Human Rights Day commemorates December 10th, 1948, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. This day holds a special place in Soroptimist International’s history, from 1981, when SI President Catherine Salt chose a project on the island of Pulau Bidong, Malaysia, to help refugee women and children.
There were three panelists: a doctor, a makeup specialist and a journalist, who lead the discussion.
Anna Maria Tremonti told compelling stories, opening with the analogy that carpets are like our lives – they are stepped on, admired, functional, and each one is unique; a tapestry of woven fabric is like the experiences of our lives. In learning about carpets, she learned about families and politics while living in the Middle East.
There have always been women covering war; Martha Gellhorn smuggled herself on a D-Day ship as a nurse so she could uncover the story of civilians in hospitals.
We need to be role models to our youth, but also to ourselves. If you want a friend, get a puppy; if you want to think, listen to her program: The Current. Now is the time to ask tough questions of those who are of influence. Active participation in a wider society, and our responsibility globally because we live in a civil society. Asking uncomfortable questions and shining light into places of turmoil begins with individuals who are not afraid to share their ideas, and journalists must give a voice to those who would otherwise not be heard.
Lee Graff, president of Cover FX, told the story of their foundation product that was co-created with MAC out of Sunny Brook Health Sciences. Corrective makeup specialists help patients camaflague skin disorders and visible pigments to help themselves regain self-confidence. The product caters to sensitive skin and muli-ethnic skin tones.
Dr. Kirsty Duncan brought photos from her excursion to Norway to demonstrate her research project that exhumed 6 bodies of young men who died 80 years ago from the 1918 Spanish Flu. Preserved by burial in the perma-frost, she set forth with the principles of safety, ethical, with respect and dignity to extract tissue samples; they found the virus in lung, liver and brain. H1N1 was the next major epidemic but it was mild by comparison. She reflected on being asked, how do you want to be treated – as a young woman or a scientist? The questions are not mutually exclusive. She also discussed how scientific behaviour disintegrates when the stakes are high, and the risks of loss in safety and ethics when that occurs.
A drop of 2-4 degrees results in an ice age. An increase of 2-4 degrees will melt the glaciers: Rhone-Glacier in Switzerland has almost disappeared. Smog and heat are killing the elderly and the children. There will be more flooding, storms and tornados. 20% of the world population are already at risk of malaria; mosquito and water borne diseases will increase. Malnutrition and hunger will increase. Past generations had WW I and II, and then went to the moon. Now it’s climate change that is the world’s challenge.
She works with an organization to feed 110,000 children in Toronto; ¼ go to school hungry in Canada and it appalled her. Her passion lead her to Parliament to fight for child hunger and diseases of the brain, such as dementia, which is prevalent in an aging population. Now she is also fighting for MS. After 13 months of petitioning through official channels and being denied, on June 29th the first Clinical Trial for angioplasty as a treatment was approved in Canada.
The most generous people are often the ones who have nothing to give. Find your passions, whatever they are – let them grow and change over time. There is a way around or over the hurdles.
Wilma Rudolph learned to walk at 11 years old after being affected by Polio. She was born premature and had survived scarlet fever, whooping cough, chickenpox, and measles. At age 16, she won the olympic bronze medal in sprinting for the USA. Impossible is a dare and it’s temporary. 4 years later she won three gold medals, the first American woman to do so. All she wanted in celebration was a non-segregated party in her town; it was the first of its kind in her state.
SI commits to leave no woman or girl behind. We all have a gift to give. We are all worthy and all deserve respect and dignity. It is about making a small difference in our little piece of the planet.
Discussion Notes:
Kirsty: what should we do about the small pox virus; should it be kept for scientific research? It is critical for researchers to be safe.
Anne Marie: wiki-leaks provides a plethora of information that is not otherwise available to us. If gov’t were more transparent about their inner workings, sites like that wouldn’t have traction.
