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Calling All STEM Role Models!

Calling All STEM Role Models!

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Calling All STEM Role Models! Join the Soroptimist School Partnership Careers Forum – January 2026 STEM Mentors Wanted! Soroptimists are thrilled to be partnering once again with a local secondary school for an exciting STEM Careers Forum in January 2026 – and we need your help! We’re looking for 8–10 enthusiastic women (and a few men) working in any area of STEM – whether you’re in engineering, tech, science, maths, healthcare, or a lesser-known field – to share your story and inspire the next generation. Who we need: ✔️ Women under 35 especially encouraged ✔️ STEM professionals from both academic and vocational backgrounds (NVQs, apprenticeships, on-the-job training – all welcome!) ✔️ NHS staff and those in non-medical healthcare roles – let’s break the myth that STEM = medicine only ✔️ Local business professionals in science, tech, engineering, or digital roles What you’ll do: At the forum, you’ll chat to Year 10 students (aged 14–15),

5 new young SOROPTIMIST STEMSTARS shone a light on Women in Science/Tech during British Science Week

5 new young SOROPTIMIST STEMSTARS shone a light on Women in Science/Tech during British Science Week

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SI Weybridge & District soroptimists hosted a Year Group assembly on April 17th at Cobham Free School. This followed a successful launch of the British Science Week Poster Competition with the science teaching team during a February assembly. The SI #STEM team presented Soroptimist #STEMSTAR certificates and Amazon vouchers to 5 winning poster artists and 3 excellent runners up. The winners in Years 7,8 and 9 created posters presenting research information on “the impact of women over time on science and technology”. With so many excellent posters submitted by boys and girls (all created in a short time), judging was fierce and intense. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE WHO WENT THE EXTRA MILE TO ENTER! Standards as you can see were very high. The top 5 posters were submitted to the national #BSW competition; now we all eagerly await the news of the results. This #soroptimist

March – In Women’s History Month, Soroptimists congratulate students in Cobham

March – In Women’s History Month, Soroptimists congratulate students in Cobham

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Women’s History Month is an annual observance to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. Celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women’s Day on March 8, it is observed during October in Canada, corresponding with the celebration of Persons Day on October 18. A weeklong observation in Sonoma County, California in 1978 was subsequently championed by Gerda Lerner and the National Women’s History Alliance to be recognised as a national week (1980) and then month (1987) in the United States, spreading internationally after that. Since 1987, Women’s History Month has been celebrated every March, with one of our favourite days of the year, International Women’s Day, taking place on 8th March. Join in recognising the extraordinary contributions, resilience, and accomplishments of women who have shaped our world. From trailblazing pioneers to modern-day leaders, Women’s History Month is a tribute to the strength, intelligence and indomitable spirit of women across the globe. #Weybridge

ECHOES OF OPPRESSION: WOMEN’S FIGHT FOR RIGHTS UNDER THE TALIBAN POLICY BRIEF, #IWD 8 MARCH 2024

ECHOES OF OPPRESSION: WOMEN’S FIGHT FOR RIGHTS UNDER THE TALIBAN POLICY BRIEF, #IWD 8 MARCH 2024

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ECHOES OF OPPRESSION: WOMEN’S FIGHT FOR RIGHTS UNDER THE TALIBAN POLICY BRIEF, #IWD 8th MARCH 2024 Today’s #IWD Policy Brief evaluates the Taliban’s suppression of human rights in Afghanistan, focusing on its impact on women and girls. It draws on literature reviews and first hand accounts from Afghan women across eight geographical zones, as well as insights from human rights experts both within and outside the country, to analyse the challenges posed by the Taliban’s regime. As mankind globally celebrate progress and success for women and girls, this important brief created from literature review and first hand in country reports gives clear insights and recommendations for action. Soroptimists are keen to disseminate this information on International Women’s Day, please share, tag your MPs, send it to Ministers, commend it to your friends and family and anyone who can focus effort on enabling change and influencing

