The Task Force for the Eastern Part of Europe has worked closely with the Single Clubs in this area of the Federation for two years.
It was therefore particularly gratifying when SIE President Renata agreed to invite representatives of these Single Clubs for a seminar from 20th-22nd September 2019. 27 committed, involved and enthusiastic Soroptimists from different countries travelled to Leuven, Belgium, for a weekend of talks, discussions and friendship! President Renata, President-elect Anna, Vice-Presidents Carolien & Zaneta, Past President Ulla and Extension Committee Chair Gerda prepared a programme covering various aspects of our organisation. One of the main subjects of interest was Unions/Regions. Participants had a lot of questions and actively worked together to find solutions to develop their future.
Some Soroptimists sent us their personal feedback:
Marian Rodica, SC Nisporeni, Moldovia:
Being a new member of SI, I think I benefitted the most from the seminar. First, all the fears and doubts I had when I accepted the invitation to join the local club of Soroptimists disappeared. I got answers to all my questions related to SI. I learned things I would never have found in any other field of my life, but which are really useful for my personal development. I refer here to skills needed to solve daily life conflicts, leadership approach, public speaking, etc.
Second, I saw once again that united we are stronger. That’s why Soroptimists manage to do things no one would think they are able to. Soroptimist not only help and protect women worldwide but also enhance their self-confidence and encourage them to change the world.
Finally, I am really thankful for everything I learned, for making new friends, for enlarging my cultural understanding and improving my English-speaking skills.
All the things mentioned above make me a better mother, a better wife, a better employee, a better woman. And no one can doubt, nowadays society needs strong women, needs Soroptimists.
Gabriella Marsiné Kovács, SC Szeged, Hungary :
I’d like to emphasise the personal side of this event. Being together also means one can get to know each other better, our trainers, leading personalities of SIE, and our Soroptimist sisters coming from different clubs, from different countries of the Eastern part of Europe with different backgrounds. I’d like to emphasise that such trainings provide us with much more information than the content of the seminar itself. Impressions about how someone presents a topic or how one reacts can be good examples to follow, and also very inspiring. Listening to each other, hearing about the situation of other SI clubs broadens our horizon so that we can understand and assess our own situation better. With the teamwork, we could see and feel how well we can cooperate and complement our knowledge and skills when working towards a common goal. This is a model of the situation we have in our organisation.
Coffee breaks and meals gave us the possibility for personal talks and coming closer to each other. Sharing a room with an SIE sister was a great opportunity to make friends and to build contact between our clubs.
Last but not least let me mention how active and really devoted members we had here among us from the younger generation of SIE sisters. The best example was our sister with her three-month-old baby. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to participate in the seminar, so she brought the youngest “soroptimister” ever participating in an SIE event with her! There was no gap between them and the seniors. Cooperating, exchanging ideas, learning different views and discovering each other’s skills all functioned well, which is also a very good experience.
I am glad we could be together for the experience of the seminar’s atmosphere and content. I am ready to share it with my Soroptimist sisters. I am convinced what I have learned will help me understand some of the changes in our organisation. It strengthens my feeling that together we are stronger, more visible and so we really can help and stand up for each other, stand up for women.
Edina Balogh, SC Budapest Corvinus, Hungary:
Overall the seminar showed us how important it is to work in a group and to be unit. It taught us how to handle the daily problems and to transform them into a positive aim.