SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL CHELMSFORDSoroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 4...
16
ANNUAL REVIEW 2013-2014 SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL CHELMSFORD
Transcript of SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL CHELMSFORDSoroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 4...
ANNUAL REVIEW 2013-2014
SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL CHELMSFORD
SoroptimistlnternationalChelmsford
Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement working together to transform the lives ofwomen and girls.
Our network of over 80,000 club members in 127 countries and territories works at a local, regional,national and international level to educate, empower and enable opportunities for women and girls.
Soroptimist International Chelmsford was chartered in 1951.Website: http://sigbi.org/chelmsford Email: [email protected] Tel: 07528 789991
This year has been about new begin-nings and the whole club has embracedthis wholeheartedly - although I’m nota new President as this is my secondtime round in the job.
I have been proud to lead this club onits continuing journey to improve thelives of women and girls throughoutthe world. We have started a regularseries of stands in High ChelmerShopping Precinct to promote andmark various events - such as Anti-Slavery Day in October, but also toallow us tell as many people as possibleabout the great work that we do.
As a club we celebrated our 62ndanniversary with a fabulous lunch atChannels Golf Club. The guestspeaker was Nick Alston CBE, Police &Crime Commissioner for Essex. He
gave a presentation on his role and what it means to women in the county. He haddone his homework, as he praised the national Reducing Women’s Imprisonmentproject that we and clubs across the UK have worked on this past year. The lunchwas a great success and, as President (and also the youngest member of this club),I had the great honour of presenting a long-service award to the eldest member ofthe club - from the youngest to the eldest member with pride.
Our club meetings have been filled with a number of excellent speakers related tocurrent projects and ones we are looking to do in the future. We have run a numberof fundraising events this year including, with the help of a local pub, regular QuizNights, which have been filled with fun and laughter. This has enabled us to continueto support a number of charities both locally, nationally and internationally includingMary’s Meals, Safer Places and the BIG Project.
I hope that, if you are a club member, you will read this review of our year and bereminded of the great things we have achieved; if you are thinking of joining us -this review will be a glimpse of all that is possible in this wonderful organisation ofours - if we all work together: Women Inspiring Action, Transforming Lives!
���������������� �������
Rachel McLeanPresident
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 1
Questionnaires weresent to all primary andsecondary schools in thearea as part the workregarding the successfulResolution (whichChelmsford seconded) to the Federation’s annualconference. This calledfor Relationships Education to be a compulsory part of theNational Curriculum.
This month also saw thestart of the joint projectbetween the UKPAC andthe Prison Reform Trust: Reducing Women’s Imprisonment.Launches were held atthe House of Commons,the Welsh Assembly andthe Scottish Parliament.Accompanying the project was an ActionPack, distributed toevery UK club. Westarted to gather the required informationwhich will later inform areport to be presentedto Parliament.
A YEAR OFPROGRAMME ACTION
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 2
................................................. ....................................... ........................................ ................................................
UKPAC/PRT Project Action Pack
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
.....
Club members signedthe on-line petition toban Sex for Sale adverts.
This is part of SI Poole’shugely successful PurpleTeardrop project, a national anti-traffickingcampaign.
......
......
......
......
......
......
...
We held one of our regular Quiz Nights atthe Six Bells publichouse in Boreham toraise money for localcharities.
Approximately £300 wasraised and this, togetherwith the money from theraffle, was sent to theFederation’s BIG Project,a three-year fund-raisingchallenge to reduce maternal mortality in TheGambia. ...
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..We had planned a‘Guess the Weight of theBaby’ stand in HighChelmer this month tocoincide with theDuchess of Cambridge’simminent birth of an heirto the throne - and tomark the Federation’sDay of Action - theBIG Project.
Our stand was to be positioned, as it isalways, under the glassroof of the shoppingprecinct. However, dueto a fearsome heatwaveduring the preceedingweek, the decision wastaken that this would bejust far too uncomfort-able to ‘man’ and so, reluctantly, the standwas postponed.
