International
Inner Wheel,
Stafford Court,
Washway Road,
Sale,
Cheshire,
England M33 7PE
Web site - http://www.innerwheel.com
(over 3,700 clubs in 90 countries)
Dear Fellow Members,
The prospect of the year 2001, - a New Year with New Hope gave me pause for thought. It has been said that "To wake an end is to make a beginning the end is where we start from". We are blessed to live now, to have the opportunity to look back on the century that saw the dawn of our wonderful organisation to be part of it and also instrument in ensuring that the success story that defines Inner Wheel never has an end.
With this in mind it is with tremendous pride I read of the countless acts of personal service and the depth of concern given by all of you in the cause of helping and befriending those who have great need of ongoing support and encouragement.
Inner Wheel has grasped the future with faith and is indeed working towards the world of tomorrow and a finer time in which to live. With great admiration I congratulate you on projects well under way. I am delighted with your reception of the theme
'Strangers are Friends we have not met'
and all that is being undertaken to uphold this concept. Friendship is certainly the strength and stability of Inner Wheel. Thanks to the enthusiasm and. ingenuity of Members worldwide our 'Wheel' never stops turning.
During Christmas and the many festivals throughout the world I hope you and your families enjoyed the happiness and peace of being together. The lovely cards and letters of goodwill received are of great encouragement to me and very much appreciated.
On my travels throughout the Inner Wheel world hospitality and kindness are overwhelming. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Members for the magnitude of their welcome and thoughtfulness. I look forward to visiting many more Districts and Clubs and to the opportunity to make yet more lasting friendships.
With every good wish for your continued success and happiness.
Yours in friendship,
Vivienne
This year the setting for the Governing Body meeting was the Royal Terrace Hotel which is part of an expansive Georgian terrace overlooking Scotland's historic capital the beautiful city of Edinburgh. The hotel is situated only a few inmutes walk from the City Centre and close by many nature trails which provided an added attraction for the Group in their spare moments Scotland, being the historical city it is boasts many Castles and museums and proved to be of great interest to everyone
It is amazing how a group of Directors from various countries with different cultures could become a closely knit group working together sharing ideas and making decisions on Inner Wheel matters Most of these Directors had met for the first time and after spending the greater part of a week together, they bonded to make lasting friendships When the final day of departure arrived the respect for each other the caring and the fellowship that have taken place will long be remembered by everyone. We can certainly say that truer words were never spoken than the International Inner Wheel Presidential Theme. STRANGERS are FRIENDS we have not met
The newsletter is an invaluable vehicle of communication. Its far reaching potential is unique as communication is vital to our great organisation and this publication has the means to reach every Member.
The newsletter aims to reflect what Members want, We all recognise that an organisation such as Inner Wheel must not stand still and certainly deserves to be able to take the accepted steps into the future To effect this with regard to the newsletter requires information and comment from its readers
Fellow Members it is our responsibility to provide thought provoking CONTENT
We must realise that to have the impact that IIW deserves - to sustain the interest and produce a publication that reflects members needs'- your Editor must receive appropriate COPY
The onus is on all members!
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I.I.W
Convention Stockholm report (534k)
* Between 3/4% of the world population abuse drugs on a regular basis
* Today about 236 tonnes are used for medical purposes
* The illicit trade of opiates is estimated to be 380 tonnes
"CRY" Young People express their views on drug abuse in a MUSICAL Music and Drugs was the guiding theme of the 1999 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The Vienna NGO Committee on Narcotic Drugs has organised events on that day sin cc 1988. They approached the Music Group (Brigittenauer Gymnasium) to design and present a musical especially written for the event on June 26th 1999 During the preparations many parents, teachers and pupils made themselves familiar with the problems and realities of drug abuse that face today's youth. Young people are often confronted by the, so-called, designer drugs at parties and discos without really knowing the dangerous consequences of these substances.
The story line is about a young girl who can no longer stand her situation of no interest in her worries, problems, even joys; of returning from school to an empty house. Against her conscience she starts to take designer drugs. She continues despite the death from ecstacy of ~e of her peers. Almost all too late her parents at last recognise the neglect and she consented to join a therapeutic group etc. At the Gala Performance messages from the Secretary UN and the Director of drug abuse control were distributed to the guests.
Ageing is not only a subject of special concern hut a process affecting daily living requiring responses from the individual, the family and neighbourhood. To this end manv activities have been initiated bv IW members bearing in mind the diversity of older persons including indiginus elders migrants and refugees.