Kirsty: MS treatment – is there any signs of it being a treatment of other neurological diseases? By March 31, 12500 liberation procedures have been done across 50 countries; 1/3 are significantly affected, 1/3 have mild improvement and 1/3 seem to not respond. Always talk to your health care provider about treatment options and side effects.
Lee: were there gender differences from business people getting capital funding? Cover FX was self-funded to start but then they went to the bank. Had male bankers and applied for a gov’t grant and to the export bank of Canada. Eventually, the Royal Bank with a female account manager brought other females in to the meeting and the reception was unreal. One was already using the product and loved it – the product liberated her and she advocated for the project. There is a nurturing and encouragement that women have.
Lee: For prepubescent girls who feel compelled to wear make up even though they have no acne or pigment issues, she recommends girls be well rounded in their interests/sports so their energy is not solely focussed on their appearance and have avenues to gain self-confidence.
Anna Maria: Media focus on the bad or difficult, sad things and not enough focus on the celebrations or positive? Seems to be a global phenomena. Challenge for SI to get article coverage of the work we do. The trauma needs to be talked because there is an accountability threat; you need to be told so you can never say you don’t know or made an uninformed decision. Good news doesn’t have to be “light” news but can follow social trends and how they worked against a system to accomplish something. News these days is creating/following stories that don’t matter and that is a significant problem. Have to go in there and insist. Say no on a project and suggest the story you want to cover. They can slow you down, but they can’t stop you.
Kirsty: How do you encourage girls to go into science? Go to primary schools to interact with children about science and environment. Assigned a project to save the world (but without marks) such as purchasing boreal forest or making hats/scarves for homeless shelters.
Lee: Has a summer coop program exists for young women. It’s not about the makeup but counselling and business skills. Donate makeup to young girls or shelters. Try to teach about body image.
Questions to all:
Did you have a struggle to get established in your career?
• Lee’s parents immigrated from Eastern Europe; four daughters ran their family business. Her mother went to school to learn English and worked side-by-side with her husband. It made her an excellent role model – she didn’t give up. The experience of trying and realizing it’s not what you want to do builds the experience to get you on the path.
• Kirsty was influenced by her Grandmother, who was a working single mother, and her mother was the first in their family to ever go to university. Kirsty was teaching at University by 24 and sometimes treated as a secretary by people. She tells her upper year students that women need to learn to negotiate – want $5-8k more than what they offer when you get a job just to make it equitable.
• Anna Maria was taught to try and keep trying. Many more leaders are women at CBC, which is a dramatic change from when she started. Feminist is not a bad word, it has enabled women to do lots of things.
Zimbabwe has an energy shortage. Some of the UN protocols that the country signed for on climate change was to conserve trees, but they are the main source of fuel because they have no gas or electricity to cook with – only firewood. Women are arrested because it is a punishable offence. Can solar energy and wind turbines be made more affordable for 3rd world countries? Fog nets are used to condense the droplets and collect them. Simple solution as an example of changing from no water to 50L per family per day.
Sierra Leone is the quadrennial project for SI (2007 to 20111). Alison Sutherland, International Project Liaison, delivered a celebration of our achievements.
Sierra Leone has seen much peace and improvement since the project began. It is now ranked by the UN as 158/169 countries, up from the very last for quality of life and has show an increase from 42 to 48 years as the average life expectancy for women.
The program targets children living alone, outcast teenage mothers and single grandmothers who are the head of household and delivers tailored education, health, counseling and improved living conditions. The overall goals are respect, community engagement and reuniting families.
Partnered with Hope & Homes for Children and HANSI SL: 57 children completed, 67 currently in the program. 164 teen mothers (165 babies) graduated and 119 mothers (99 babies) are currently enrolled.
200 families with over 1000 children graduated from ACTIVE family support. Community hubs were introduced in January 2011 to support and extend the program to more families and have challenged community traditional practices that are harmful to children and young women. Play activities, informal education and health care are provided broadly to the community; the focus is on strengthening families and engaging local communities. A recent focus has been outreaching mothers of teenage daughters who are at risk of unplanned pregnancy. The program offers day care and nurseries for babies of teenage mothers so they can train – it is the first of it’s kind in the region and government policy now states that that daycare is available to all babies, regardless of the mother’s status. The next project for HANSI SL is conducting a national street children survey to provide data for gov’t policy on the issue.
