Men in our culture have been conditioned to believe that showing emotion is a sign of weakness therefore many feel pressure to suppress feelings and put on a façade of toughness. Our latest project aims to encourage emotional expression positively to help young men at a formative stage improve their ability to share their feelings. We held our inaugural event with students from Ferndown Upper School and Bourne Academy on May 21st. Nine boys had written pieces about immigration, asylum seekers and refugees; they then read out the work and were questioned by a panel of judges. Every piece had merit and the judges found it difficult to decide who the top three were, in fact they choose four with a joint third place. We were well supported in this endeavour: Aref Dahwan, an asylum seeker who now has refugee status, spoke to us and

2026 has been an excellent year for recruiting new members to SIB; last evening we welcomed our latest two new members to the club- Debbie Sadd and Harriet Howell.  They were introduced by a colleague and then said a few words about themselves; it was clear that each has strengths that will benefit Soroptimism. Acting President Alison Davis presented them with their badges, induction packs and a very warm welcome from the whole club. So that brings the total to seven new members since January- a great start to the year! If you are interested in this and would like to come along to a Soroptimist International Bournemouth meeting to find out more, please email us at sigbibournemouth@hotmail.co.uk.

We believe it is important to engage children at a young age to become responsible citizens in caring for the earth and we are delighted that St James CofE Primary Academy is working with us on a project to increase bee friendly habitats. Having visited the school’s Eco Club to share the idea with the 25 members and received positive support, on May 12th three members of the club took several bee friendly plants and planted them with the children in the school grounds in pots we had collected. We created two bee baths, left information on making bee hotels and are providing bee diaries that the pupils can complete to monitor the number of pollinators in the school grounds. Let’s hope it is the start of something big and we can engage more schools in future!         If you are interested

After our AGM last evening we welcomed our latest two new members to the club- Catherine Band and Susie Grainger. Both have attended a few meetings now and feel that they contribute to our organisation and we are delighted that they want to be part of it. Both have interests and skills that will be most appreciated. Acting President Kathy Moore presented them with their badges, induction packs and a very warm welcome from the whole club! If you are interested in this and would like to come along to a Soroptimist International Bournemouth meeting to find out more, please email us at sigbibournemouth@hotmail.co.uk.

Liz Dominy was interviewed by Barry Howard about our STEM challenge to increase awareness of its success and potential interest in the future. Here is a link to the podcast: https://player.autopod.xyz/1252024 If you are interested in this and would like to come along to a Soroptimist International Bournemouth meeting to find out more, please email us at sigbibournemouth@hotmail.co.uk.

Last evening we welcomed our latest two new members to the club- Ali Cull and Sally Hallum. Both have attended a few meetings now and feel that they contribute to our organisation and we are delighted that they want to be part of it. Both have interests and skills that will be most appreciated. Acting President Kathy Moore presented them with their badges, induction packs and a very warm welcome from the whole club! If you are interested in this and would like to come along to a Soroptimist International Bournemouth meeting to find out more, please email us at sigbibournemouth@hotmail.co.uk.

Here are the winners of our STEM Challenge 2026: Year 8 4th place TLC   3rd place STEMulate 2nd place Innovators 1st place Plaque Attack Year 9 3rd place One for All 2nd place BamStraw 1st place Halovision Well done to them all! Photography by Eliza Naden (@elizanaden_photography)- with thanks. If you are interested in this and would like to come along to a Soroptimist International Bournemouth meeting to find out more, please email us at sigbibournemouth@hotmail.co.uk.

The finals of our annual STEM challenge took place on March 12th at Bournemouth University and we were very well supported by local dignitaries. His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, the Mayor of Christchurch, Mayor of Poole, Sherriff of Poole and Deputy Mayor of Bournemouth were all in attendance and very impressed by the standard of work and commitment demonstrated by the participants. Professor Dooley said in his speech: “To the girls who have taken part today: you should feel incredibly proud. You were not just asked to create something clever, you were asked to think about how your ideas could help people in the poorest parts of the world. That takes imagination, compassion and courage. Those are the very qualities the world needs.” The winning teams were all from Parkstone Grammar School; they are commended for their thoughtful and creative projects- photos to follow!

Historically there has been a shortage of girls choosing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects to study and disciplines in which to base their careers. Our club created this challenge in 2013 to inspire girls and encourage them to overcome barriers. We invite secondary school girls to develop initiatives that will improve the lives of women and girls in poorer parts of the world; they work together in small teams to develop the concept, write up a brief and, if shortlisted, create a prototype. The teams then pitch these to experts in the field and are judged in order to win prizes. This year 11 teams are participating, a total of 57 girls. The finals take place on March 12th at Bournemouth University with several local dignitaries attending. Once again, Ellis Jones Solicitors is sponsoring the challenge and judges, who give their time freely,