This week, our SoroptiVoice comes from Linda Stillman, one of the five SI UN Representatives based in New York. Here she shares a little of her experience at the UN and the importance of integrating men and boys into the debate on gender equality and women’s rights.
Before
becoming an SI UN representative, I was a consultant to UNIFEM whereby I was first
introduced to Soroptimist International of New York City. As a representative,
I served SI mostly as an organizer, advocate and activist with the Commission
on the Status of Women until this past year.
As we are now well into the 21st
Century, it is very important that Soroptimist International stay in alignment
with the times – debates move quickly! As a UN SI
representative, I have had the honor to
be highly connected to the global overview of
world realities and relations to solve the daunting issues of today and
tomorrow.
This year, I have been working closely with
the United Nations Communication Coordination Committee (CCC). Their focus is global
education and outreach, regarding the vast efforts and endeavors of
multidimensional dynamics and partnerships within the United
Nations and between the UN and other NGOs. SI, as a leading world
service women’s organization, certainly has historically and currently focused
on education, as a part of UN MDGs and many more UN global, educational
initiatives – not forgetting the crucial local work all clubs are involved in.
Today, the CCC UN is also partnering with the
Young Global Leadership Foundation
offering a Learning Leadership Program from a global perspective that embraces
young women and men, together, from the Millennial Generation (b 1985-2005).
Having been an international lecturer and global mentor for two decades, I have been able to talk with young people from all over the world and learn of their visions and goals and how they seek to achieve them. As a result of this learning, I have long been an advocate/activist of the integration of men/boys into the ‘women’s
world’ to solve the social issues of most significance and importance to all of
humanity. It has been met with much adversity in the past, though the topic has been part
of the Beijing Platform for action and a theme of the CSW.
Ban Ki Moon declared in an address
to the UN General Assembly last year: "We are in the Era of Communication". As a global culture and communication
specialist, I believe we need to communicate with women/girls AND
men/boys in order to achieve the change we want to see.
The millennial generation does not adhere
to the separation of the genders created by the modern women’s movement era
since 1968. They do not seek to
establish a matriarchal world, following 10,000 years of patriarchy. They
believe in connectivity, collaboration and integration between women and men,
and they welcome mentors and role models accordingly. They have created their own communication
dynamics through Social Media and much more. I believe that Soroptimist International needs to be flexible in respondoing to these changes, making sure than we do not exclude engaging with men and boys to the detriment of our important and necessary work with women and girls.
It is my ultimate
mission in life to guide young global leaders to reach their goals through
understanding effective and ethical leadership from across the
spectrum of societies and cultures, including the contributions of both men and
women, towards a more peaceful, prosperous and positive world.
Dr. Linda Stillman
SI UN Representative to New York