Project is sustainable at the end of the quadrennial; it advocated for the impact of conflict on women and young girls, as well as the risks of trafficking.
SI set a target of £1M before the financial crisis; about £950,000 (or $1,500,000) is expected as the final tally (£880,000 already submitted to the partner organizations). The presentation concluded with a message by video that ended in two strong rounds of applause (one premature because the emotional message of thanks was so powerful and meaningful).
This morning started with a welcome from President Hanne. She noted that a women’s convention is filled with a colorful audience; a distinguishing factor from men in their dark suits. The keynote topic was: Women as Leaders in Civil Society and given by the right honourable Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor of Canada (1999-2005) and who founded the Institute for Canadian Citizenship.
Mdm. Clarkson was adopted as an honorary member to the Kainai Chieftainship during a traditional ceremony held at Red Crow Park, near Standoff, Alberta. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Governor General was adopted into the Blood Tribe with the name of Grandmother of Many Nations, making her the third woman to be inducted since the creation of the chieftainship. It is a title she is extremely proud of.
A society of difference (not similarities) is founded on the principle that love cannot be the binding factor or resolve disputes. A nation or state that is successful is often unlikeable or loathsome. It is principles of the heart, such as generosity and friendship, that are founded in love but not analysis or curiosity. She showcases this in Heart Matters, her recent book
Canada started with French Catholics followed by Anglo-Saxon Protestants and they founded Canada over the first Nations people who were native to the land. The nation began with union through diversity. Even now, the government targets 1% growth in population by immigration per year with the goal of citizenship within 3-5 years; there is 80% uptake. Yet Canada is not a headline in international papers – it is a hidden gem in the world.
The most powerful thing in a family home is the unrealized dreams of the parents – C. Yung. This concept is a powerful drive behind the desire to immigrate.
Room for us all: surprising stories of transformation is Her newest book – it highlights more on people’s story than simply where they come from.
Strength comes when outsiders finally become part of the mainstream. The ability to join without anyone standing in their way and becoming a full member of society is a hallmark of Canada. Helpful and kind people helped her family when they arrived from Hong Kong, particularly they taught her mother to cook as she previously had servants.
Some citizens became enemy-aliens in a country they were born in, but that changed within their lifetime (i.e. Raymond Moriyama, a Japanese-Canadian was one of the architects who built the new Canadian Museum of War in Ottawa).
The Global Center of Plurality chose Canada to ask the fundamental question – how do we live with difference – and resides in former Museum of War. It was also redesigned by a Japanese-Canadian architect who was born in camps, Bruce Kuwabara.
Values in a civil society are what you make them in the public institutions, and in Canada one of them is education.
She took four questions: Comments on the maid in NY? People are welcoming of refugees but how do you retain their own but also adopt our traditions? Is the immigration experience necessary for creating new societies and making transformations? What role can young women play in Canada in leadership and immigration?
Then, answered all four questions together: Chinese men came to Canada without wives and often married native women out west; people stay in groups when they don’t feel welcome; teachers play an influential role to welcome the children and people want to be part of the mainstream or at least want their children to be; it should be a choice to attend language schools on Saturdays so the children can still speak to their grandparents but forcing them creates other issues; people keep what they choose to keep (she gave a great story of two sisters – the younger wore a traditional headscarf but when asked, it was not because of tradition, but because she wanted to be different); don’t judge others with your bias and preconceived notions; you know you are a friend with someone when you don’t want to change them; immigration introduces new patterns, ideas and ways of doing things. A wealthy white man in power admits to the sexual encounter – media attacks are targeting the maid’s character, not the implication of sexual harassment.