APRIL MAY JUNE JULY
SI Poole’s Purple Teardrop campaignRelationships Education
The club discussed thetwo Resolutions thatSoroptimists across theFederation are beingasked to vote on at theFederation’s conferencein Gateshead in October:
1. That this Federationtakes the lead in cam-paigning to raise awareness of ModernDay Slavery; and
2. Soroptimists alertyoung women and girls,health providers and thegeneral public to thesymptoms of Endometriosis and theimportance of early diagnosis.
......................................................................................... ......................................... ...............................................
Six Bells at Boreham Anti-Slavery Day Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
Another Quiz Nightwas held to raise thefunds to provide ourshare of the Regionalproject which is to finance the nursing education of two staff atHillcrest Aids CentreTrust in South Africa.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
....
A presentation wasgiven regarding the endof year analysis of theinformation receivedfrom schools regardingadding Relationships Education to thenational curriculum. Theresults were positive inthat schools welcomedthe idea of this issuebeing compulsory.
We had a stand in HighChelmer to promoteAnti-Slavery Day andas a general awarenessraising event, this wasquite successful and a number of women alsoshowed an interest inthe organisation.
. ......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......Dr Trudy Stevens cameand gave an excellenttalk on midwiferyoverseas as a VSO volunteer.
One of our Quiz Nightswas held at the Six Bellsin Boreham to raisemoney for the EssexYoung Carers (YMCA) toallow them to provide aChristmas party for theyoungsters.
AUGUST SEPTEMBER
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 3
“It’s that time of the year when we review the work we have done over the past 12 months. Considering that wehave reduced in numbers recently (although that is a very temporary situation) we have achieved much. I havenow reached the end of my four years as the Club’s Programme Action Officer and must stand down, but wish mysuccessor every good wish in carrying on this vital and enjoyable work.”
Rachel McLean
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 4
Small gifts, such as toiletries , were collectedby Club members forthose women staying atthe Women’s Refugeover the Christmas period.
These were taken toChelmsford’s SaferPlaces - an independentcharity that provides acomprehensive range ofservices to adults andchildren affected by domestic and sexualabuse.
PROGRAMME ACTION
Craig Gough Chelmsford members joined others from the Region for International Women’s Day
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
.
Youth Project Managerfor Essex Young Carers, Craig Gough,was guest speaker atour new year meeting.
He spoke about thework in general that theorganisation does tohelp vulnerable childrenin the area.
He also spoke about theChristmas Party that thedonation from the Clubmembers had provided.Each child had beentaken for a meal andhad been able to selecta small Christmas gift;Craig showed ‘thankyou’ messages from the children. ......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
.....
The UN’s InternationalDay for Zero Toleranceto Female GenitalMutilation (FGM) isheld on 6th Februaryeach year.
This year Michael Goveresponded to a petition,led by schoolgirl FahmaMohamed, to stop FGM.He agreed to write to allschools in England out-lining the risks of thisvile practice.
This Club and many othersaround the country havebeen campaigning forover a decade for moreaction to end this barbaricchild abuse.
A stand wasmanned in HighChelmer to raise thegeneral awareness ofa number of issuesthat we support, including the PurpleTeardrop campaignand working to eradicate FGM.
Several club memberstook part in the Region’s event to mark InternationalWomen’s Day withother Soroptimists,the theme for theevent was Educatethe World’s Girls. Weall took children’sbooks to be donatedvia the Eachsa Trustto parts of SouthAfrica.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
..................................................................................................................................... .............................................
Safer Places Poster
DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH
SECRETARY - HEATHER KNOTT
For me the year, since April 2013, when I tookover as club Secretary again (having lastperformed the role for six years between 2004and 2010) has been a busy one.
I write the Club’s monthly illustrated newsletter,which I try to ensure is circulated on the firstof each month. It goes out to every Club mem-ber, to our three Friendship Links (see page 9)and to our Golden Girls - former members whostill wish to retain links with the Club. We are always delighted to see them at our bi-monthlySocial Evenings.
The Federation has now introduced a NewsBriefing document, which they send out to clubsecretaries fortnightly, for distribution to everymember. This is a short, illustrated synopsis ofevents around the Federation. There is also afortnightly mailing aimed at members of clubexecutive committees, with information inmore depth and additional items that may notbe of as much relevance to the entire club.
