What are you waiting for?
Right now there is no geting away from the big scandal of the day - MP's and their expense claims. We are sure that you, like everyone else, has an opinion on this. You've probably talked about it at work, at home or at least shouted at the tv!! And given where we all are financially it's adding insult to injury and giving us another excuse to just switch off. What this has highlighted is just how unaccountable our MP's have become due to our apathy.According to the Fawcett Society, Black women "are less likely to be registered to vote than white women and ethnic minority men". So is that you? Are you registered and, more to the point - do you vote? Because it's only by getting involved in the process that you can change the process and make MP's truly accountable to us. The European elections are imminent and the general elections will be called within the next 12 months. What you've got to ask yourself is do you actually know who your MP is? And what do you think about him/her? Do they represent your interests? Did you actually vote?
What we at Sheroes want you to do is make yourself count! Get registered and get voting. Don't just jump on the bandwagon and complain about how out of order this all is. If you really feel this way then use your vote to take action. Because apathy lets stuff like this happen. Remember the BNP in Barking? Now MP's expenses! What else needs to happen before you get involved? What are you waiting for? Because this is the result when you don't get involved and let other people have free reign with YOUR hard earned taxes.
Volunteering - giving or getting?
When you hear the term volunteering it conjures up a particular image: soup kitchens, helping your elderly relative or neighbour... in other words sacrificing your spare time! After all let's face it who's got "spare time" - aren't we already extremely busy people? Surprisingly, there's a lot more to gain from volunteering than you probably realise and many ways you can use it to your advantage.We at Sheroes want to extol the virtues of volunteering!!! Why you may ask? Well, some of us carry out informal voluntary acts every day - the shopping, getting the kids to school, trips to the airport... creating websites for other members of our community!!!!!... the list is endless. There is a real acknowledgement that volunteers are a vital part of society and there are many agencies who are looking for people just like you to bring your skills and experience to their projects. But the benefits cuts both ways.
If you want to explore the world of volunteering formally, then there are amazing opportunities that can give you a sense of identity, that helps you become more reflective, provide you with a sense of direction, widen your social network and highlights you as a community role model. It also widens your appeal to prospective employers and is a great subject for small talk!
The world is your oyster - you can go as far as volunteering overseas to helping out with a local community project. Think about the issues that you are passionate about and find the perfect thing for you.
Here are some websites that might offer a little bit of inspiration...
Sheroes Night Out
Omar as you have never seen him before!Sheroes next night out is to see the play "Been so long", starring Omar.
We are planning to go on Friday 3rd July, so are proposing to meet in the bar for 7.00pm for a pre-show drink.
So... put the date in your diary, tell your friends and please email us - delia@sheroes.co.uk - to let us know if you are coming.
What's Working for you?
The article below was written for the last newsletter, but we still think it is relevant and useful in these unprecedented times!We at Sheroes are very aware of the challenges that the current climate presents in relation to work. Through our network we know that some of you have become 'victims' of the credit crunch and are or are facing the prospect of redundancy. We acknowledge that this is a worrying time and the media coverage doesn't fill you with confidence. But this is a time to be more positive than ever? Looking for work requires a great deal of effort and energy as well as motivation. So why not look at this as an opportunity to try something new!
Ask yourself some simple questions: What skills do I have? Can I apply them differently? Can I get new skills? Where can I go for help?
One thing is for sure, you now have choices and a whole host of resources. Sheroes suggests checking out the following links for some practical tips and advice.