Soroptimist International Canterbury

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” -

For all those who endure

- whether survived or not - we MUST tell OUR stories of abuse to liberate those still bound by their experiences.

We send our condolences to the family and loved ones of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei.

Cheptegei passed away at the age of 33 after being treated for burns covering 80% of her body, sustained after being doused in gasoline and set on fire by a former boyfriend, only a few weeks after competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

Today, as we honor her legacy as an athlete, we also speak up for the women and others around the world whose voices have been muted by domestic violence.

📸: Uganda Athletics Federation

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Soroptimist International Whitstable & District Soroptimist International Canterbury

Join us online as Anthea Penny, President-Elect of SISEAP, hosts a session on Member Development! Learn proven successful strategies for retaining current members and attracting new ones.

Don’t miss out — register now! ⏰
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckfu2rqzstHtCs_rPqmNphmU2zd6-F723n #/registration

Members of Canterbury Soroptimist volunteered at the Plastic-Free Canterbury stall during the Boing Festival.

We're delighted that our land and sea team was featured in this month's Canterbury Community Aid Magazine.

CommunityAd

Building on our biodiversity efforts this year, we're excited to highlight an amazing local organization we're partnering with: Havenweb CIC. Their mission is to connect people with nature while fostering a strong, healthy community. Through their gardening initiatives, they strive to create a harmonious, chemical-free environment where both people and nature thrive together.

If you are local to Canterbury, check them out.

https://www.havenweb.uk/secret-project

More photos from President Alison’s visit.

This afternoon, our regional president, Alison, spoke to our club members about the humanitarian work of ABCD Charity (Action around Bethlehem Children and Disability). As a trustee of ABCD, Allison shared insights into the charity's efforts. For over 30 years, ABCD has been supporting children with disabilities throughout Palestine.

A big thank you to Mary Adams for hosting this event.

Soroptimist SIGBI

Severe Weather Protocol Sharing
Catching Lives Maya's community support Centre Soroptimist International Canterbury Soroptimist South East England Soroptimist International Folkestone Soroptimist International Whitstable & District

Our Severe Weather Emergency Protocol has been activated today (Monday 12 August) due to the high temperatures.

This response includes:

• Catching Lives will stay open until 4pm, providing activities and a cool space for rough sleepers and their pets to shield themselves from the heat
• The rough sleeper team will be carrying out extra welfare checks
• The team will also hand out water, sunscreen, and clothing
• Basic health screenings will be conducted to identify symptoms of heat stroke in accordance with NHS guidelines

If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough who will not accept the offer of help, please let us know by using the Streetlink website to send an alert: thestreetlink.org.uk

Supporting rough sleepers is a priority for us, and over the last 18 months, we have found permanent accommodation for 175 people who were sleeping rough.

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Women’s Aid and 76 member organisations, including Rising Sun, have issued a joint letter to the Home Secretary following the Southport attack demanding it be seen as part of the wider epidemic of violence against women and girls sweeping our country.

Last month the National Police Chiefs Council’s (NPCC’s) report declared VAWG a national emergency, finding that VAWG related crime has increased by 37% between 2018 and 2023 and now at least 1 in every 12 women will be a victim per year, with the exact number expected to be much higher. These figures are shocking.

The VAWG sector has long been raising the alarm bells about this national threat that has not been sufficiently prioritised. We welcome the Government’s mission to halve VAWG in a decade, but urgent action needs to be taken now to curb the senseless attacks and riots that have taken place in Southport and spread around the country. With Women's Aid , we urge the government and police to call out the terrorism, Islamophobia and racism we are witnessing.

Critically we need to ask why the focus has shifted away from the tragic murders of three young girls, Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, and the 8 others who were injured last Monday. Our hearts go out to their friends and family as we continue the fight to keep women and girls safe.

You read the full letter here: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/womens-aid-and-member-organisations-issue-letter-to-home-secretary-following-southport-attack/

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Today is also the International Day of Friendship.

But why is this day important?

Read all about it in our blog by Soroptimist Debra Joseph https://sigbi.org/2024/international-day-of-friendship.

Soroptimist International Canterbury Soroptimist South East England Soroptimist International Folkestone Soroptimist International Whitstable & District Soroptimist SIGBI Soroptimist UKPAC Soroptimist Club Essen-Süd soroptimist Soroptimist International Cape of Good Hope Maya's community support Centre Catching Lives Ethnic Minorities In Canterbury - EMIC

International day of Friendship-July 30th, 2024 Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) : See what Soroptimists are doing to mark this day.

