PROGRAMME ACTION UPDATE – SUE SMITH

I have now entered my final year as Regional Programme Action officer for the North West of England and the Isle of Man – a very impressive title, which I am proud to roll off my tongue when introducing myself! I find it hard to believe that I have just attended my penultimate Annual General Meeting for the Region, and I am very grateful to the members of The Fylde for supporting me in this role.

One of the best tasks I have to carry out is to look at all the Programme Focus Report Forms.  This year was better than ever in terms of numbers of forms submitted on-line.  Last year, the 17 clubs in our region submitted a total of 117 forms, this year it was 155.  Last year, three clubs did not submit any forms, the year before that six clubs had not submitted forms, this year only two clubs did not submit any reports on their programme action work. The Fylde reported nine projects for this year: not all our projects have as yet made it on to the database.  It is good to be part of the club Programme Action group, who meet at the Lindum Hotel, to put our heads together and both organise and report the work of The Fylde.  I urge members to look at the International Reporting database, both to make sure we have reported all our projects, and to look at projects carried out by other clubs.  All you need is your name (I have to think about that sometimes!) and your membership number.

Clubs have to report projects in order to be in with a chance to win the Darwen Shield but more importantly, this is how we keep our consultative status at the United Nations – we can quantify what we do and why we do it, and how many women and girls are helped by a project. Once the Long Term Project is under way, and we have to have a business plan for each project then that will give us an idea before we start a project, how many people will be helped by it.

It may not be Programme Action as such, but SI The Fylde’s idea to take over a local newspaper office’s window and do a display helped raise the profile of Soroptimism.  The Fylde also embraced the idea of a conference and held its own one-day conference complete with workshops on International Women’s Day.  That project made it on to the shortlist for the Darwen Shield, and it had nothing to do with me being partisan, it was successful in its own right! Coupled with its own brand name “Speak up for Women” and the work done with both the monies invested from the sale of the “House” and continuing profile- and awareness-raising with luncheons, The Fylde is building a strong reputation in the community.  I am proud to be a member of the Club and to continue to support its programme action work.