Soroptimists Resolve to Raise Awareness of Modern Day Slavery and Endometriosis
1200 Women make a Big Red Splash in NewcastleGateshead
Soroptimist Annual Conference 1-2 Nov Newcastle/Gateshead www.sigbi.org/gateshead2013
Soroptimists from SI St Albans and District joined over 1,200 members from 29 countries of the global women’s organisation Soroptimist International (SI) at their annual Conference.
Soroptimists wore red on Friday 1st November to raise awareness of Endometriosis, a condition that affects about 1.5 million women in the UK and 176 million women worldwide. Later that same day they passed two important resolutions:
1. Soroptimists to alert young women and girls, health providers and the general public to the symptoms of endometriosis and the importance of early diagnosis
2. Soroptimists to take the lead in campaigning to raise awareness of modern-day slavery.
This year’s Conference was held at the Sage Gateshead centre in NewcastleGateshead, and had the theme ‘From Vision to Action – Soroptimists Educating to Lead’. Keynote speakers were Jasvinder Sanghera co-founder of Karma Nirvana www.karmanirvana.org.uk on honour based abuse and forced marriage. Baroness Helena Kennedy QC on Women Changing the World and Lady Marie Stubbs on Ahead of the Class.
Conference-goers used their time together to renew friendships and make new ones, working out more ways to make a difference to the lives of women and girls world-wide.
Helen Byrne (the Club’s Membership Officer who lives in St Albans) said ‘we really enjoyed attending conference in NewcastleGateshead this year. The speakers were excellent and we learnt we were able to share knowledge and information with other Clubs from across our Federation about all the projects we are carrying out to further our aims. There is always great friendship and fun as we join together, meeting old friends and making new ones in our wonderful organisation’.
The photo at the top of this page is the throng of Soroptimists wearing red with the NewcastleGateshead Millennium Bridge in the background
The photo above is of Club members preparing for Conference.