We're still
in a daze from our hundredth Annual Meeting. We filled the Norwich Theatre
Royal, with over a thousand WI members. It was an unforgettable occasion. We
combined serious business with serious fun.
What did this
remind us about the WI and what it is all about? The WI has three key messages.
First
message: The WI is here to inspire you.
So, how is
the WI inspiring? Our meeting gave one answer - every one of us felt inspired.
By the mass singing of Jerusalem (of course!); by the poems, stories and
jokes from the incomparable Pam Ayres; by the theatrical atmosphere and feeling
of occasion; by the sense of purpose and fellowship; and not least by the
important business of the day: work of all those committees, the resolutions
considered, the reports of our latest achievements.
Those
achievements are nothing new. Already in 1919 the WI was working to take teachers
out into the villages and bring education to the women. Women wanted to do more
for themselves. The new Women's Institutes were there to help: teaching about
food production and preservation, about keeping children healthy and safe, by
better nutrition and by hygiene in the home. Soon there were lessons on glove
making and toy making, on upholstery and tinkering - the list is fascinating.
Today's WI
has the same message, though the activities have subtly changed. Just one
example: we now have a Digital Team, running workshops to get WI members
comfortable with today’s technology and at home with their laptop, pad and
smart phone. We still want to inspire you!
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| Get Comfortable Online - January 2019 |
Second
message: The WI is everything you want it to be.
What do women
want from their WI today? Is it so very different from what they wanted in
1919?
Women of all
ages and backgrounds need somewhere they can be themselves. Many members join
the WI simply to make friends. Maybe the children have started school, or
they've moved to a new area, or they've retired and need something to do. The
WI is the place where women can find others with shared interests and, at the
same time, learn more about themselves.
Throughout
these hundred years our members have been given the chance to shine. There's
been a continuous WI presence at the Royal Norfolk Show, often with pageants,
processions, exhibitions and sales of crafts and produce. Members have joined a
choir or theatre group, taken a watercolour course, or discovered the science
behind a cream tea. There are book clubs, rambling groups, lunch clubs, cinema
clubs. New interests spring up while old ones fade away. Poetry reciting
competitions, folk dancing sessions were popular in the 1930s but alas don’t
have the same following in 2019.
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| Keep Fit Medau Rally 1963 |
Third message:
The WI is what you make of it.
What can you
make of the WI? That’s completely up to you. Once a month, a couple of hours
spent with friends, listening to an interesting speaker and sharing a cup of
tea and a piece of cake ... for many members that's all they ask. But the WI
can be so much more. We have Denman College, our own residential education
centre, with courses on cookery, crafts, lifestyle, history, literature...
anything the members show interest in. The WI has a proud history of
campaigning. Our resolution process gives every member a chance to express her
views and to be heard. We try to change things for the better and to tackle
issues that matter to each of us.
All members
are encouraged to help run their own WI. Every WI needs its committee, as well
practical help such as meeting and greeting and of course making the tea. Our
Federation office is always looking for volunteers to work in our committees or
help with all those tasks that keep the WI engine running. Truly, the WI is
what its members make of it.
