comrades Marathon, a 56 mile endurance event in South Africa, for Girls on the Run International and SoleMates. Currently, she races and trains in Paris, France for Run for Congo Women.