Dear friends, Can you please distribute this message widely throughout your networks? This activity (described below) will be in addition to the Women's Song and Dance Fests which will be held around the country in the various centres on Saturday October 7th. many thanks and all the best, Cathy Picone on behalf of the national coordinating committee World March of Women 2000 - Australia ============================ World March of Women in the Year 2000 - Australia Invitation to participate in the conclusion of the seven month campaign. Preamble The World March of Women in the Year 2000 (Marche Mondiale des Femmes de l'an 2000, Marcha mundial de las mujeres) was initiated by a group of women in Canada called Federation des Femmes du Quebec (FFQ). In 1995 in the lead-up to the UN's Fourth Women's Conference, the FFQ organised a women's march against poverty. The March was called "Bread and Roses". 850 women marched from Ottawa to Toronto. It took them ten days. Fifteen thousand people turned out to meet them at the end of their march. The women were mobilising community support for a list of demands for an end to poverty and violence against women which were consistent with the United Nations Fourth World Women's Conference's Beijing Platform for Action which was being developed at that time. >From that seed, the idea grew - of extending the march world-wide. Today, women in 146 countries are involved with 3,500 groups having endorsed the campaign. We are campaigning for an end to poverty; greater equity in sharing of wealth between women and men; and an end to violence against women. A list of world demands has been agreed and is on the Canadian web site at: http://www.ffq.qc.ca/marche2000. A list of Australian demands can be viewed at: http://www.uq.net.au/march2000/ As Tuesday October 17th is both the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Poverty and the culmination of the seven-month long campaign of the World March of Women in the Year 2000, the Australian coordinating committee for the WMW2000 now invites the women of Australia to contribute to the WMW2000 campaign to end poverty and violence against women in the following way: As a means of marking the International Day for the Elimination of Poverty and the conclusion of the WMW2000 campaign, we are asking women at the local level to initiate small-scale grass-roots style meetings in their own workplaces/ universities/ schools/ communities/ neighbourhoods etc. Any woman can initiate such a meeting. Such a meeting could be held at any time of the day - or night - on Tuesday October 17th. If women are willing to become involved in the WMW2000 campaign in this way, such a meeting could, for instance, be held at morning tea time or afternoon tea in a workplace setting or indeed in any setting which the woman initiating the meeting thinks appropriate. While it is envisaged that such a meeting might last, say, fifteen to twenty minutes, it is of course up to the initiator and the participants if they prefer a longer meeting. Some have suggested that it would be consistent with the principles of the WMW 2000 March that any food provided at such a meeting should be frugal rather than lavish. Morning tea could for instance consist of just a biscuit, perhaps like those eaten by people in impoverished countries. It is also entirely up to the organiser/s of any such meeting to decide the person or persons they will invite to the meeting. In addition, it is the decision of the woman/ women initiating the meeting as to whether the meeting will include both women and men. The millions of signature support cards which are being presented at UN headquarters in New York on that day have been signed by both women and men. Suggested format of October 17th meeting: * remember the traditional owners of the land and recognise that the meeting is being held on Aboriginal land; * bring to mind that the day, Tuesday October 17th, is the UN International Day for the Elimination of Poverty; * bring to mind that the day is also the culmination of the campaign of the World March of Women in the Year 2000 and that the support cards, signed by millions of people around the world in at least 146 countries, are today being presented at UN headquarters in New York; * a go-round: each person takes a turn, without interruption, to say aloud to the group what they think it would be like to live in a world free of poverty; * conclude with an appropriate song (such as the WMW song) or another go-round with each person saying one thing that they appreciated about coming together for the meeting. Please note that these are guidelines only and can be adapted in any way that the initiator of the meeting prefers so long as the format of meeting is consistent with the goals of the WMW2000 campaign. Many thanks for your support for the WMW2000 campaign and for taking the initiative at the local level to see that this meeting happens. Please contact the World March of Women 2000 Australian coordinating committee (details below) if you need any assistance with arranging a meeting in your workplace/ community. Please also let us know of any initiative you have been able to take on this day as it is inspiring to hear of each other's efforts. And finally, good luck! For further information, please contact: World March of Women in the Year 2000 - Australia c/o Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (Australian Section) 8 Murray Street HOVE SA 5048 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] fax: 08 8377 0706 phone: 08 8296 4357 web site for Australia: http://www.uq.net.au/march2000/ web site for overseas: http://www.ffq.qc.ca/marche2000 -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