The introduction, some years ago, of Dropboxremote cloud storage has made life so mucheasier – for me and for Club members who areable to access documents as and when theyneed them.
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 5
TREASURER - LINDA REED
Once again, the club’s finances are strong andwe go into 2014-2015 with a comfortable bankbalance. We have set the club fees for the comingyear at £130 per member to reflect the increasedcost of our monthly meeting venue. This is amodest increase from last year.
It has been another successful year for fundraisingand we have been able to make donations to thegood causes we support locally, nationally andglobally. The chosen charities’ work aligns withSI objectives to further education and improvethe lives of women and girls globally.
The beneficiaries have included:
• Essex Young Carers• Mid Essex Women’s Refuges (Safer Places)• WaterAid• Birthing in the Gambia (the BIG Project);
the Federation’s project to equip and refurbish three maternity hospitals in rural Gambia
• The Region’s project of funding for the training of two nurses for the Hillcrest Aids Trust Hospice (South Africa)
• Mary’s Meals (providing food to children attending school in many third world countries)
• The Federation’s Emergency Relief Fund
In addition, we have donated books to theEachSA Trust for distribution to schools in theSouth Africa townships.
We have good plans for fundraising activities inthe coming year.
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 6
MEMBERSHIP - FREDA MOUNTAIN
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 7
Our membership for the first part of the yearremained static but, due to several membersleaving for various reasons during the latter partof the year, we decided that we would do somerecruitment drives as well as to promote the workof the Soroptimists in general and in particularChelmsford.
The first of the recruitment drives only resultedin five enquiries, and these were all duly writtento inviting them to our meetings. I am glad toreport that from the follow up two members didjoin the Club.
The second one held at High Chelmer ShoppingCentre on a Saturday morning in March 1st whichproved more successful with a result of l0 enquirieswith the third membership evening beingarranged at The County Hotel on the 4th April.Advertisements were also placed in newspapersand other outlets promoting these events and afurther 8 people expressed an interest resultingfrom this. Upon contacting all the 18 enquiriesfrom the last two events I am pleased to reportthat two ladies will be joining us and there areseveral ladies that are very interested and will attendour meeting at future dates.
Recruitment of this nature does seem a verygood way of promoting Chelmsford SI and withtwo further recruitment drives that are plannedlater on in the year that incorporates promotionof our projects and achievements made, the futuredoes look very rosy indeed and hope that this willcontinue ensuring Chelmsford SI as a club to beinvolved in.
Our stand in High Chelmer in October 2013
The County Hotel room set out ready for our Recruitment Evening
The County Hotel
SOCIAL - CHRIS RYCROFT
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 8
On 13th August 2013 nine members enjoyed ameal at The Hare in Roxwell. We were joined byRegional President, Margaret Sandercock and,over coffee, we had a constructive discussion onrecruitment and retention.
On 10th October eight members met at the Oliorestaurant in Chelmsford. We were joined by twoprospective members who have since joined theclub.
On 25th January 2014 we went to see thepantomime Robin Hood at Little Waltham. This hasbecome an annual event, which is great fun.
The Hare, Roxwell
The magnificent 17C thatched barn at Channels Golf Club
The three witches (witches?) at the Robin Hood pantomime
FRIENDSHIP LINKS
SI Bad Oeynhausen/Wittekindsland, Germany
Chelmsford’s strong link with this club wasformed in 2007 and the first official meeting be-tween the two was in September 2008, whenmembers from Germany stayed for a long week-end in Chelmsford. Since then there have beenmany visits between the two clubs, including at-tending Bad Oeynhausen/Wittekindsland’s 25thanniversary in 2009 and their members in turnhelping us to celebrate our 60th Diamond Jubilee lunch two years later.
I am in regular contact with the club and sendthem the Club’s newsletter each month.
Jutta Helling, Friendship Link Officer (right) with Heather
SI Paris Lutèce, France
In 1992 Chelmsford formed a Friendship Link with SI Paris Sud. However, in1999, some of the members split away and formed a new club – Paris Lutèce.As our club had been working more closely with those members, we decidedto transfer our Link to the new club, and I attended their inaugural gala dinner in Paris that same year.
