| Organisation
|
|
Organisation- affectionately known as ORG- is home to the WI Advisers in the Federation. In common with members of all committees, WI Advisers are volunteers who enjoy putting something back in to an organisation from which they have received so much. Unlike the other sub-committees, ORG members are not elected. Observers, interested to discover more about the way WI functions, are always welcome. ORG meets 8 times a year, usually on the first Tuesday of the month at the Federation’s Office in Ethel Hunt Lodge, Maidstone Road, Pembury, Tunbridge Wells. WI Advisers, trained by the National Federation, are there to help the WIs. Each WI Adviser is attached to a number of districts; she attends district and WI events when invited, organises committee and officer training if requested, and holds information meetings for new members. She keeps a watchful eye on her WIs and is there as a listening ear when needed. Resolutions Selection Meetings in January and Resolution Briefing Meetings in April come under the remit of ORG. These are regarded as very important meetings as it is the movement’s work on public affairs mandates that differentiates it from most other women’s organisations. Welcome
The
West Kent Federation extends a very warm welcome to the members of the
newly-formed
WIs in Horsmonden
- Change of Annual meetings. Thank you for your letters regarding the change of Annual Meetings from the winter months to the spring. As soon as the August break is over and following the September meetings of the Executive Committee and the Organisation Sub-Committee we will be writing to you to answer your queries and comments.
Wishing you all a relaxing few weeks. RESOLUTIONS Thoughts on the WI Resolutions I have been involved in Otford Oast W.I. for about five years, and, I have great respect for the beliefs and ethics of the W.I., particularly the fact that we are a highly regarded pressure group. It does however, no harm for any of us to occasionally look into our organisation, and ask ourselves if we could perhaps make changes for the better! I am sure I am not the first, and sincerely hope I am not the last, to question the Resolutions process. I have taken part in this several times, and have never been fully comfortable with its organisation, but more particularly with its aims and objectives. Is our aim to “make a difference” by persuading government to act, or simply to bring the issue to the forefront of public awareness? The Resolutions are, in my experience, far too broad. They need to be more clearly defined, and more succinct. They need to have an ACHIEVABLE aim. It seems to me that they are often idealistic, born of admirable sentiments but lacking reality. The Ban on Bottom Trawling is a case in point – a huge and global issue – what can we achieve? We found it hard to grasp the many and varied angles, and we felt we could neither agree nor disagree. The mental health one is obviously a subject close to someone’s heart (mine too), but again far too broad and complex. This is not a prison issue, but one of mental health – notoriously low down on the list of NHS priorities. Perhaps we should be more specific about a particular area of mental health, rather than trying to “change the world”. I feel we are in great danger of falling from a position of being a highly respected organisation to one of well meaning idealists. I do appreciate that a considerable amount of hard work goes into this process each year, however, I would like to make the following suggestions. The Resolutions process should be radically reviewed.
It is quite clear that many members are not motivated by what has become a “resolutions ritual”. We are asked to give up a considerable amount of time to support an issue about which we know very little, and then we ask our members to make a choice, on the basis of relatively sparse information. I appreciate that much information is often AVAILABLE, but the reality is that we are all busy women, and we have not the time to research a complex matter, which is not necessarily close to our hearts. We are expected to form an opinion, make a valid decision and cast a “yes” or “no” vote on vast and complicated issues – with worldwide and far-reaching implications, within a single meeting! These are not simple, “yes” or “no” issues, and yet year after year we go along with it, because we don’t want to appear foolish – we are not inclined to stand up and say “actually, I don’t understand this”. There seems to be considerable sympathy with these views among W.I. members – but I feel it is not good enough to “mutter in the wings”, without formally stating this view. The Oast W.I. votes were: on Bottom Trawling 16 abstentions, 7 in favour and 1 against, and on mental Health, 17 abstentions, 5 in favour and 2 against. Patsy Groom Resolutions for 2009 Annual General Meeting The short
list of Resolutions to be discussed at the January Resolution Selection
Meetings can be printed from the following link with the NFWI web site
www.thewi.org.uk then - Campaigns, Downloads Below are the TWO resolutions that were discussed at the AGM in Liverpool on 4th June 2008 1. Ban on Bottom Trawling.
(No amendment was allowed) The old adage is quite true - if you don't think
things are right then do something about it yourself --! We have a Resolutions Adviser here in West Kent and I know she would be only too willing to be a sounding board for ideas and to advise on appropriate wording. Her name is Betty Richards and her details can be found in the "Who to Contact" column in WKN. So get your thinking caps on and show what West Kent can do !
Your Membership Card is included in your membership booklet. Do be careful not to throw this away as it may be asked for when attending WI events. WI Handbook
If
you would like an additional copy of the WI Handbook – A Guide
to Running a WI, please send a cheque for £4.50 (made payable to
NFWI) to Val Watson at the NFWI Unit, Denman College, Marcham, Abingdon,
Oxon, OX13 6NW.
West kent WI Poster If you are interested in finding out more about ORG or the work of the WI Advisers, then contact in any way listed on our Contacts page. Back to Committees or Diary If you cannot see the navigation buttons on the left of the screen, click here |