Last weekend millions of people around the world joined the Women’s March and it highlighted the power we have when we come together and stand up for what is important. The WI is built on this belief and it has been campaigning for important causes since it started in 1915.
Over the past hundred years the WI has worked to improve a range of national and global issues including equal pay, climate change, food waste, gaps in the midwifery workforce and the decline of the honey bee. January is Resolutions month, when we find out about the proposed resolutions for the year. Each member votes on the cause they want the WI to support. It was a tough decision as there are six to choose from and they are all important and very relevant. They cover everything from protecting vulnerable women and children, to threats to the environment. I struggled to decide which one to vote for but I choose the issue I personally wanted to get involved in. We sent the votes off to the Norfolk Federation who will pass them on to the National Federation. They will count them up and we’ll hear in May which one has been selected by the majority of members. After the serious business of voting it was time to relax and have fun, the other important side of the WI. We spent the rest of the meeting either learning to crochet or playing board games. I decided to join the Swallowtails playing board games and we organised two teams for Family Fortunes. It was really fun and caused lots of hilarity. It’s much harder than it appears on television. When it’s your turn to answer your mind goes completely blank. I feel a bit guilty about shouting at the TV when I’ve watched it in the past. The balance of the seriousness of the resolutions and the fun of the games and crochet perfectly summarises what it’s like to be in the WI. Creating change in the world doesn’t have to be all work and no play and when you get people together and they’re enjoying what they’re doing, the power they have is increased tenfold. I know the WI will achieve great things with its next campaign. Claire Wade As featured in the EDP WI Week column for 28th January 2017
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