Over the intervening years there have been many visits; members fromChelmsford attended their 10th anniversary weekend of celebrations in 2009and members from Paris Lutèce helped us celebrate our 60th Diamond Jubileelunch in 2011.
I am in regular contact with the club members and send them the Clubnewsletter each month. I also receive and circulate their quarterly newsletter toour members.
SI Bangalore, India
SI Bangalore contact was Pat Bruce for some years after Glen Thom moved to Devon. I took over asFriendship link contact this year & sent our monthly newsletters to Matilda Mathias. I did eventually get areply in February full of apologies as she had drafted a reply to me & forgot to send it.
We have sent a couple of emails back & forward then Heather Knott as Secretary got an email fromMatma Ghosh mid March with a copy of their annual report of their many activities & some photos ofwomen they have helped. It is unclear whether Matma has taken over from Matilda as the Friendship linkcoordinator especially as I received another email from Matilda on 1st April headed Merry Christmas HappyNew Year! No not an April Fool's joke! This email was most interesting as it gave details of a new free can-cer hospital just opened in Bangalore. I have replied with our April newsletter attached promising to for-ward her email to all members of SI Chelmsford & to a doctor friend whose mother is Indian.Now I am waiting to see if Matlida or Matma is the contact for the coming year.
Two Presidents sign the Link: Margaret Hyde (left) and Silke Quentmeier
HEATHER KNOTT
Past President Elisabeth Chasternet
HEATHER KNOTT
ANGELA THOMSON
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 9
Angela Thomson
.....................................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................................
LONDON ANGLIA REGION LAURA LOGAN WOOD - COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 10
The April 2013 meeting was held at the University of Essex. Eachclub in the Region had been asked to produce a PowerPoint pres-entation on their Programme Action work during the past year.Music was added and the excellent presentation gave a splendididea of work happening across the Region. There were also pre-sentations regarding the Reducing Women in Prison project, onwhich every club in the country is working.
In June SIGBI President, Pat Black, gave an in-depth presentationon Building the Future of SIGBI and Soroptimist Pat Dale, ImmigrationOfficer with the UK Border Agency, gave an update on how theAgency is tackling the trafficking of women and young girls.
The AGM is held each September and this year it was a very fullmeeting. Chelmsford’s Heather Knott took the meeting throughCommunication and using IT. Federation Assistant Programme Di-rector spoke about reporting our work – although we now we haveConsultative Status at ECOSOC we are required to re-apply everyfour years and information that informs the decision is based onthe work we are doing. Woody Cann, Professorial Fellow at theRoyal Society for Public Health spoke about When Relationships inSociety go Wrong. Jacqueline Westrop from the King’s Lynn clubspoke on the subject of How Easy it is to Turn to Crime and AnnaGilchrist, from Cambridge Women’s Resource Centre spoke aboutthe Dawn Project.
The Region’s year follows that of the Federation. At their annualconference, this year in Gateshead in October, Regions and NationalAssociations across the Federation took part in the Change of Insignia ceremony. Chelmsford member, Linda Reed, took over fromMargaret Sandercock from Southend as London Anglia Region’s President.
The Region’s December meeting – which was Linda’s first as President - marked Human Rights Day. The keynote speaker wasComfort Momoh MBE, who spoke about the work being done toeradicate FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).
L-R Region President, Margaret Sandercock, Guest Speaker, Pat Dale and Federation President, Pat Black
The Change of Insignia at the Federation Conference last October.Left to right: outgoing Region President, Margaret Sandercock,
Federation President, Margaret Oldroyd and incoming London AngliaRegion President, Linda Reed
Comfort Momoh MBE - guest speaker at the Region’s December meeting
UK PROGRAMME ACTION COMMITTEEHEATHER KNOTT - WEBSITE & PROMOTION
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 11
The main news from the UKPAC over the past year has been the partnershipworking with the Prison Reform Trust to end the unnecessary imprisonmentof women in the UK.
Each club in the UK was sent the Action Pack (see page 2), containing factsand figures about women’s justice at UK level and in each devolved nation,and suggested actions that Soroptimists can take. Information gathered byclubs about what is happening locally will fill critical gaps in the national pictureof the state of women’s justice.