Mdm Clarkson considers herself part of a 2nd wave of feminism who now see equality becoming the norm, as evidenced by enrolment in professional education programs, but not at the senior or executive level in business because these women are balancing home/work; many don’t want just a career but family as well. She concluded with: remember if you choose to be Elizabeth I, there was only one.
Opening Ceremonies began with an emotional role call of flags for all member countries. Cheers went up across the room as members were recognized for their country. At the end, the flag ceremony began with Canada, Quebec and Montreal amongst cheers and whoops. Past-President Margaret Lobo spoke elequently as she welcomed all the delegates and introduced our local guests: Mdm Jocelyn Ann Campbell, Montreal City Councillor and Christine St-Pierre, Minister for Culture & Communication and the Status of Women. She ended her greetings with a reminder that together we can make change happen.
After adjuring, members and guests filed up the escalator where they greeted by two Mounties (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and a fiddler as they entered in to an evening of delectable finger foods and friendship. The decor of sails, a sugar shack, teepees, a old 50′s style deli counter, and snow touched evergreens set the scene of Canada’s diversity in culture and landscape. Samples of Montreal Smoked meat, maple sugar over ice, and smoked salmon were just a taste of what Canada has to offer, but no poutine was on the menu.
Beautiful costumes from India, Malaysia, French Guiana, Sweden, and Rwanda (just to name a few) showcased the variety of nationalities in attendance this year. Of course the ladies from Eastern and Western Canada Regions stood out in their red and white, adorned in glow sticks, cowboy hats and hockey jerseys. The shrieks of joy at seeing old acquaintances and plentiful hugs was a testament to friendships rekindled, as well as the satisfaction from committees conducted by email and phone committee finally meeting in person.
Caricature artists, typically found in the market square of the Viuex-Port, had attendees lined up to have their faces drawn, while those who gathered to watch laughed out loud and snapped photos of the final pictures. Each piece was a great souvenir and an authentic Montreal experience.
Overall, first time attendees felt welcomed, including several male travel companions, and the resounding sentiment was one of joy and anticipation of the days to come. One reunion of a Kenyan and Canadian, after not seeing each other since Glasgow, said she felt this evening was even warmer and friendlier – a wonderful first impression of Canada.
After a fun evening of fellowship, Brooke continued on with SI-Cambridge to tour Old Montreal on a buggy tour with Catriona, the horse:
This year a group of 7 from our club are attending the SI2011 Convention in Montreal.
The Theme for the Convention is Women: Leaders in Civil Society. We have chosen this theme because Civil Society is the buzz word of our time, quite often used, and often misunderstood. Our own organization, Soroptimist International, is accredited to the Commonwealth as a Civil Society Organization. During the course of the Convention, we will explore this theme in depth through various “Sub-Themes” or subsets that will reflect all aspects of our underlying theme of Civil Society.
It is our desire to have Canadian women leaders in their various fields of endeavor come speak to us and not only teach us how to be leaders but to also showcase Canada and Canadian values to the rest of the world. We have chosen various Canadian women leaders that we feel are role models. We believe these women will be able to share some interesting and pertinent insights on global issues and challenges that women face and innovative solutions that could inform and enlighten our membership.
The following are our Sub-Themes:
Women as Catalysts of Change in Human Rights
Women as Role Models in Arts, Entertainment, and Media
Women as Role Models in Commerce and Entrepreneurship
Women as Leaders in Health & Sciences and Sports
Women as Stewards of the Environment
Women as Catalysts of Change in Government
The kickoff is our ECR Conference on Sunday morning, followed by lunch with Western Canada Region. We’ll keep you posted on updates throughout the conference. Here is the program at a glance »
According to Soroptimist International, fifty-seven percent of teens know someone who has been verbally, physically, or sexually abusive in a dating relationship; females ages 16 to 24 are more vulnerable to intimate partner violence than any other age group. Educate yourself on how you can impact the life of a teenager (male or female). Download your copy of the Soroptimist White Paper »
Soroptimist International of the Americas, working to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world, examines the issue of teen dating violence. Dating and intimate relationships are a normal part of growing up for many adolescents. Yet teenagers frequently form their first romantic relationship without a clear understanding of what constitutes a healthy versus an unhealthy relationship. As a result, they are particularly vulnerable to becoming targets of dating abuse. Fifty-seven percent of teens know someone who has been verbally, physically, or sexually abusive in a dating relationship.
