[WCUSP] My WILPF concerns

[Odile Hugonot Haber]

My WILPF Concerns

I was very proud to be part of the WILPF board and get there in this
famous house, where pictures on the wall reminded us of all these
women that dedicated their life for the vision of humanity at
peace…one day!

I missed the first meeting of the board as CJ was then representing
our campaign. Then I heard that the board had decided to embark on a
strategic planning, at a time when Mary Day and the staff were
complaining of the lack of money in the organization, we were going to
spend over 10,000 dollars on this strategic planning. It did not make
sense to me but coming late in this process but I did not blocked the
decision but laid aside when it was made.

Then I heard in the last meeting that we were trying to minimize
comments received by members rather than take them in due
consideration. We were also overlooking staff input in the
restructuring the board was embarking upon even though one of our
staff had 30 years experience of working in the office!

It seems not wise that in a middle of a war and when our membership is
experiencing a lack of money and visibility to only focus on the
administrative re-arrangement the organization. My campaign on the
Middle East and the water campaign were given no time to report on
anything we were doing, we could not strategize on how to make our
campaign stronger and more vibrant, on how to empower the branches
that were working on either campaigns or on the war in Iraq, or on how
WILPF could emphasize it's disarmament's strategy!

So not a word on current programs, we were only focused on the future
re-arrangement of jobs descriptions! I do believe that it is important
to create a sound organization that can support the programs that
WILPF as a whole see as important to promote but such a plan is a
vision in itself. Some of the change proposed made sense but it seems
that they should have been designed with the current staff 's inputs
and due considerations and a larger involvement from our membership.
They are also very narrow-minded changes.

Our vision is working for Peace and Justice now to abolish this war
and the war system the original mission of WILPF, Branches need to be
supported and directed now to make our WILPF work substantive and
effective. There is much despair and much fear but many of our members
are working constantly on counteracting this war. There is a need for
leadership now from the board

It seems that a declaration to the Iraqis women, a letter campaign to
our Congress people on ending the war and taking the troops out now,
linking various efforts to do counter recruitment. Creating the design
of a black T-shirt saying something like: "US out of Iraq and Israel
out of Palestine with WILPF.org in very big in the back that we could
wear around during protests.

Focusing on the plight of the children in Iraq, Palestine and in the
children welfare and health care in the US. " A war budget leaves
every child behind." -the slogan of the Los Angeles teachers' union-
that we could take on

Calling women's around round tables for peace on what is happening in
our community and on challenging the US Foreign Policy is very needed
and we should take leadership on such actions and envisioning a better
future.

We need to gather ourselves as an organization and be pro-active so we
can grow, now is the time. We still have 59 branches and 37 sections
or so…

Maybe we should have a council of all the life members, a
 radical way of redesigning our organization to make it
much more democratic and effective. Work to foster team and
collaborative work not only nationally but also internationally. Our
sisters around the world are showing us the way and we need to make
them much more visible at all level of our organization. We will need
to do this collectively; it is a time to meet regionally and be
creative about our WILPF involvement and demands.

Odile Hugonot  Haber

Please Be on the Calls.

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Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m. PST/10 p.m. EST
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