AmsterDames: An English Feminist Podcast in the Netherlands

Volunteering has become a huge market. Many young people take a gap year to work with children in Africa, Asia or Latin America - very often in orphanages. On social media, they post pictures of themselves with a group of happy children. But unfortunately, it is mostly the volunteers who benefit from this experience. Agencies who organize these volunteering trips exploit the children and the young adults who are very often uninformed. 

Kristen Cheney is an expert on volunteering, voluntourism, international adoption and the white saviour complex and in this episode, she explains what is currently wrong in all these broken systems that exist worldwide.

More information provided by Kristen Cheney:

https://www.faithtoaction.org/BarnaStudy2021/ 

bit.ly/orphanindustrialcomplex https://blogsmedia.lse.ac.uk/blogs.dir/16/files/2021/11/The-Power-Behind-Good-Intentions_Toolkit.pdf 

https://rethinkorphanages.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/Interactive%20PDF_Divestment%20resource%20for%20the%20travel%20and%20volunteering%20secctors.pdf

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/author/C/K/au25338628.html

iss.academia.edu/KristenCheney

Since RuPaul's Drag Race on Netflix, Drag has become quite famous. Also in the Netherlands. Even though it has a way longer tradition here. But even if the Netherlands are quite liberal in comparison, things are far from perfect for Drag Queens especially. Danielle Jiskoot, my guest for today has decided to start an agency for Drag artists to support local artists in the Netherlands.

Website The Drag Agency: https://www.thedragagency.com/

AmsterDames Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/podcastamsterdames

On TV, in magazines and on social media, we are always encouraged to consume. People are standing in line to get the latest iPhone. Physical fights on Black Friday are a very common thing. The fashion industry is no exception there. Stores offer several new collections of clothes multiple times a year, but the clothes we buy for cheap prices usually never last very long. The term for this is fast fashion and it turns out to be extremely harmful to the environment but also to the people that work in this industry. My guests for today are Yophi Ignacia and Dieuwertje de Wagenaar work as country coordinators for the organization Fashion Revolution which wants to change that.

Website Fashion Revolution Global: https://www.fashionrevolution.org/

AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/

Tuning in with a pregnant person, taking care of their needs and making sure that the person in labor and their partners have the best possible experience of giving birth. This is how Valentina Constenla Kasat describes her job as a Doula. In this episode, she talks about how found this profession for herself, what has been the best moment so far and why in some way she compares herself to a labrador.

Website Valentina: https://www.doulavalentina.com/

Disclaimer by Valentina:  When talking about the "natural" or "normal process" of birth I intend to refer to the physiological processes that have been mostly observed and studied in labor, birth and immediate postpartum. Exceptions to these physiological processes can happen. If you are facing hardships in your transition to motherhood, I encourage you to acknowledge your struggle and seek help for yourself. A start point for this could be https://psychezwangerschap.nl/en

A Syrian, a Dutch and a Ukrainian. These three characters are part of the debut novel that my guest has recently published. For her research for this book, she has spoken to many people from Syria to understand their situation. But only a few weeks ago, this has changed. Now her friends from Syria are asking my guest whether her family and friends are okay. Because on the 24th of February, the Russian president Vladimir Putin has declared war on her home country.

**trigger warning**: In this episode, you will be confronted with content about war and refugees. In case you do not feel safe with this topic, please skip this episode and listen to it with a person that can emotionally support you.

Anna Bilenka Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna.bilenka/

Website with information where to donate, where to volunteer, how to help: https://how-to-help-ukraine-now.super.site/

In case you want to support Ukrainian journalists: https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-ukraines-media-going

If you wish to financially support people in Anna's home region which is currently isolated from the rest of Ukraine, please contact her directly and she will provide you with a bank account to make a donation.

AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/

If you could send one thing to the moon, what would it be? In case you are now thinking that the question is pointless because something like that is never going to happen anyway, think again. At this very moment, preparations are made to send a very important box into space. And the preparations are not made in some high-tech NASA underground headquarter, they are made in our very own city of Amsterdam. 

Elizaveta Glukhova and Anna Sitnikova are the curators of Moon Gallery and in this episode, they will explain why we need art in space, why the universe has always inspired people and why aliens are not their target group. 

Launch Party 5th March Amsterdam - https://felixmeritis.nl/programma/moon-gallery-iss-pre-launch-party/

AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/

Art is a very unique way for a person to express their feelings and their experiences but also to represent their region and their cultural background. However, it seems like that in the art world some regions are more looked at than others, unfortunately. My guest for today wants to change that. She has founded Victory art, that strongly focuses on central and eastern european contemporary art. In this episode, Viktória Pikovská talks about the impact the Sowjet Union had on eastern european art, female artists being objectified and an inspriring project called Majak. 

AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/

Victory Art Website: https://www.victoryart.eu/

If you think of the sweaters you usually wear – what are they made of? Wool probably. For centuries, human beings have been wearing animal hair to keep themselves warm. But have you ever considered wearing a sweater made of human hair? My guest for today is Designer Zsofia Kollar and she has founded Human Material Loop in Amsterdam that produces clothes made of human hair.

AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/

Website Human Material Loop: www.humanmaterialloop.com

As a photojournalist, Sanne Derks travels the world and observes it through her lens. Her work has already been published in New York Times, El País, Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera. Still, she knows, photojournalism is strongly male-dominated and female photographers need to prove themselves five times as often to be taken seriously. In this episode, we talk about the sexism she has experienced, frustration, rejection and a real passion for your job. 

AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/

Website Sanne Derks: www.sannederks.com

Are you in a relationship but your sex life is pretty much nonexistent? Or are you single but you are struggling to understand your own needs and your own sexuality? Sex and intimacy coach Irene Fehr has experienced a sexless marriage herself and has completely lost her libido which is why she now wants to help single (women) and couples to achieve a healthy sexless and wants to break common myths that still exist among society around sex, passion and (female) sexuality.   

Website: www.irenefehr.com

AmsterDames Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amsterdamespodcast/