This week’s SoroptiVoice Blog comes from International President Alice. Here she shares her vision of strategic planning and how, as Soroptimists, we can join together to be global treasure hunters as we work to improve the lives of women and girls.
Imagine a world where women and girls are
afforded equal opportunities for education and leadership. Imagine a world where women are free from sexual harassment. Imagine a world where girls can achieve their dreams of greatness.
As Soroptimists, it is our mission to help
make these dreams a reality. So the question is – how do we, as advocates and
activists for women and girls, improve the lives of women and girls through
education, empowerment, and enabling opportunities?
We do these things by crafting our
“treasure map” – X marks the spot for transforming the lives of women and girls! In other words, our strategic goal.
The planning process is where we connect the dots to reach the X. How do we get from where we are now to that
treasure? How do we reach our strategic goal and improve the lives of women and
girls all over the world?
Firstly, our vision, mission, and values! Together
they are like the legend or key for our treasure map. It helps us to figure things out along our
journey. You can read them here.
How do we craft our treasure map and find
our path from where we are now to the treasure?
Well, that is what strategic planning and reporting is all about!
Communications:
We have fantastic communication tools to
let us know how we are getting on in our search for treasure. The new website,
social media tools (facebook and twitter), E TIS and the Global Voice newsletter make all the latest
international news relevant to your work easily available. They give us some
indication of how we are doing by celebrating achievements and highlighting
areas that need our collective Soroptimist attention.
The 2007-2011 Quadrennial Report was
launched at Convention – I hope you have
had a chance to read through it! This is a fantastic tool for Soroptimists to
use in sharing the great work we do with potential members and local and
international partners. This year, the report will only be published
electronically and is available for download on the resources page of the SI
website, under SI Statements and Reports. Please do circulate amongst your club
members and local partners to really broadcast the work of SI over the past
four years.
Partnerships:
Finding treasure is always easier if we
join forces with other treasure hunters!
SI has developed a fruitful partnership with the World Association of
Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), and it has been a pleasure and a
privilege to work alongside these young women. Together, our two organisations
have advocated to improve the lives of women and girls, running joint workshops
held at UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and UN Department of Public
Information (DPI) meetings.
WAGGGS are also a significant presence at
Club, Region and Federation level – representing a global organization of 10
million girls and young women. These are the Soroptimist treasure hunters of
the future!
The Commonwealth is another very important
and valued partner for SI. For those of you who don’t know, the Commonwealth
connects 54 countries and 1 third of the world’s population to work towards
democracy and development. That is 1 billion women and girls! Countries from
all four Federations are represented within the Commonwealth from Canada to
Papua New Guinea, and from Rwanda to India. It is also the largest intergovernmental organization after the
UN.
Advocacy:
One of the most important “coordinates” on
our treasure map, a critical point in getting from where we are to where we
want to be, is our advocacy work at the UN.
To reach "X marks the spot" and transform the lives of women and girls we
need to be a global voice for women and girls. This means working with governments to
create societies which help us along our journey.
Organisational Development:
Another coordinate on our map is organisational
development – cultivating our global team of Soroptimist treasure hunters! Soroptimist International owes its
existence to all of you. Put simply, Soroptimists are what matters! And we need to make
sure that we continue to provide and promote opportunities for you to develop
your interests, enhance understanding and build friendships. This is how we can
reach our strategic goals.
The Future:
So, what next? As you know, Soroptimist
International has recently made a strategic decision to focus more on the work
our clubs are undertaking around the world and less on a time-bound partnered
project. We want to define our journey
even more to help us reach our goals.
There are many, many organisations also working to improve the lives and
status of women and girls – we need to set ourselves apart in the global
village and claim our space! As we move
forward, the theme of ‘educate to lead’ will guide and inform all areas of
work. SI will be taking an education and
leadership angle wherever possible – and
we invite you to do the same! To help guide and inspire you, please do read the Global Impact Report: Educate to Lead. This is a great resource which explores the theme of education and leadership both from a global, regional and Soroptimist perspective.
Treasure Hunting Together!
The real heart of what moves us towards the
X marks the spot is you. Soroptimists have long supported programs that benefit
women and girls – not only in their own local communities but throughout the
world. You all contribute time and financial
support to community-based and international projects benefiting the women and
girls who need it the most. Although we continue
to define and refine our map, we are constantly moving towards our
treasure. So, be a treasure hunter and
help us as we work tirelessly to reach the ‘X’ and transform the lives of women
and girls.
Alice Wells at SI Montreal Convention