On January 14 th , I was able to have a meeting with 12 young women in my
home. Most of them were in their late teens and early twenties. Some had
taken part in the Young Women’s Speech Contest, some helped begin the
Peace Garden project, and two were new contacts. There were also three
young women in their early 30’s, who I have known for quite a long time,
and who had offered to come along and be mentors for the younger ones, if
needed.
We were happy to have several mums with us, who brought some tasty
Asian food with them, and we began the evening by sharing a meal
together. Then everyone took a little time to introduce themselves, after
which I gave a presentation about my WFWP activities, especially those
which were relevant to the young people. We then had a time of open
sharing, and an opportunity to say what kind of activity each individual
might like to get involved with. All of them were interested to get involved
in some way.
Four of the young women said they would like to enter the Young Women’s
Speech Contest, and others said they would like to help and support them.
Several were interested in developing the Peace Garden in the summer, and
some others would like to try and find participants for the ‘Artists for
Peace’ competition. There was also a consensus that it would be good to
have a Women’s Peace Meeting where the voice of youth could be heard,
with some sharing between the different generations. There was some
interest in the Leadership of the Heart programme, and one or two would
like to come with me when I meet with refugee women’s groups to do craft
activities. All in all, it was a very positive discussion, although everyone
said how busy they are, and how they will really try to make the effort to
get involved. Let’s see what the future holds!