Soroptimist International of Dewsbury or SID as we like to call ourselves attracts members from Dewsbury and the surrounding areas e.g. Batley, Birstall, Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Mirfield, Ossett. At present the club has around 46 members, the majority of whom are employed in a range of professions or business and voluntary work.
We meet twice a month at the Oakwell Centre at Dewsbury and District Hospital from 7.30 to about 9.30pm – for a Business Meeting and a Speaker Meeting. The latter include many different speakers to keep our members informed on issues relating to women, or to local, national and global communities.
It is at Business Meetings that we arrange and plan club activities including:
- Fundraising for local, national and international charities
- Service and Support – for example, for the Women’s Refuge, in residential homes, planting and maintenance of a large flowerbed in the local community park, participation in sponsored walks
- Social and Friendship activities – for example, theatre visits, friendship ‘at home’, plant sale with lunch, entertainment evenings and an annual Carol Service
Programme Action is a vital part of Soroptimism. The focus is on work in 6 main areas:
- Economic and Social Development
- Education
- The Environment
- Health
- Human Rights and the Status of Women
- International Goodwill and Understanding
Global Issues that are being addressed include:
- The empowerment of women
- The elimination of violence
- The resettling of refugees
- The banning of landmines
- The prevention of AIDS
- The stoppage of trafficking
- The provision of safe drinking water
- The eradication of poverty
- The provision of primary education for all
Above all soroptimists like to enjoy themselves whilst working together to support local, national and international projects.
Most of our activities are club-based and take place locally. However we are also active regionally as part of SI Yorkshire at federation level within Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Ltd. and within the global community of Soroptimist International. We have made several links with other clubs, for example SI Whittier in the USA.