People often ask us “what does Soroptimist East London do?”
In May 2020 Soroptimist East London introduced a whole program and way of working. We’re excited to tell you about it.
All around the world, empowering women is an effective way to achieve positive change. In Soroptimist East London that’s exactly what we do – we empower women to achieve positive change and sustainable development right here in east London, and also around the world!
We’re part of Soroptimist International. It’s a global organisation with special consultative status at the United Nations. All Soroptimist East London activities are reported to the UN. So, it makes sense for us to use the same approach to achieving positive change and development as the UN does – ie the UN sustainable development goals.
What does our new approach mean in practice?
What does it mean in practice? From May 2020 empowering women and making women visible will be at the core of all club activities. From that core, our activities will focus on contributing to the four pillars of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Prosperity, People, Planet and Peace. We’ll continue to work on our own, but also partner with other fabulous organisations in east London, the UK and internationally – applying the fifth pillar of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – Partnership!
Our new approach also means that we can be clear about why we do our voluntary work and how impactful it can be. Volunteering is a great way to make friends and build networks. It’s also serious – working together we really can make a difference.
Soroptimist club members come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Each person has amazing experience and abilities. Our new approach gives each person an opportunity to use them – and to develop new skills and experience too. Empowering women includes empowering our members, supporting each other to realise dreams and fulfil potential, to “give back” or to meet women around the world. It’s said that behind every great woman is a team who have her back, that’s us, East London’s Soroptimists!
Why do we do it? So that our members can go out and “pay it on” by empowering other women”.
Among its current activities during Covid-19, club members have been celebrating women by contributing to the East End Women’s Museum’s map of women’s history in east London; volunteering as judges in a literary prize for unpublished BAME women’s authors; supporting women volunteers of fabulous Kosovan NGO The Ideas Partnership; learning about international environmental law (check out our blog here), running a regular fabulous female-focused quiz , zooming off to Calcutta to chat with Soroptimists in India, and supporting an income-generating online baking class.
What does Soroptimist East London do?
We empower women to achieve positive change and sustainable development in East London and around the world!
We do it by voluntary action, advocacy, and working in partnership with others.
We’re excited about launching our new approach. We hope you will be too.
Want to learn more?
We’d love to hear from you, so please contact us to learn more – or ask about joining us!
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