Following the success of the previous two ‘Creating Health and Harmony in the Community’ (CHHC) conferences at Bournemouth University, we were again invited to present and have a stand at Harmony 3 (as it is known in shorthand) on June 5th 2024. Our presentation this year was about the art exhibition we curated as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, offering us an opportunity to raise awareness of the UN’s campaign and our part in it. Hopefully it will help to increase footfall at this year’s exhibition from November 25th. The programme for the day offered participants the opportunity to share how they contribute to harmony in Dorset. Speakers shared insights and projects relating to special educational needs, homelessness, violence against women, drug and alcohol addiction, restorative justice, young carers and therapeutic gardening. There was a mix of challenges and

It is nationally and internationally recognized that there is a shortage of girls choosing STEAM subjects as degrees, and a growing body of evidence about barriers to subsequent careers. We created this challenge in 2013 to inspire girls and encourage them to overcome these barriers. It invites secondary school girls to develop initiatives that will improve the lives of women and girls in other 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. Our experience shows us that engaging in this activity stretches the participant’s horizons effectively, so we continue it on an annual basis. This year we had teams from Bournemouth School for Girls, Canford and Parkstone Grammar Schools. The final was held on 21 March;

An amazing celebration of women’s achievements in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) was held at the Marriott Hotel on May 25, 2024. For the seventh year, the Arts for Survival CIC hosted this event to ‘celebrate strength when diverse women create community impact together’. Two members of SI Bournemouth joined the ceremony to learn about the significant achievements of these women and to applaud their influence in the local community. The organisers said: “We want to celebrate and credit women’s histories, contributions, and achievements that have had a profound impact to inspire the next generation of females in the community”. The event included speakers, awards, food, music, culturally diverse women, and more. The Chairman of BCP Council, Lesley Dedman, opened the evening which was supported by the Mayor of Bournemouth, George Farquhar, the Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick, and representatives from many organisations totalling

The Leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, Vikki Slade, took the opportunity to recognise female leaders in significant leadership roles in our town on IWD March 8th 2024, inviting the secretary of SI Bournemouth to attend. Vikki said: “We’re in a unique position where our civic leaders across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are all female. The Leader, Deputy Leader, Chair and all three Mayors of our towns are women. Most of our senior council officers are also female, and I know that businesses and organisations across our towns are led by professional women in senior roles. This is an opportunity for us not just to recognise and celebrate female leadership, network and connect with others, but also to look at ways we can encourage and develop other women leaders of the future. I want to use this event to gauge your support to an

During the week of International Women’s Day 2024, a group of Dorset-based organisations that campaign for women’s equality called leaders and other interested parties to a Summit Meeting to discuss how they can work together to change the culture of gender-based violence in Dorset. Dorset is reportedly the 6th safest place to live in the UK but 82% of sexual assault crime in Dorset is against women and trans-women and people who are non-binary or gender fluid are experiencing rising hate crime. Soroptimist International Bournemouth, Dorset Women CIC and the charity Acts Fast have joined forces with Dorset Police and academics at Bournemouth University to start to find solutions. A Summit Meeting was held on Wednesday 6th March to challenge local leaders and decision makers to work harder together to create a change in culture. The Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick, Lead for VAWG

On a cold and windy weekend in February, a group of members met outside the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Civic Centre to raise awareness of Soroptimism in advance of this year’s International Women’s Day. Although there were few people out and about, we captured the event in photos that have been shared with the leader of BCP Council, Vikki Slade. Vikki is hosting a civic event on March 8th to celebrate the fact that “the Leader, Deputy Leader, Chair and all three Mayors of our towns are women. Most of our senior council officers are also female, and I also know that businesses and organisations across our towns are led by professional women in senior roles. This is an opportunity for us not just to recognise and celebrate female leadership, network and connect with others, but also to look at ways we can encourage and

Following our previous post on this website, we are pleased to share the results of the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) ’16 days of activism against gender-based violence’ artwork competition. Sixteen students displayed their work; more than 300 members of the public visited the exhibition and voted for their top three choices. It was difficult to decide whose outputs had the most impact; every student had votes in first, second and third places and all are worthy of hearty congratulations for their creativity, thoughtfulness, and insight. However, we are pleased to report the following: 1st place- exhibit J, Renee Claude 2nd place- exhibit M, Hope Millard 3rd place- exhibit I, Abbie Snelling The event was attended by Councillor Lesley Dedman, Chairman of BCP Council and Violet McClean, Senior Gallery Officer/ Curator at AUB who jointly awarded the prizes. Each had positive words to share with all

Starting on November 25th SI Bournemouth, in conjunction with the BCP Community Support Team, the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) and SI Poole, launched an exhibition at The Avenue in Bournemouth to mark the 16 days. The space was made available by Bobby’s, an iconic venue in the town centre of Bournemouth that houses concessions and stalls, and we were given a position within the South Coast Makers’ Market free of charge for six days. We offered students at AUB the opportunity to submit artworks that highlight the issues to do with gender-based violence, raising awareness and provoking thought. The result was extraordinarily successful- sixteen budding artists produced diverse, challenging, and stimulating works that the public have been highly impressed with. Visitors are invited to vote for the three works they thought fit the brief the best and the top three scorers will receive financial prizes of

SI Bournemouth has started to prepare for Christmas by digging deep with donations. At our meeting on November 20th, we invited members to bring along donations for the Christchurch food bank, gift bags to go to older people in care homes and goodies for our Christmas hamper, to be raffled for charity at our next meeting. The results were impressive- a crate full of staple foods and Christmas treats was collected to go to the food bank. Tracy Blick, who runs the food bank, came to talk to us last year and made a significant impression so we were all happy to provide support. Dorsetmums collects and delivers small gift bags to people in care homes who appreciate little treats and we have collected for them for several years. Sixteen people will wake up on Christmas morning with some lovely gifts and will hopefully be

The Violence Against Women and Girls Group at SIB undertakes activities to promote healthy relationships and raise awareness of the issue of domestic abuse. We require funds to be able support relevant initiatives, so the group recently held an afternoon tea, organised by Lisa Maw, on November 16th to raise money. Twenty-one members and guests attended to hear an interesting talk by an ex-police inspector, Richard Hutley, who reviewed the history of policing in the UK and then focussed on the current situation with violence against women. This was followed by a lavish afternoon tea supplied by members of the group. We charged £10 per head and invited the seniors and past members to come along. It was a nice opportunity to catch up with old friends and several participants helped to make orange bunting before the talk began that will be used at our