Dear Soroptimists,
I wish you, your families and loved ones all around the world a very happy New Year! A year filled with optimism and opportunities. A year where we will move forward with our work to always do the best for women.
Embarking on this exciting new biennium, I am filled with enthusiasm for the opportunity to collaborate with you together with an exceptional group of intelligent, diverse, and hard-working SIE Officers. I firmly believe that embracing the ethos of ‘Together as a team’ paves the way forward. Recognising our collective strengths and maintaining a steadfast focus on our goals through transparent communication and shared information will cultivate a collaborative working dynamic. This, I am confident, will lead to the realisation of our vision, irrespective of local or global obstacles and challenges.
Launching the ‘Members’ Update’
The bi-monthly newsletter you are currently reading is the first edition of our brand-new publication, The Members Update. This newsletter replaces The Link, and acts as a vital communication between us. While primarily focusing on internal matters, this newsletter also features relevant articles of external interest. It provides crucial planning information, outlining upcoming actions Unions and Single Clubs need to take, and details about sessions and webinars offered to members. Finally, it highlights the cornerstone of our organisation, the projects where we realise our mission through awareness, action, and advocacy.
The Members’ Update is sent to all Union board members and Single Club Presidents, and anyone who had previously subscribed to THE LINK. Subscription is open to anyone inside or outside of our organisation. Please do help spread the news by sharing the opportunity to subscribe with your fellow members and wider network – they can subscribe by clicking here.
A critical juncture
In the ever-evolving landscape of today’s world, women’s organisations find themselves at the intersection of numerous challenges. It is a critical juncture that demands our resilience, adaptability, and collective efforts to overcome the obstacles that threaten to impede our mission. As we stand united in our purpose, we acknowledge the hurdles before us: resistance from political and social forces, uncertainties, and the pressing need for effective communication.
What the future holds
Our vision remains steadfast, to ‘Ensure women and girls achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide.’
To sharpen our focus, we have a strategy for 2019-2025, and Strategic plan for 2024-2025. To support our strategy we have organised our board members around the following four teams:
1) Awareness, Action, Advocacy;
2) Members Development;
3) Organisational Development;
4) Communications.
What makes Soroptimist International of Europe so appealing is our rich diversity. We have members spanning various ages, backgrounds, experiences, and opinions which results in unified and strong Clubs and Unions. This diversity extends to Federation level, where the 26 SIE Officers 2024-2025 hail from 16 different countries and draw on diverse education levels, backgrounds, and cultures. This diversity and inclusivity are what makes us strong, and it is the invariable friendships that develop along the way that I appreciate most.
The new board has already started its work as we have a lot planned for 2024. Activities range from sessions and webinars to International Women’s Day on 8th of March, the Governors’ Meeting 2024 in Iceland in October, and our 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, to name few.
I look forward to working together with you as a team to reach our goals.
Yours in friendship,
Hafdís Karlsdóttir
SIE President 2024-2025
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