World YWCA Day 2011
It is that time of year again when the YWCA movement prepares to rejoice World YWCA Day. On April 24, 2011, we will celebrate this special day and continue to focus on ‘Women Creating a Safe World,’ the theme for the World YWCA Council taking place in July 10-16 this year. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, World YWCA General Secretary, shares with us ideas on how to link the Council theme with the World YWCA Day celebration.
How can World YWCA Day be used to further strengthen the World YWCA Council theme ‘Women Creating a Safe World’?
World YWCA Day brings us together as a movement to celebrate and reflect on our contribution to creating safe and secure communities. Each year, YWCA members move a little closer to the vision of a world of justice, peace, health, human dignity, freedom and care for the environment. With all our diversities of context, cultures and experiences, this common purpose brings us together is this special movement. It is the fact that we can work together for a common cause and define a common goal, with our diversities, which contributes to making this world safer and more inclusive for women and girls.
The change begins with us. On this day please urge, encourage and inspire your members to come together, to share their best practices, to reflect on what a safe community means. When members come together, it is an opportunity to share our talents and treasures for programmes that support women and girls in our communities. Participate, contribute, donate and be proud of the work that we do together as the YWCA movement.
How could we make this day special?
More than just celebrating the YWCA movement, the World YWCA Day is an also an opportunity for every YWCA to celebrate the contributions of women leaders who created safe spaces in their communities. For 24 hours on April 24, YWCAs around the world can share and listen to stories of remarkable women leaders who are creating a safe world, as well as reflect on the World Council theme. On April 24, you can join the YWCA Round the World Breakfast by organising an event in your town, village or city. The Round the World Breakfast is an opportunity to celebrate women's leadership, increase your community's knowledge about the worldwide work of the YWCA, raise the profile of your YWCA in your community and expand your fundraising to ensure that the YWCA can continue to empower women leaders of the future. During your breakfast, I encourage you to link your celebration with the Honouring Women Leaders Programme which invites member associations and individuals to honour women in their community and make a donation in their name. The names of the women honoured will be permanently saved in the World YWCA archive for future generations to see.
What will the YWCA do with the names received from around the world?
We will announce the women that you are honouring in Zurich, Switzerland, at World Council, and read their names out and share what they have been doing as part of our celebration. But, even more importantly, those names will go in the historical perpetuity of the World YWCA so that future generations will have a legacy of models of women, and their contributions will always be remembered.
Send us information!
Please designate a person to send us information and photos of your World YWCA Day event. Photos, video and articles should be sent to: communications@worldywca.org and we will be happy to provide any additional information about the Honouring Women Leaders programme or the work of the World YWCA.
