90+ Members Join WILPF US Gathering 2023

By Dianne Blais and Jane Doyle
WILPF US Gathering Committee

September 2023

It was neither a dark nor stormy night on August 16th, and again on the 17th, although many of us were hoping for cooler temperatures, when more than 90 WILPF members from all over the United States, plus two members from the WILPF International Secretariat, gathered on Zoom.   

Reasons for the gathering included: 

• To learn more about our US Section and the many volunteers and staff who have been carrying on the traditions of our 108 year old organization dedicated to peace and freedom;
• To acknowledge how far we still have to go, at home and abroad, and introduce the variety of approaches by our members that are being directed at addressing these issues;
• A third reason was to acknowledge that we miss face-to-face gatherings.

The snapshots of faces on a Zoom screen are often a poor substitute for sitting or standing near each other and really getting acquainted. To simulate those conversational experiences a bit, each evening began with breakout rooms of two or three people where we introduced ourselves and shared personal information such as what had brought us to WILPF.
 
All members had gotten five(!) eAlerts about the “Gathering.” The first three eAlerts spoke in generalities about the plans for the two evenings – that after breakout rooms, WILPF US National Board members, international contacts, and staff would speak the first night, and select branches and committees would speak on the second night.

The eAlerts sent out early on August 16 and August 17 listed each speaker in the order they would speak.

In breakout room conversations, and in brief presentations by the speakers, much was shared about the variety of ways within WILPF to act on our values and make a difference. It’s hoped that many will feel inspired to join an issue committee, or to suggest an activity to their branch, or even to run for national office.

The chat board, an integral part of Zoom, was heavily used both evenings. Many of the posts were words of praise and thank you to individual speakers, serving as visual applause. Knowing that there was no time for questions and answers, several participants left their contact information in the chat. Also posted were brief statements containing specific information such as film and book titles, clarifications of points from a presentation, or links to websites.
   
Special thanks go to Ellen Schwartz and Ellen Thomas for taking responsibility for all the technical facets of the event. The Gathering, as designed, was new for all of us and they worked long and patiently to answer questions and to put often changing pieces into place.

We hope that an edited version of the meetings will be ready soon. Meanwhile, if you would like to hear any of the Gathering again (except the breakout rooms) or have any questions please contact Secretary@wilpfus.org.

The Gathering Committee was Dianne Blais, Jane Doyle, and Phillip Cole