The evidence received will be compiled into a report to be published by thePrison Reform Trust and UKPAC in the autumn of 2014. It will outline the stateof women’s justice across the UK and further progress needed. The report willbe presented to Ministers and policy-makers and used to promote best practiceand achieve reform.
High-profile launches were held at the House of Commons, the Scottish Parliamentin Edinburgh and the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff.
In March the UKPAC produced their annual Matrix, which is a compilation ofall the work that UK clubs have been undertaking on their flagship project,Violence Against Women - Stop It Now. This document was sent to HomeSecretary, Theresa May, to the Minster for Women, Maria Miller and to theGovernment Equalities Office. It was used to inform the Government ministerswho attended CSW58 (see overleaf). It was also sent to Rashida Manjoo, UNSpecial Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, when she visited the UK ona fact-finding mission in April 2014.
The UKPAC will be staging its bi-annual Study Day on 5 July in Nottingham.It is the last one I will be helping to organise as I stand down from the UKPACafter 10 years. But if I thought I was going to get a rest I was wrong, as Inow have another role with the national committee - that of Lobbyist at West-minster with particular responsibility for FGM (Female Genital Mutilation).
The UKPAC website: www.ukpac.org.uk
Study Day brochure
Kenny MacAskill, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice at the Scottish launchL-R Lord McNally, Lord Woolf, Juliet Lyon, Baroness Kennedy and JanHemlin, chair of the UKPAC
THE FEDERATION - SIGBI
SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL
One item of important news during 2013 was that our Federation, SIGBI(Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland) had been grant SpecialConsultative Status with the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) ofthe United Nations.
Consultative status for an organisation enables it to actively engage withECOSOC, and its subsidiary bodies, as well as with the United NationsSecretariat and be informed about the provisional agenda of ECOSOC.
SIGBI was able to designate official representatives to the United Nationsoffices in New York, Geneva and Vienna, who will be able to participatein events, conferences and activities of the United Nations, and observepublic meetings of ECOSOC.
It also meant that SIGBI was able to send their own delegation to the58th session of the UN’s CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) inNew York in their own right, rather than as part of the delegation fromSoroptimist International.
More information can be obtained from SIGBI’s website: http://sigbi.org
Some major changes took place at Soroptimist International during thepast year. In August a Gala Dinner was held to mark the inauguration ofthe new International President, Ann Garvie. Ann had strong links withour Region as she is a close friend of former Federation Treasurer, AnneAinsworth from SI Cambridge and attends many Region events with her.
The Board has a new CEO: Deborah Thomas, who took over from MargaretHyde (former Chelmsford member and now a member of Cambridge) whohad been ‘holding the fort’ for the last year or so.
Also new to the Board was Caroline Leach, from the Americas Federation.She took on International Assistant Programme Director
There are plans to incorporate SI and more on that will emerge over thecourse of the next few months.
More information can be obtained from SI’s website:http://www.soroptimistinternational.org
Soroptimist International of Chelmsford Annual Report - Page 12
.....................................................................................................................................................................
Federation Programme Director, Sue Biggs (left) and President Elect, Jenny Vince at CSW58 in New York in March.
Soroptimist International President, Ann Garvie
Since July 2013, our Federation, Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Limited(see page 12), has been accepted as an Organisation in Category 2 Status with the United Nations’Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Soroptimist International (SI), the umbrella organisation, has held General UN Consultative statussince 1984 and is represented on the Board of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations(CONGO). The organisation has also been granted official relations with United Nations’ SpecialisedAgencies.
SI has permanent, volunteer representatives to the major United Nations centres in New York,Geneva and Vienna, UNESCO in Paris, the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) in Rome, andUNEP (UN Environment Programme) in Nairobi. It also has representatives at the UN Regional Commissions in Western Asia (ESCWA); South America (ECLAC); and Asia Pacific (ESCAP).
Soroptimist International is recognised by the United Nations for the work that is carried out by itsmembers from around the world. SI, SIE (the European Federation) and SIGBI are all required tosubmit a quadrennial report to ECOSOC every four years showing the organisations’ contribution tothe work of the UN, for example, work towards the Millennium Development Goals.
SOROPTIMISTS AND THE UN
Soroptimist International Chelmsford Annual Report 2013-14