Although the patterns and signs of teen dating violence tend to mirror those exhibited in adult abusive relationships, there are some unique issues that teens face. This white paper examines those unique issues as they relate to the factors that influence teen dating violence, as well as the consequences thereof. The paper also addresses the unique obstacles teens face when seeking help and/or deciding to end an abusive relationship.
If you want to get involved, there is a Model Program Kit that you can implement through your club. You can also order Soroptimist Teen Dating Violence bookmarks to distribute. The 2 x 7 inch glossy bookmarks promote healthy dating relationships among teenagers.
Registration for Soroptimist’s 41st biennial convention is now open! Click here to get everything you need to plan an incredible trip. Register online now »
Gear up for the experience of a lifetime. Laugh and learn with Soroptimists from around the world. Explore the wondrous “city by the bay,” which is full of rich culture and amazing sights. Check out this video to witness the fun you don’t want to miss!
SIA is also accepting advertisements and/or greetings for the 41st Biennial Convention program. Due to limited space, ads/greetings will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. All ads/greeting order forms must be received, along with payment, at headquarters by March 15, 2010. Contact SIA-HQ for more information on pricing, file sizes, etc.
Ballots for 2010-2012 Board of Directors members were counted at headquarters on January 8. Congratulations to Masako Sakashita, SI/ Miyazaki, Japan; Euisook Choi, SI/ Ulsan, Korea; Connie Desko, SI/Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Joan Merritt, SI/ Willimantic, Connecticut; and Carene Davis-Stitt, SI/ Eugene, Oregon. These members will assume their new leadership positions on September 1, and will serve in that position through August 31, 2012.
In two electoral areas, no candidate received a majority of the votes cast, and those electoral areas are currently re-balloting. The full results are online »
You may recall from last year (Feb 2009) when Alison Sutherland, Quadrennial Project Liaison, recounted the memories and experiences of those who recently attended the first project tour »
This morning, our SIA President, Cathy Standiford, is off to Sierra Leone for the next Study Tour. Here is an excerpt from her blog as she contemplates what to expect and how best to pack. We wish her safe travels and a memorable experience and look forward to her stories when she gets back in February (she’s not taking a laptop):
I know that the hotel accommodations will be nice, but spartan by some of our western standards. I’m bringing a hair dryer, but may not be able to use it if the power is out.I’m bringing my bathing suit because all of the hotels we will stay at have a pool, and if the water pressure in the shower or bath is low, the pool may be the best way to wash off some of the dust of the day. I’m bringing (of course) my camera, a small journal, and plenty of pens to write with.
Margaret Cook, the Assistant International Programme Director and one of the other participants on our tour, recently sent us a great video clip that will give you a taste. It was recently filmed by Alastair Humphreys, the son of a Soroptimist from Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland. Alastair has been on a “round the world bike ride” to benefit Hope and Homes for Children, our partner in Sierra Leone. This video explains what he saw–and what I am likely to see too. Watch it, then think of me, riding along those dusty roads!
What is a Quadrenniel Project?
Every four years Soroptimist International launches a major international project in partnership with a charity, NGO or United Nations agency. Each project is designed to be self-sustaining by the end of SI’s four-year commitment. Soroptimist members around the world join forces to give active support to the chosen project and in doing so, have improved the lives of many thousands of women and children across the globe.
Each Federation takes it in turns to propose an international project: our current project was initiated by Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland (2007-2011). Project SIerra: a Family and a Future, was launched at Convention in July 2007. The project supports women caring for children in extreme poverty and provides a caring, secure family home for children who are alone or at risk of abandonment. The project location is Sierra Leone, West Africa. Our project partner is Hope and Homes for Children.
