Soroptimist International South West Pacific

Awareness and Advocating are two of the pillars of our organisation and the 16 Days of Activism provide Soroptimists across our Federation with many opportunities to participate. Going back 20 plus years whilst Soroptimist talked about domestic violence, it was not considered a subject which we could actively raise public awareness to. Thank goodness this has changed. As a leading women’s civil society organisation it is our duty to amplify our voices, raise awareness and advocate for change. How inspiring it is to view social media on all of the various actions being undertaken by clubs and members to bring about an end to gender-based violence. We have lit up the world with orange and the actions of Soroptimist. Well done.

As we wind down to the end of 2023, and Christians prepare themselves for the Christmas Festival, we should remember that Festivals are an important event in our calendars. Festival celebrations of all forms, create enthusiasm and happiness between families and friends, and the important message of Peace and Goodwill. This year we have seen violence inflicted on people in many parts of this world, we pray for their safety, wellbeing and an end to conflict. I wish all Soroptimists a Happy Festive Season, please spend your time wisely with much joy and friendship.

On the 14th of this month I will be joining my SI Beenleigh Soroptimists friends, as we continue with a long tradition (over 30) of packing Christmas food hampers for the less fortunate in our community. 2 weeks ago, my 10 year old grandson said to me, “Nannie, last year you took me to help pack Christmas packs, can I please come with you to do this again”. I was overjoyed as this time at his own initiative he wanted to be a part of this. I do believe that Soroptimist empower many people on all levels to give generously of their time to their community.

I thank each and every one of you for the generosity of your time as a Soroptimist, and once again reflect on 2 sentences from the Soroptimist pledge – “The Joy of achievement, the dignity of service”, may you all finish of this year knowing that your Soroptimist work has made a difference to many women and girls. Take time to rest and come back prepared for an action packed 2024.

Yours in Soroptimist friendship,

Christine Johnstone
President 2022-2024
Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific
swppresident2022@siswp.org

Educate, Empower, Enable three statements we refer to in written and vocal communication.  As Soroptimists we create projects which empower women every day, but to do this important work we must empower ourselves. SISEAP has recently ran two Thriving Futures programs, where 28 attended the Kuala Lumpur program and 15 attended  the  Western Australia one. 

Through the participation in these courses, our members have gained empowerment as this training equips them with essential tools, resources, and skills required to make informed choices and effectively solve problems.  If you would like to know more about this program, reach out to your membership zone coordinators or Membership convenor Yvonne, and enquire if the Thriving Futures program can be held in your area.

The Living with Nature art competition, a project I created to provide a voice to our youth through visual art has crowded its champions. Visual art provides communication and self-expression beyond what words can convey. My hope was that our youth would be engaged, and that the clubs which undertook the project would connect with their community through this project.  Artwork was received from 3 countries, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.  The artists are very talented, including two budding film makers Matilda Grant and Tianian Shen - their video covers the impact of waste with a strong call to action 'Pick it up' .  Please visit the website to view these artworks, and consider speaking to your club members to participate in this competition next year.

Federation Art competition entries. View here.

Left: First Prize Winner 13-18 years age group - Low Yeong Shi, Malaysia.

Right: First Prize Winner 7-12 years age group - Eshal_Naeem, Australia. 

Continuing my theme "Our Voice for Change”, the Programme team interviewed two young women for the International Day of the Girl Child.  I encourage members to play these videos at club meetings or events. They are short videos, each is under 8 minutes and showcase our project and advocacy work. The video are available for viewing from the SISEAP YouTube channel. Click here to view.

I hope that all members were able to participate in the October is Membership month campaign. Did you complete the survey at your club?  I know that the SISEAP family of social media was alight with many events and activities undertaken during October to raise awareness to our organisation.  I thank you all for your input and hope that there is success in increased membership.

With two months remaining until the close of yet another successful year, we are not shifting into holiday mode just yet. November and December are gearing up to be busy weeks when we amplify our Voices to bring awareness to ending domestic and gender-based violence. Please continue to visit our website for updates during these final two months.

Yours in Soroptimist friendship,

Christine Johnstone
President 2022-2024
Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific
swppresident2022@siswp.org

October is the birth month of Eleanor Roosevelt, a woman of the world who worked to improve the lives of people all over the world, and assisted in writing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I came across this quote from Eleanor "You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude."  

Over the past few months our Soroptimists attitude has been challenged, the SI convention provided opportunities to expand our knowledge across several pillars as we listened to expert speakers, we increased our Soroptimist knowledge.  Last week in Kuala Lumpur I attended the Thriving Futures program along with 28 Soroptimists from 10 of our 13 countries. 

The Thriving Futures program (a 6 months Leadership, Retention and Extension program, which included 3 days face to face, and 1 day strategic planning day)  is about changing attitudes.  The course content covered personal development, leadership strengths, effective meetings and planning, this led into planning and strategies for SISEAP retention and recruitment.  Soroptimist International and the members will benefit greatly from this training.  The women bonded, were frank and honest about membership in their clubs, there was much sharing of ideas and what did and did not work, the attendees all finished day 3 on a high, and were eager to take back learnings to their club members. 

Day of the Girl Child advocacy program is about changing attitudes, we need our young girls to be resilient and strong as they face adversity at every step as they strive forward in this world. We need to educate our men, employers and boys, that women are equal.  The programme team have prepared two excellent interviews with young women and a toolkit to assist you with your advocacy and social media campaigns.  

Language as a tool for communication.  Recently I have had the opportunity to visit Soroptimists in a range of countries, language and communication was often a topic.  English is the official Soroptimist language, but we make all efforts to be inclusive to members who have English as their 2^nd language, and part of this inclusiveness is that the website now can be read in all the languages of our member countries. Yet whilst this has been communicated many times, it is only as I have been visiting countries and demonstrating this, that I got the “oohs and ahhs”, the smiles and high fives,  so please make sure that all your members know where and how to change the language for improved communication. The bulletin and e-span can also be converted to other languages but not all the languages of our Federation.  Club meetings do not have to be conducted in English they can be conducted in the language of the country. 

 As a Soroptimist there has been much change in the past months, but remember it is about how you react to this change, and remaining positive to what is important to you about being a Soroptimist is the key.  There is always work to do to improve the lives of women and girls and you are the one to do it.

Yours in Soroptimist friendship,

Christine Johnstone
President 2022-2024
Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific
swppresident2022@siswp.org