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CHANGE AND RENEWAL
The women who established the organizational
structure of NCWGB many years ago knew what they were doing and
their structure has served us well for several decades.
Now, however, the time has come for us to change both the
ways in which we communicate with each other and the ways in
which we arrive at and pursue our policies.
The factors which affect the need for change can vary.
In our case we are responding to the changes in women’s
lives and adapting our organization in recognition of this.
We are also (some of us reluctantly!), responding to
changes in technology which enable us to communicate more
quickly, more easily and more economically.
In all this it is heartening to reflect on the factors
which have sustained NCWGB throughout its long life and which
are as relevant and true now as when they were debated and
agreed by our predecessors.
Our purposes remain the same.
Although women have made great strides towards equality
and the quality of life has improved enormously, much still
remains to be done.
Importantly, there is still a need to provide a channel
for women to influence and contribute to the development of our
society.
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Even more, the values on which this organization was
built continue to support us and define the culture which binds
us together.
Freedom of speech, reasoned debate, democratic decision making,
independence of thought, pursuit of our aims through logical
argument, these principles and others you might like to add are
our 'eternal verities' and will not change.
In the true spirit of NCWGB the need for change which
was debated at Conference and your Management Committee was
given a mandate to modernize our method of communication.
Your Policy Vice President, Sylvia Owen, is consulting
you on ways to make our policy-making more flexible, faster and
more responsive.
Whatever we agree, we know it is our duty to design both
structures and systems which will sustain our organization for
coming generations of NCWGB women.
We all know that change is inevitable, but it
is often only after the change has occurred that we recognize
this. Am I the only
one who, looking in the mirror one day, saw my mother’s face
looking back at me – now how did that change occur?
How much better to do as we are doing now, to recognize
the need to do things differently, to consult, debate, agree and
manage the change.
Monica Hall |
