Soroptimists International of Geelong

For the last three years Soroptimists International of Geelong have been a fantastic supporter of the BBBH program. They have made a commitment to send 10 students along to every forum for 5 years. A part of this partnership is to present to their committee the achievements gained of this wonderful program. On Tuesday 11th March I was invited to present at the Geelong RSL.

This was one of the most rewarding and enjoyable presentations I have done for some time. The alignment of our initiatives with the committee’s beliefs and motivations really resonated with me. I repeatedly shared stories that all were only too familiar with, and then hearing of our students’ actions really impressed and I think moved many of the members. I felt an immediate connection, and they responded with avenues of support and even offered time to participate in the BBBH committee. We are very appreciative of the support of this group and their efforts across our community and beyond.

In the rest of the meeting I was floored by an array of initiatives that supported women in all kinds of scenarios. Here are some of the things I noted:

• They run a recycled book shop at local markets

• The conduct an international women’s day breakfast with minimal profit to celebrate young people and inspiring adults in our community

• They sponsor refugee students (2 per year from NGSC) to enable their access to educational opportunities

• They were looking into supporting refugee students accessing further education

• Organise handbags - to be full of essential female items to help them in situations they are needing to escape for a few weeks

• Big supporters of ‘share the dignity’ which is a partnership with Bunnings

• Organisation of ‘safe’ swimming for women of different cultural backgrounds to swim independently of men

• Support the ‘Feast for Freedom’ at Cloverdale

• Days for girls -packs for girls in Timor, which include underwear, towels, pads, flannels, soap etc

A big shout out to the Soroptimists International of Geelong.

These wonderful women organise support for all kinds of women in the community and we are fortunate to have them supporting some of our students with their education. Last week two of our students presented at the SI young womens’ breakfast. They have also been the sole partner of the Be Bold, Be Heard initiative and ensure that 10 students are able to attend and contribute to significant change across our school communities. Thank you!