Integrating a gender perspective into Human Rights work is under scrutiny The extent to which obstacles to the Right to Life include threats that are particular to women is a matter of grave concern, Despite ongoing effort to effect to the contrary women still occupy a subordinate role in many areas often due to traditional cultures, Integrating a gender perspective requires that women's and men's socially constructed realities are addressed explicitly in the context of each of the Rights in the Human Rights Convention with a view to preventing or at least reducing women's traditionally accepted disadvantages. A one day conference is planned at the Vienna Centre on 7th April 2000 to inform participants about the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, which is a human rights instrument that will entitle women to a complaints procedure concerning Rights stipulated in the above convention. The mission of the UN is to assist people worldwide to live better lives in safety and dignity Sometimes it takes massive complex operations to work towards this goal, sometimes small actions. Since the adoption over 50 years ago of the Declaration of Human Rights - covering the integrity of the individual and recognising that they are applicable everywhere without distinction of ANY kind,the UN has worked to translate these principles into treaties that address and protect specific rights. IIW identifies with the Rights of the Child, Women, Family, the Older Person and prevention of Drug Abuse and we are indebted to our representatives at UN for their assiduous reports on these vital issues - these matters to which we strive to make a difference. From massive complex operations to our sometimes small acts UN and IIW interact. The scale of IW operations is not fundamental to success. What is important is that our concern is ongoing. Fellow members let us take heart in the realisation that Inner Wheel the world over is continuously engaged in projects that reflect the debate at UN.
Vivienne Bolton, I.I.W. Vice President, U.N. Co-ordinator 1999 - 2000
Finally, it started, the Convention which we had been planning for many years and which we had been looking forward to with great expectation. When the beauty ot Sweden is at its peak - in early summer with its delicate green - 2,000 happy Inner Wheel members, some accompanied by Rotarians, arrived in Stockholm. in order to participate in the 11th Inner Wheel Convention during 17th - 20th May.
The 2,200 participants came from 36 countries, most of them from GB & I, but also Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands and France were well represented. For the first time Japan took part as a new Inner Wheel country.
On Thursday the 18th of May the Convention was opened at the Stockholm International Fairs. The Stockholm Boys' Choir opened the Service of Faith. Margaret Lovstrom and Ennette Semple from Canada interpreted the message of the IIW President "Reach out, Keep hope alive, Turn giving into living". We all prayed together the prayer of St Francis.
The Stockholm Rotary Brass played a piece of music from the l8th century by the composer Johan Helmich Roman, "the father of the Swedish music". They continued to play Swedish marches when the flags from all 94 countries were carried into the Congress Hall by Inner Wheel ladies in national costumes.
The President of the Stockholm City Council, Alex Wennerholm, addressed the auditorium by saying "Charming Inner Wheels and Fellow Rotarians" and he stressted the motto Friendship and Service which is common for both Inner Wheel and Rotary he ended with "Enjoy Stockholm".
The music programme was very varied. Christer Torge played Swedish music on a copy of a 2,000 year old bronze horn. Folk music was played on a typical Swedish instrument - key fiddle and the Stockholm Boys' Choir sang some folk tunes in Swedish. The ceremony was ended by a composition for drums by Xenakis, the winner of the Polar music prize of 1999.
The IIW President, Mrs Lillian Pettigrew, opened the conference by explaining the deeper meaning of our goals - To promote True Friendship, To encozirage the Ideals of Personal Service, To Foster International Understanding. She presented in a slide show the many help programmes that Inner Wheel Clubs, throughout the world, have carried out. She ended by saying.- "Let it be peace on earth, let it begin with me".
A slide show of Sweden was presented. (My impression is that it showed the various and beautiful nature but the society was described as very old fashioned.. We live in an urbane society with modern houses and cars and highways. And the industry is "high tech" and the information technology is very high developed).
The Convention Co-ordinator, Mrs Solveig Svensson addressed all participants by saying welcome in many different languages. The Swedish Rotary Governors held their Conference at the same time at the International Fairs. Through their speaker Mr Pat Naess they stressed the fact that Inner Wheel and Rotary are independent organisations but they can try to co-operate more and even have cornmon projects.
Gudrun Hermausson
Spotlight on South Africa - a detailed look at InnerWheel in South Africa.
