History

How WiN came about

For many years there have been in two European countries – Sweden and Switzerland – very successful women’s groups in nuclear & energy information. In Switzerland, Frauen für Energie was initiated and chaired by Irene Aegerter, while Sweden’s Kvinnor och energie grew under the leadership of Agneta Rising. Both these ladies have long been active in the Information Committee of ENS and have talked about their experiences to the ENS PIME workshops for nuclear public information executives.
Proposed by Ms Aegerter and Rising, and endorsed by the ENS Information Committee (Chairman: Mr. Juhani Santaholma), a first seminar “Women and Nuclear” took place in Ascona, Switzerland on January 26, 1990. This was the start of a venture which resulted in the creation of WIN. (after WiNFO No.1,1993)

A brief look back

At the first PIME (Public Information Materials Exchange) in 1988 - initiated by the ENS information committee - information programs for women as target public were discussed. But only three “nuclear women” were attending. At the second PIME 1989, a round table with six ladies and one gentleman from six countries debated the subject women and nuclear energy. This was the starting point. One year later in January 1990, the ENS information committee organized a special women’s meeting, “Women and Nuclear Energy” chaired by Agneta Rising (Sweden) in Ascona, Switzerland. From then on, at each PIME meeting, the information committee made room for a Sunday afternoon meeting of the participating ladies. It was mainly dedicated to exchanges on the different approaches of women’s work in various countries. But in fact, these women meetings were just an appendix to PIME.

Only at the first special meeting in May 1992 in Helsinki, organized by the Finnish group “Energy Channel” was WiN established with a leading group. At the group’s first meeting in November 1992 in Zurich- elected Irene Aegerter (Switzerland) as its chair-person. It adopted the WiN Charter and set out the information work program for 1993, which includes the constitutional meeting of the WiN Organization on the opening day of PIME ’93 in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, on sunday January 31(picture); the annual WiN meeting in Paris, July 7-9: the WiNFO newsletter four times per year; a WiN Award. (after WiNFO No. 1 and No.2, 1993)

How the name ‘WiN’ made

The first name used was “women and Nuclear Energy” but this abbreviated to WANE, and we wanted to WiN! This was the reason why the name Women in Nuclear (WiN) was chosen.