Have you ever wondered how these ‘messages from the President’ came to be, why I have written them for the past two years, and what drove me to reach out to you, readers of The Link? The answer is simpler than you can imagine:
It was because I heard you and listened to you…
It was because I saw you, what you did, which topics you were drawn towards, and which you stepped away from…
It was because I read you, your doubts, your applause, your complaints, your hints…
It was because I felt you, your pride, your eagerness, your frustrations.
What propels us all forward is that we contemplate. We don’t talk before first having listened, and we don’t write before we have first read. We welcome new input and ‘agree to disagree’ – it is even the first item stated in every Leadership Commitment shared with each new club. Fundamentally, we live by one of my favourite mottos, ‘Where all think alike nobody really thinks.’
No woman can state that she has always been well understood, never been bullied, fallen victim to gossip, or found herself giving a decent answer that was deliberately misinterpreted. I am no exception. Assuming is far easier than asking and discussing and it is time to leave these attitudes behind us.
As a grassroots organisation, we want to be heard, understood, and to actively participate in conferences – striving for increased recognition and visibility to advocate for women and girls. We therefore should focus harder on standing united. With European elections coming up, we are, as a women’s organisation, entering challenging times. While respecting our status as a non-political organisation, we cannot accept a pushback on women’s rights. We cannot ignore the infinite possibilities of AI! Will we echo the sentiment that AI is inherently biased toward ‘white males’ or will we harness, adopt, and spread it until it includes a significant female perspective? After all, it is not with a slogan that we will make our point, it is through action that we will assert our role as advocates for women’s empowerment and serve as examples of how to achieve that.
Let this, my last message to you as President, be an appeal to LISTEN, not just to Soroptimist matters, but also to what is driving society beyond our organisation. Innovation is second nature to me and reaches far beyond tweaks and upgrades, it involves identifying trends and seizing opportunities. I will never give up striving for innovation within our cherished organisation.
With new leadership in the driving seat for the next biennium, rest assured that you are in capable hands. I wish the new board all the very best in navigating both anticipated and unforeseen challenges. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, who once supported our founding mothers in their endeavours, “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”
Or, as per the Bruges-based saying that shaped my Flemish upbringing ‘Plus est en vous,’ which translates to ‘you have more within you,’ inviting each of us to tap deep into our hidden, unused richness and capacities and bring out the best in ourselves.
A warm GOODBYE!
Carolien Demey
SIE President 2021-2023
While this is the last time Carolien will publish her message to you as President, her farewell video will come your way across our social media channels. Follow Soroptimist International of Europe by clicking on the links below and join us later this month to celebrate Carolien’s time as President!
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