Weybridge, Walton & Hersham are on Santa’s Route

Weybridge, Walton & Hersham are on Santa’s Route

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At this time of year mothers and women struggling financially face difficult choices, heat the home, pay the bills, put food on the table,  borrow to buy extras and gifts? Alongside supporting foodbanks with female hygiene products year round, local women soroptimists volunteer and fundraise to aid community foodbanks around the country with supermarket vouchers and food, plus summer essentials like children’s sun lotion and treats at Easter. This festive season our soroptimists and friends in Elmbridge donated £15 to fill each gift hat for women and mums from Santa.  Brenda and Cathy delivered 20 to @Runnymede at #WeybridgeFoodbank last week, Jean and Ann did the same at @Walton&Hershamfoodbank. Sincere thanks to the generous soroptimists, neighbours, friends and family for the cash to enable this sharing of joy and goodwill locally. Merry Christmas to all  partners, volunteers and charities we work with locally to improve

Soroptimists fly the flag for Women and Girls for #16DaysofActivism

Soroptimists fly the flag for Women and Girls for #16DaysofActivism

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Women volunteers in local soroptimist clubs around the world #orangetheworld as part of the global campaign and action to stop violence against women and girls. Locally they are ‘flying the flag’ in many ways on Monument Green, Weybridge and in Stoke d’Abernon to highlight the UN messaging for global action and progress under the UNiTE program. Soroptimists are advocating to reduce online and IT tech-led actions and increased use of private information which impacts women and girls well being and safety adversely and to encourage everyone to harness technology to enable safety, respect and dignity in every situation, every country and every online media. Progress is steady, nothing is impossible. “We are hopeful not hopeless” in the words of an Afghan women’s advocate speaking at the recent SIGBI conference about the challenges women and girls face every day in country. Amplify the messaging share on

River Thames at Cowey Sale is ORANGE!

River Thames at Cowey Sale is ORANGE!

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  Following on from the success of our monthly #OrangeCafes, this year we upped the scale of our activities to mark the start of #16days of activism. Saturday November 25th was a cold but bright winter’s morning. A group of club members met up for a ‘Walk & Talk’ Café Crawl along the Thames towpath between Walton & Weybridge. Our aim was to raise awareness of #16Days and the UN Day for the elimination of violence against Women. We were joined by Soroptimist sisters from the region as well as family members & the Outreach team from #Northsurreydomesticabuse. We  met at the Cowey Sale café then we all walked & talked all the way to D’Oyly’s Café. The island setting offered a great photo opportunity on the bridge across the river. Even the tree in the background was orange! We were all wearing orange &

Elfing around..Elmbridge..

Elfing around..Elmbridge..

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Last week we approved fund allocation to fill 40 elf hats for gifting to @RunnymedeandWeybridgefoodbank and @Walton&HershamFoodbank. Packed by Santa’s elves and labelled ‘For Mum from Santa” soroptimists in @weybridge, @waltononthames and @molesey hope to spread some joy and goodwill to the hard pressed families in our district on Christmas day. Our Women against Violence (WAV) team are really busy hoisting flags, putting up posters and arranging the #orangetheworld cafe crawl on the Thames from Cowey Sale, Walton to amplify the  Surrey clubs work in the southern England region to end violence against women over #16daysofactivism each and every year. Show your solidarity with orange ribbons, posters and share our posts to widen the information sharing and impact action.   Save the date  – 25th November start of club activism to unite in solidarity with women and girls suffering violence.     

#16Days of Activism get ready..

#16Days of Activism get ready..

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The global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a key international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls. It runs from 25th November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until 10th December, Human Rights Day. In support of this campaign, the United Nations Secretary-General’s “UNiTE by 2030” initiative calls for global action to increase awareness, galvanise advocacy efforts and share knowledge and innovations to help end all types of violence against women and girls. In 2023, the UNiTE campaign theme is Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls. Soroptimists and UNWomen’s focus is on Tech-facilitated gender based violence against women and girls. What is that? Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is any act that is committed or amplified using digital tools or technologies causing physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm to women and girls because