President’s Message

First of all, thank you for your good wishes as I start my year as your ‘recycled’ Regional President.

My theme for the year is ‘Thrive and Prosper: Everyone, Everywhere’. Everyone is this room and, in our clubs, and in your communities. Everywhere: in our community, our region, country, and maybe the world.

It’s a very lofty idea: some would say unattainable, but I would say: let’s shoot for the moon and even if we miss, we’ll land among the stars.

This year I aim to challenge everyone – it’s certainly a challenge for me as I’ve had this role before.

I remember the conversation at my club’s 75^th birthday party all too clearly! I thought I was being asked about past Regional Presidents and the order in which they came…. but no………….. less than 18 months later here I am. While, at that time, I did feel as if my arm was twisted up my back, I shall give it my best shot. Things have changed a lot in the intervening 20 years.

I also challenge every club. My challenge was for every club to submit a Programme Focus Report Form at least every quarter, whether it be an update on a continuing project, or a brand new one. I’m sorry, but that’s already been usurped by SIGBI as the challenge given at the Conference was for every club to submit one PFRF a month, and with a photograph! Further challenges were also given: make better use of the hub, increase membership numbers by at least one in the coming year to name just two.

So, to my plans for the year.

I want to look solely at Programme Action. I fully support Shirley’s comments at the September AGM: Programme Action is why we are Soroptimists. It’s our raison d’être. The modernisation document, whether we agreed with it or not, clearly stated that while membership numbers were falling, Programme Focus Report Forms were increasing. Let’s just spend a moment remembering those clubs we have lost from our region: Berwick, Gateshead, Blyth, Keswick, and more recently Morpeth: all of these were closed because numbers were falling, and without real consideration of the work those ladies undertook.

In that same modernisation document, there was the suggestion that regions would be disbanded. That will not happen. But that document suggested that a Programme Action Officer would not be a mandatory post, as it is for Clubs.

You have received the ‘FAQ sheet this week (commencing 13/11/23). This suggests it will answer the questions raised in our responses. There was also an invitation to any one of four webinars/online meetings to find out more and ask questions. These dates will be circulated with the Action Points.

At times, as we read the modernisation proposals, we might have felt that SIGBI has lost its touch with clubs, but we must not lose ours either as individuals, clubs or as a region.

Each one of us can do something – no matter how small. I challenge every member of every club to do something within each of the Programme focus areas. It’s not as hard as it seems. We can all recycle in one way or another. I’m sure each one of us could buy an extra tin of beans or tube of toothpaste to donate to a foodbank or a local charity. Buying produce from a local retailer, write a letter to a local paper or MP about a key issue.

This year, at each meeting there will be a focus on one of the ‘P’ groups. We will look at People in March, Prosperity at my Conference in June – I will circulate the date and venue for that shortly as I have meetings about that in the coming weeks. Finally, we will consider Peace in the September meeting.

Today I’ve chosen to look at issues within Planet, as it offers the opportunity to tie up loose ends from President Martha’s year. PA Officer Shirley and I have worked together to prepare the programme for today, and I hope that you will enjoy it and take some ideas away about what you and your clubs can do.

I have no intention of ‘re-inventing the wheel’. Ideas that work in one club may work equally well in another. We should be about sharing, and celebrating what we do in our clubs and as a region. In fact, we’ve already been celebrated: the projects from three clubs were highlighted in a recent webinar, and the activity from a fourth club in this region will be shared at the next UKPAC meeting. Individually those clubs are making a difference. That’s the work of one third of our clubs being shared across the UK. That’s pretty good, in my book.

We also need to promote and advertise ourselves more on Social Media. The easiest way to do that is to send photos of activities to Bethan. I challenge myself to send something to Bethan at least once a month. – I challenge your clubs, not the individuals, to do the same. I’m thinking of a monthly “President’s Newsletter” to let you know what I’ve been up to.

Essentially, what I want us to be about this year is:

• raising awareness,
• taking action,
• educating ourselves,
• enabling everyone to have better awareness of issues, and
• working to empower ourselves, our community, and our region.

 

At the conclusion of Regional business, we have a speaker from Forestry England, Alex MacLennan, who will talk to us about the ways in which that organisation works to protect the environment. We will also find out ways that we can help Forestry England to raise awareness about a number of issues.

After Lunch, Claire Rawlinson will talk to us about her recent visit to Nepal. For the rest of the afternoon session, every club has been challenged to be prepared to talk about a Planet initiative past, present, or planned That way, we can share experiences in relation to the Planet.

Willy Nelson is quoted as saying ‘I’ve always believed that the most important people on the planet are the ones who plant the seeds and care for the soil where they grow’.

This year, I’d like us to be the people who are planting the seeds.