Every year WI members have the chance to put forward issues as ‘resolutions’ that they want to see the national body campaign on. The WI has a long history of campaigning on a wide range of issues, which have led to a reputation as a practical and ambitious organisation that doesn’t shy away from tricky issues. WI campaigns are about changing things for the better and tackling the issues that matter to members. Members are at the heart of the WI and they play a central role in bringing issues onto the WI’s national agenda through our public affairs and campaigning.
Our current campaign is:
Thinking Differently: Autistic and ADHD Women and Girls – our campaign seeks to raise awareness of autism and ADHD in women and girls and to take action to improve the diagnosis process.
Two resolutions were adopted for 2021-22:
A call to increase potential stem cell donor registration – There is an urgent need to increase the number of people registered on the aligned UK stem cell registry in order to provide potentially life-saving treatment to people of all ages with certain blood cancers. We call on all WI members to promote registration to the database to avoid people dying whilst waiting for a match.
End Modern Slavery – There are tens of thousands of victims of modern slavery hiding in plain sight in the UK. Modern slavery has severe consequences for the health and mental wellbeing of survivors. The NFWI calls on the Government to protect victims of modern slavery in the first instance and deliver longer term support to help them rebuild their lives. We call on our members to raise awareness of the prevalence of modern slavery throughout society and to campaign to defeat it.
Some of our earlier successful campaigns have included:
- Make Time for Mental Health – which aimed to tackle the stigma associated with mental health problems and asked for better support for those who need it. “It calls on WI members to recognise the importance of parity between mental and physical health and take action to make it is as acceptable to talk about mental health as it is about physical health.”
- In 2017-18, our major campaign was to end ‘Plastic Soup‘ – “Microplastic fibres are shed from synthetic clothing with every wash and are the main contributors to microplastic contamination of the oceans. The NFWI called on Government and industry to research and develop innovative solutions to this problem in order to stop the accumulation of microplastic fibres in our oceans”. The issue of plastics polluting our oceans and waterways has grown to national and international prominence.
- The WI first campaigned on jury service in 1921, urging women to ‘accept their full responsibilities as citizens in whatever way they may be called upon to serve their country’ and later urging the government to open up jury service to all.
- The 1954 a resolution to ‘inaugurate a campaign to preserve the countryside against desecration by litter’ led to the formation of the Keep Britain Tidy group, which was influential in transforming litter policy following the introduction of the 1958 Litter Act.
- The NFWI was one of the first organisations to talk about AIDS in 1986. It used its unrivalled network of local organisations to educate the public and get people talking about the issue.
- A recent resolution launched a campaign to get members talking about organ donation. In Time to Talk it urged ‘…every member of the WI to make their wishes regarding organ donation known, and to encourage their families and friends, and members of their local communities to do likewise’.
Resolutions go through a year long debating and consultation process. Members shortlist resolutions for debate in Federations and WIs, before making a final selection to take forward for discussion at the AGM in the summer. If passed, these then become mandates and form the basis of campaigning and awareness raising activities in the years ahead. For more information about the process and past resolutions please click here.
Charity
For some ten years, we supported a local charity, Fulham Good Neighbours, by baking cakes for their monthly lunch club, and while restrictions allowed, we were doing the same for our local branch of Age UK. Each year we do collections for The Hygiene Bank, plus sending new and gently used bras to Smalls for All. In previous years we’ve also supported Dress for Success by donating a selection of clothes for work, and in lieu of speaker fees we have supported Bee Research, DKMS, Royal Society for Blind Children, The Fostering Network, and the Chelsea Physic Garden.
Charity registration no. 1119442