PROGRAMME

Dear Soroptimists, Dear Friends,

As you know from years past, the SI Convention is much more than a conference. It is a place where women from all over the world come together to give, to share, to learn from each other, to be together in friendship. This year’s SI Convention will be an even more remarkable event:

At this 20thSoroptimist International Convention we will reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and imagine our future. We will come together to share and develop Fresh ideas for empowering women!

This 20th SI Convention programme will be rich in outstanding speakers coming from all over the world. Reflecting the diversity of our Soroptimist movement across all continents, but also the number of challenges women are confronted with, the programme of the Convention is the fruit of a collaborative effort of our four Federations and of SI Turkey. It seeks to reflect the beauty of our membership, to discuss the status of women and girls around the world, and to show what our members are doing in the north, south, east and west to improve the lives of women and in girls in their communities.

Let’s Celebrate!

The Convention will celebrate the many exemplary accomplishments of Soroptimists across all continents in improving the lives of millions of women and girls over the past 80 years.

Sessions and workshops: Under the overarching theme of Soroptimist International, “Educate to Lead”, Soroptimists from all over the globe have designed and implemented projects to support women’s and girls’access to education. Several sessions will be dedicated to this topic (see below).

Soroptimist Projects Fair: Throughout the Convention breaks, participants will have the opportunity to “travel”to all corners of the world and visit inspiring projects developed by their fellow Soroptimists.A large space will be dedicated toshowcasing the wonderful projects of Clubs around the globe. For more information on how to acquire a booth to showcase your project, please visit Exhibition section on the menu right.

Celebrating Best Practices: Each Federation will present its ‘Best Practice’– a uniquely impactful project that has helped improve the lives of women and girls on a large and lasting scale. An inspiring moment for all!

Let’s Learn and Contribute!

Throughout the Convention, we will debate with and learn from distinguished and renowned speakers from around the world who have expertise in the area of women’s issues. We will challenge ourselves to reflect on our own role as a women’s organisation in influencing and shapingthe global women’s agenda.

Sessions: Though it might not always seems so, overall our world is going in the right direction. More children are going to school now than ever, in most countries, women have more rights than they did in the past. And yet, gender equality in many areas has still not been achieved and is progressing very slowly. Several sessions will address such needs in the areas of education, economic empowerment, health, the elimination of violence against women, and sustainable environment. We will be particularly thrilled to hear how prominent Turkish women are shaping their economy and their society as a whole.

Workshops: Several workshops will provide you with the opportunity to further develop your skills! Workshops will focus on advocacy at the local, national and international levels, buildingimpactful and sustainable projects, and learning how to communicate your fantastic work and our organisation through social media.

Let’s Be Creative!

If there is one word that describes Soroptimist Clubs and membership is creativity! For decades now, our members have been designing and implementing truly original projects. The Convention will thus also be the opportunity to explore together ideas and strategies for the future of our organisation. Together we will think about how we can continue to be pioneers in the future, how we can best continue the mission of our organisation and reinforce its unique model –the very model that has made the organisation thrive for almost a century now. Together, we will think about how to we can take awareness, advocacy and actions to the next level.

Sessions and workshops: Throughout the Convention, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the global consultation on the future of our organisation. Your knowledge, history, experiences, vision, ideas, will all help this ‘reflection’ on the future of the organisation tremendously!
Young women coming from all over the globe will also provide their input and present their thoughts at the closing plenary session.

As you can see, the programme is shaping up nicely and there are many exceptional keynotes speakers and personalities currently penciling the dates for the SI Convention in their agendas. We will provide you with their names over the next couple of weeks. There will be very nice surprises! We thank the Federations for their most useful contributions in shaping the programme and making the 20th Soroptimist International Convention a truly unique event in the history of our organisation!

We look forward to seeing you all in Istanbul!

In Friendship,
Your Programme Team
Anne Simon & Inci Erdem