{"id":4793,"date":"2025-10-23T12:50:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T11:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/?page_id=4793"},"modified":"2025-11-03T13:58:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T12:58:55","slug":"town-hall-event-ask-the-board","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Town Hall Event: Ask the Board"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column]<style>.ld_fancy_heading_69d65f2f88758 .lqd-highlight-inner{height:0.275em;bottom:0px;}<\/style><div class=\"ld-fancy-heading ld_fancy_heading_69d65f2f88758\">\n\t<h1 class=\"lqd-highlight-underline lqd-highlight-grow-left\" ><span class=\"ld-fh-txt\"> Town Hall Event: Ask the Board<\/span><\/h1><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>Blog by Carolyn James, SI Port of Spain<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4980 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/files\/J021125_173.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/files\/J021125_173.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/files\/J021125_173-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The session opened with heartfelt remarks from Sandra Taylor, SIGBI Director of Membership\u2014affectionately known as Sandy. She expressed deep gratitude to all Soroptimist members for their unwavering commitment, compassion, and dedication. Quoting her powerful reflection:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen women unite with purpose, there are no limits to what they can achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sandy celebrated the vibrant dialogue and engagement from recent membership online meetings, emphasising how collective efforts\u2014whether through club initiatives, federation programs, or individual advocacy\u2014have advanced the mission of improving the lives of women and girls, including members themselves.<\/p>\n<p>A standout moment from the workshop\u00a0<em>\u201cMembership Sharing Experiences\u201d<\/em>\u00a0was the memorable\u00a0<strong>construction exercise<\/strong>. Teams were given a paper bag containing spaghetti, string, tape, and a marshmallow, and tasked with building the tallest tower. While many were unfamiliar with the challenge, the activity revealed invaluable lessons in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0Teamwork<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Communication<\/li>\n<li>Fellowship<\/li>\n<li>Mutual support<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These lessons beautifully echoed Sandy\u2019s closing message, which encapsulates the ethos of Soroptimism:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen women come together with purpose, understanding and hope, we create ripples that reach every shore. Let us continue to lead with courage, serve with compassion and inspire with unity\u2014for the best is yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lyndsay Greene, SIGBI\u2019s Director of Programme,\u00a0<\/strong>delivered an inspiring message of gratitude and encouragement to Soroptimist members, applauding their tireless efforts in advocating for women and girls. She emphasised that every action\u2014big or small\u2014creates ripples of change:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if it is a small something or a huge something, everything matters. Just like the pebble in the water, we can cause a tsunami if we need to. I have seen proof of that today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She extended heartfelt thanks to her committee, APDs, cluster representatives, the afternoon programme team, and Advocacy Champions. Members were encouraged to become Champions themselves or join working groups to amplify their impact.<\/p>\n<p>SIGBI has been invited to collaborate with the North East Bus Company on an exciting initiative to train drivers in safeguarding women and girls during bus travel. Members were asked to contribute personal stories or suggestions to help shape the training content. These contributions will remain confidential and would be shared with bus companies nationwide, raising SIGBI\u2019s profile and influence.<\/p>\n<p>Lyndsay highlighted the incredible work done by clubs but noted that many volunteer hours and fundraising efforts go unreported. She urged every member to submit at least one project annually to the Hub, stressing that accurate reporting strengthens SIGBI\u2019s collective voice and impact. She also promised to provide helpful hints for programme reporting in the coming year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Deborah Kingsley, SIGBI Director, PR, Marketing and Communications<\/strong>, took the stage with a passionate focus on raising awareness of Soroptimism and emphasising the vital role of Communications Officers. She shared that last year, she quietly aspired to highlight the significance of this role and the tireless work of Communications Officers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe live in an increasingly digital world. We have shorter attention spans and I really do think that our digital footprint and our presence in the world can&#8217;t be left to chance,\u201d Deborah stated. This underscores the urgency of strategic communications in today\u2019s fast-paced, online environment.<\/p>\n<p>She explained that awareness must be raised on two levels:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Club level<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 showcasing local projects and initiatives.<\/li>\n<li><strong>National and international level<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 presenting SIGBI\u2019s unified identity to the world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Deborah praised Communications Officers for their relentless efforts, calling their work \u201ca magnificent job\u201d and acknowledging that it\u2019s often a thankless task. \u201cYou are feeding that beast continually,\u201d she said, referring to the constant need for content and engagement. She stressed that success comes only through consistency and persistence.<\/p>\n<p>She emphasised that sharing club projects and achievements not only boosts SIGBI\u2019s profile but also encourages new membership. \u201cPeople are listening,\u201d she assured, \u201ceven if it takes time for them to join.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Deborah reaffirmed her commitment to supporting Communications Officers. She highlighted the\u00a0<strong>Hub\u2019s resource section<\/strong>\u00a0as the \u201ccentre of the universe\u201d for Communications Officers work. A\u00a0<strong>side map<\/strong>\u00a0at the bottom can be printed and displayed prominently. It includes a\u00a0<strong>12-month plan<\/strong>\u00a0with regularly updated social media posts, graphics, and campaign briefs.<\/p>\n<p>She spoke on the National\/International Campaigns example<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Railway Project: A major initiative with promising outcomes expected. Anticipated to be a success story once results are published.<\/li>\n<li>Gender Impact Assessments (GIA). She said that this will be a\u00a0standout opportunity for\u00a0PR and marketing. She further advised that\u00a0Soroptimists are uniquely positioned as no other organization is actively promoting this simple yet powerful tool. Soroptimists also encourages governments to assess whether\u00a0resources are equitably distributed\u00a0between men and women. She stated that GIA offers Soroptimists a\u00a0national platform\u00a0to lead on gender equity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Deborah advised that clubs will receive resources, including an advocacy toolkit, to help members engage with local councils. Clubs are encouraged to report and share examples of inappropriate or inequitable decisions in their communities.<\/p>\n<p>She spoke about SIGBI&#8217;s Social Media Strategy and said that they use LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram\u00a0to target different demographics.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Deborah encouraged members to<\/strong>\u00a0build stronger relationships with stakeholders\u00a0to gain support for Soroptimist initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>She announced the Revamp of the SIGBI Website.<strong>\u00a0She stated that a<\/strong>\u00a0brief is ready\u00a0to go out for tender, she will create a\u00a0conduit between the website committee and clubs. She suggested that\u00a0Members who are interested in\u00a0championing the website revamp\u00a0should reach out to her. She also mentioned that recommendations for\u00a0web agents\u00a0are also welcome.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Blog by Carolyn James, SI Port of Spain[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The session opened with heartfelt remarks from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":746,"featured_media":0,"parent":4786,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4793","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Town Hall Event: Ask the Board - SIGBI Birmingham Conference 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Town Hall Event: Ask the Board - SIGBI Birmingham Conference 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Blog by Carolyn James, SI Port of Spain[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The session opened with heartfelt remarks from...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SIGBI Birmingham Conference 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-03T12:58:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/files\/J021125_173.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"427\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/\",\"name\":\"Town Hall Event: Ask the Board - SIGBI Birmingham Conference 2025\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/files\/J021125_173.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-23T11:50:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-03T12:58:55+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/files\/J021125_173.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/files\/J021125_173.jpeg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":427},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/sunday-2-november-2025-session-blogs\/town-hall-event-ask-the-board\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/birmingham2025\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sunday 2 November 2025 &#8211; 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