Soroptimist International Canterbury Soroptimist International Folkestone Soroptimist International Whitstable & District Soroptimist South East England Soroptimist SIGBI Soroptimist UKPAC Maya's community support Centre Catching Lives
Procession of peacemakers and climate guardians, which will precede UNA Canterbury’s flagship event, the Service for World Peace.

This years’ service will take place on Sunday October 27 at 5:30pm in Canterbury Cathedral and will reflect on four core UN Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Reduced Inequalities and Climate Action. Contact for mor information to participate: Valeria Minisini
Chair, UNA Canterbury

Time for the reading glasses!
This document from the has landed in our inboxes, as has the commentary from Ruth Healey, responding on behalf of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland
This is bound to be a continuing focus for our work in the next year.

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Our September Mapping workshops are starting to fill up nicely - don't miss your chance to join us for this stage of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy development as we work towards mapping where nature recovery action would be of greatest benefit in the county!

You can find tickets and details at www.makingspacefornaturekent.org.uk/events


Soroptimist International Canterbury Soroptimist International Folkestone Soroptimist South East England

Our September Mapping workshops are starting to fill up nicely - don't miss your chance to join us for this stage of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy development as we work towards mapping where nature recovery action would be of greatest benefit in the county!

You can find tickets and details at www.makingspacefornaturekent.org.uk/events

We have an interesting update on our global policy work, written by SI Global Advocacy Advisor, Hana Smith. Find out about recent activities undertaken by our SI UN Representatives, information on our partnerships and latest where we stand Position Papers.
Read more: https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/global-policy-update-july-2024/

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Soroptimist International Whitstable & District Soroptimist International Canterbury Soroptimist International Folkestone Soroptimist SIGBI Soroptimist South East England

Biden, the most powerful white man in America has just stepped aside and endorsed a woman to become the most powerful person in the world! This couldn't be a more positive step for the world!!
Soroptimist SIGBI

Have you seen our line-up of speakers for the 2024 Soroptimist Conference in Edinburgh?

💙 Ann Beatty, CEO of the Sinnott Foundation, an international education charity.
💙 Baroness Floella Benjamin, a Trinidadian-British actress, singer, presenter, author and politician.
💙 Hafdís Karlsdóttir, Soroptimist International of Europe President 2024-2025.
💙 Siew Yong Gnanalingam, International Global President.
💙 The fabulous Hjaltibonhoga an international fiddle group, will also be playing on the Friday evening.

Book your conference ticket here https://thehub.sigbi.org/events.

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We have an interesting update on our global policy work, written by SI Global Advocacy Advisor, Hana Smith. Find out about recent activities undertaken by our SI UN Representatives, information on our partnerships and latest where we stand Position Papers.
Read more: https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/global-policy-update-july-2024/

We have an interesting update on our global policy work, written by SI Global Advocacy Advisor, Hana Smith. Find out about recent activities undertaken by our SI UN Representatives, information on our partnerships and latest where we stand Position Papers.
Read more: https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/global-policy-update-july-2024/

Very interesting club meeting with Tessa Woodward talking about the 'Women in Red' project whose aim is to increase the entry of women's achievements and biographies on Wikipedia. The red refers to women whose names are in red because they don't have a page of their own. By volunteer editors adding cited information these invisible women become visible with blue referenced information.

Do follow this link to read more about this project:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2023/03/01/closing-the-gender-gap-women-in-reds-efforts-to-add-more-women-to-wikipedia/

Tessa on the left is pictured with club president Cat Mennell.

We gained 18 followers, created 68 posts and received 659 reactions in the past 90 days! Thank you all for your continued support. We could not have done it without you. 🙏🤗🎉 Soroptimist International Canterbury Soroptimist South East England Soroptimist International Cape of Good Hope Soroptimist International Whitstable & District Soroptimist International Folkestone Soroptimist SIGBI Soroptimist UKPAC

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/connie-nolan-on-the-feisty-women-of-canterbury-tickets-936834767007?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Connie Nolan on the Feisty Women of Canterbury Uncover Canterbury's hidden heroines! Join Connie Nolan to learn about the remarkable women who shaped our city's history.

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❗️ Please sign this petition ❗️

Every three days, a woman is murdered by her partner or ex-partner. The way the media reports on these deaths directly influences public understandings of domestic abuse – and how we can prevent it.

When a woman is killed by someone she’s been in a relationship with, her death marks the endpoint to a sustained period of coercive control. Accurate and dignified reporting of these killings is essential to preventing more deaths.

In the same way journalists understand they have a responsibility to report suicides with care, Level Up calls for fatal domestic abuse to be treated in the same way.

Sign this Level Up petition here https://sigbi.org/2024/level-up-petition-on-media-guidelines-for-reporting-fatal-domestic-abuse.