IEUSA

Women in Focus – About

  1. Women in Focus
  2. Women in Focus – About

‘Women in Focus’ is an IEU(SA) initiative to provide specific information, updates and opportunities to female members in our union.

Outlined below is an overview of these initiatives. Further pages and links will be added soon.

Check our Events Page for current event information – click here

IEU(SA) Equity Committee

The Equity Committee actively promotes issues that affect our women members (over 72% of our membership)

Committee Members
  • Britta Jureckson, Pembroke School
  • Kirsty Hall, St Paul’s College
  • Jenny Gilchrist, TRT
  • Sheryl Hoffmann, Concordia College
  • Leslie Condie Drummond, Tyndale Christian College
  • Tracy Templeman, St Dominic’s Priory College
  • Krystina Dawe, St Catherine’s Parish School
  • Ally Cunningham, School of the Nativity
  • Pam Dettman, Education Services
  • Kathy Johnson, Blackfriars Priory School
  • Emily Button, Walford Anglican School for Girls
  • Jenny Johnson, Sacred Heart College

The Equity Committee oversees and actively supports events such as:

IEU Equity Committee - Women's Dinner

Our 2023 Equity Dinner will be held Friday 10 November. For details see our event page:
https://ieusa.org.au/events/ieusa-equity-dinner-the-brompton-hotel

A Bit of feminism – A referendum for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament

Whilst not essentially a gender-based issue, our Equity Committee felt it was important that the topic for our Term 2 event provided an opportunity for members to explore why a ‘YES result’ is important.

Jakira Telfer, SA Campaign Coordinator for YES, shared a wealth of information about the referendum and what it would be asking Australians to vote on. Jakira explained why an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Voice to Parliament is so important and the hope it holds to be able to close the gap(s) through parliament hearing directly from ATSI communities.

Many questions were asked, explored and answered. Members we very pleased that it gave them resources and information to share with others.

For further information on why YES to an ATSI Voice to Parliament is so important or how you can support a YES vote, click here for the YES23 website: Yes 23

What does the IEU(SA) Equity Committee do?

Our Equity Committee provides an overarching structure for all matters relating to Equity.

Whilst Gender based issues provide the lion’s share of the work we do we are also aiming to explore and work towards addressing other matters of equity faced by our members from the LGBTIQ+; ATSI and multicultural communities.

We will be providing more information on our Equity work in the near future.

In the mean time if you are interested in finding out more about the IEU Equity Committee feel free to contact me – 8410 0122 or meredithf@ieusa.org.au

Meredith Farmer
Organiser. IEU(SA) Women and Equity Committees Coordinator

We actively support this charity and have a collection box in the office foyer – read more at Share the Dignity – click here

Resources
  • Feminist Library – We have a small but growing collection of books by women and about women’s issues available for loan – review the list here
    Contact our office 8410 0122 and speak with Louise Firrell if you would like to borrow a book.
News
IEUA Speaks

Click on any of the following links to read as PDF

IEUA Women’s Committee

The Independent Education Union of Australia committed to nurture and develop women in our Union in line, with goals expressed in the broader union movement and succession planning, looking towards the future of our movement and of the IEUA. With women making up around 70% of our membership, the goal is for the IEUA leadership profile to reflect this by connecting women with professional development opportunities and activities.

This was the birth of the program IEUA BOLD: Building Our Leadership Development.

Key Event

BOLD Women and Leadership Program

About the Program:

With women making up around 70% of our membership, the goal is for the IEUA leadership profile to reflect this by connecting women with professional development opportunities and activities. This is in line with goals expressed in the broader union movement and succession planning, looking towards the future of our movement and of the IEUA.

This was the birth of the program IEUA BOLD: Building Our Leadership Development.

The Program recruits members every three years through a call for expressions of interests. There are criteria that will be assessed by the General Secretary of the IEUA.

What is leadership?

Leadership is the capacity to integrate, motivate and mobilise others. It is not simply positional. It is behavioural. Women can be leaders in different aspects of their lives. Women are leaders in our Union structures, in schools and in our communities. They are leaders in both their personal and professional lives. Drawing on the feedback from the conference and from the survey, the IEUA developed a BOLD Program to assist women in recognising and developing their leadership skills and further enhancing these abilities. Standing together, women can support each other to be bold leaders.

A BOLD action plan

Essential to BOLD union women’s leadership development is an action plan. The IEUA Women and Equity Committee developed a guide to help women construct their own BOLD action plan towards leadership goals. The guide contains a series of questions and actions which aim to assist women to assess their strengths, their interests and to provide a step by step approach to the development of leadership goals. Importantly the guide is designed to be shared with colleagues who are also developing action plans.

IEUA BOLD Facebook group

The IEU Women and Leadership Facebook Group provides IEU women across Australia with the opportunity to network and share their stories, their expertise and knowledge with each other on their journey towards becoming Bold Leaders for our union and for the education sector. It also provides an opportunity to highlight available professional development opportunities.

IEUA BOLD webinars

The IEUA BOLD program is excited by our partnership with the TLN (Teacher Learning Network). IEUA BOLD women came together through TLN to discuss leading and leadership in work and in life. The webinar format enables participants from all over the country to come together, and those who were not able to participate could access the webinar at their leisure.

IEUA BOLD Women in Action

Already there are a number of great goals being achieved by IEUA women who have taken steps to develop and enhance their leadership potential.

Publications

Click on any of the following links to read as PDF

SAUnions Women’s Committee

Introduction/Overview

The Women’s Standing Committee’s role is to address issues that women face in the workforce.  Unions are committed through the Standing Committee in increasing women’s involvement in the workforce.

Key Event

Additional info about Anna Stewart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Stewart_(activist)

Working Women’s Centre SA

Key Event

SA International Women’s Day March 2020 – https://wwcsa.org.au/sa-international-womens-day-march-2020/

Contact WWCA

https://wwcsa.org.au/contact-us/

Associated Connections

COPE – Council of Pacific Women’s Committee

“The Women Network conferences and training programs are adding immense value to Women Network. It is an indication that in the COPE region, our sisters are changing for the better.” Hilda Takarobo – COPE Women Coordinator
Read more here

EI – Education International Women’s Network

Useful links

If you have any questions or need further information, please call the IEU(SA) office on 8410 0122 and speak with Louise Firrell.