This week’s SoroptiVoice comes from Chris Knight, SI Moreton North Inc.
Australia SISWP. Earlier this week we posted a news story about the UN Year of Youth which Chris has been a big supporter of. Here she talks about the huge gains to be made by engaging with and supporting young people and describes the mentoring work her club have been involved with.
For the
past 25 years I have been a passionate feminist and an active member of
Soroptimist International. My involvement has included facilitating and
supporting mentoring, leadership and life skills training for women and girls
both locally and internationally. As a member of SI, I have also benefitting
from being mentored and inspired by SI members who have so willingly shared
their life experiences, expertise and resources. This photo (left) is a favourite of mine with one of my own work mentors in the Queensland Public Service, Robyn Turbit who supported me in completing my Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Leadership in 2008.
The value of role models cannot be
underestimated in developing leadership skills for life. A recent discussion with a group
of young marginalised people aged between 15 – 23 reaffirmed that some of the
issues and concerns that I had as a teenager are very similar to theirs however
the difference now is their feeling of a loss of identity often within their
own families and their community especially those that have resettled into
different countries and a perceived lack of engagement with them regarding the
development of youth programs.
On a
positive note these young people are more technically savvy, have greater access
to social media and proactively exchange information with each other on their
concerns for the future as well as their achievements. These young people and
many others in my extended networks are genuinely interested in topical issues that
are relevant to SI such as globalisation, poverty, homelessness, sustainable
development, climate change, human trafficking, education and future career
opportunities.
As Soroptimist
members we are well positioned to actively engage with these young people to
ensure that they are encouraged to participate in decision-making processes
that are based on mutual collaboration, equity, respect, support and have
access to safe spaces to meet. We have an impressive track record over the past 90 years that demonstrates the
implementation of successful and sustainable projects to support the
development and participation of many hundreds of thousands of young people
right around the world through our mentoring and leadership projects and our scholarship
and active learning activities.
With the new SI Focus on Education and Leadership to be launched in Montreal at the SI
Convention in July, all SI members should be very
excited about our capacity to ensure the emergence of more female leaders in
the next decade and beyond and embrace opportunities to grow our club
membership by sharing and involving other likeminded women in our projects.
WWAGGS have very successful leadership and training programs already in place –
we now have an opportunity to ensure that even more young girls and women are
able to access these resources.
As the SISWP
Federation Liaison for Project Sierra, I was privileged to have the opportunity
to visit Sierra Leone in 2010 to see first-hand the amazing opportunities being
provided to enable women and children to develop their potential to participate
as strong and confident members within their local communities. Their personal
testimonials reflect the importance of the contributions that SI Clubs around
the world have made possible through their fundraising and awareness activities
especially in reaching out to others in countries like Sierra Leone where there
has been civil war and armed conflict. www.projectsierra.org
Closer to home, I
have been blessed to be able to work with the local Girl Guides as a Woman of
Substance Mentor and to support the Wanwod Association of Women from Sierra
Leone. These women now support a dynamic group of young Sierra Leone teenagers
who migrated to Australia under the refugee resettlement scheme. The teenagers
call themselves “Distinguished Ladies” and are proactively providing an
effective support network for each other as well as teenage mothers and young
girls who are currently completing their secondary and tertiary education. Our
newest SIMNI Club Member Jasmine King is a shining example of the benefits of
being mentored as a teenager and now works as a Peer Mentor Support Worker
assisting young teenage mothers and youth at risk. She provides an
inspirational personal perspective of the difficulties young people face today
at our club meetings. (Photo – Back row – Jasmine King Peer Mentor Support Worker and member of SI Moreton North Inc., Chris Knight SISWP Liaison: Project SIerra, Sallymatu Aderonmu-Apooyin, President Wanwod Association and member of SI Logan.Front row – Distinguished Ladies)
While
some SI Clubs struggle to attract and retain members, my own club SI Moreton
North Inc. has taken a proactive step forward to launch our partnership project
with our local Girl Guide Group at Deception Bay. At the launch in May 2011, we invited SI
members from around the world to share some of their own personal experiences on
leadership and involvement with WAGGGS. This was amazing (see below)!
I am
really looking forward to catching up with many friends in Montreal, to celebrate the success of
Project SIerra and to be inspired by the opportunities SI members can provide
to women and girls in the future to enable them to develop their full potential
and take their rightful place as leaders in their local and global communities.
Namaste!
Chris Knight
SI Moreton North Inc. SISWP Liaison: Project Sierra 2007-2011
Memories from Soroptimists about past WAGGGS experiences:
Several of our members including myself were
guides in our youth, either in Australia or overseas. We even have a member who was a
girl guide in Afghanistan before she had to leave the country as a
refugee. Judy Hunter
SI Townsville Australia SISWP
I was a "Brownie" and "Girl
Guide" many years ago and am delighted that as Soroptimists we are working
together worldwide helping to develop the aspirations of young women to reach
their full potential and dreams for the future . Hilary Page England SIGBI Past Soroptimist International President
I was a Girl Scout in Nevada 51 years ago. I learned leadership and
consensus-building and respect for authority that served me well in life. I
became a prosecutor, an elected District Attorney, and now a judge. In between
all that, I have traveled the world, met the love of my life on a pirate ship
in Barbados (The Jolly Roger), married and had two wonderful
children and now two grandchildren. My mother was a pioneer herself—and a Girl Scout. It makes for strong women. Dorothy Nash Holmes SI Reno Nevada SIA
Suggested Action
for SI Clubs:
·
Identify local partnership projects with
WWAGGS groups and/or help to establish a local group
·
Invite your friendship links and other
community / business groups to support your activities
·
Sponsor young girls and women to join WWAGGS
·
Support local youth groups to organise their
own public forums to discuss relevant issues
·
Organise a Guides Women of Substance Forum and
become a Mentor
·
Share our SI Projects with WWAGGS groups and
others
·
Invite WWAGGS members and young women to club meetings and events – value
their input!
Photo below: SIMNI IWD Forum on 5th March 2011 that focussed on the UN International Year of Youth. Guest Speakers were Adele Nugara Queens Guide, Deception Bay and Jasmine King, Peer Mentor Support Worker for Teenage Mothers and Youth at Risk
Useful Links:
UN International Year of Youth 2010-2011 http://social.un.org/youthyear/index.html
WWAGGS – Global Action – http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/take_action/gat
GuidesQueensland Australia Women of Substance – http://www.guidesqld.org/women_of_substance
Redcliffe
Area Youth Space (RAYS) http://www.redcliffeyouthspace.org/
Youth
Without Borders – Reach Speak Inspire http://www.youthwithoutborders.com.au/