When people hear about the Women’s Institute they are often more likely to think about an institution such as a correctional facility than an educational group that has helped the lives of thousands of people around the world.
That has to change, said the outgoing president of the Alberta Women’s Institutes.
The once strong women’s organization, begun by Canadian Adelaide Hoodless in 1897 as an education group for rural women, needs to do more to promote itself, said Phyllis Kosik.
“If you don’t blow your own horn, nobody’s going to know either,” Kosik told about 75 women at the AWI’s annual meeting in Camrose last month.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
Kosik urged the women to talk about the organization over coffee or while visiting with friends as a way to encourage new members.
“We’re going down the tubes fast.”
Kosik joined the AWI when she was invited to a meeting a few years ago.
“When I became a member, I felt this was an organization I could sink my teeth into,” she said.
Inviting community members to special WI events and anniversaries is another way to promote the organization, she said. Some WI branches hold education workshops for their community on fire safety, health care and recycling as a way to promote the organization.
Kosik also suggested members send notes of thanks to the group’s key members for their continued work. Many of the older women in the group may not be able to travel, but they can phone or jot a note.
“They need those little pats on the back.”
Kosik disputed rumblings that the organization was losing members because the $25 membership and $5 additional cost for the group’s subscription to the magazine was too expensive.
When the organization began, it cost 25 cents a year for a membership and then increased to $1.
“Many men worked from dawn to dark for a dollar. What we charge for membership isn’t even half of a man’s wage today,” she said.
The $25 membership fee is cheaper than a sit-down meal in a restaurant for two or tickets to a symphony or movie, she said.
“The cost of everything is going up.”
Without grants for special projects, the AWI would be forced to dig into its reserve funds even more to operate the provincial organization.
Kosik said it’s a continual struggle to maintain membership. With access to the internet and many women working outside the home, it’s difficult to attract women to one more meeting.
“Once they leave the workforce, we can get them.”
Kosik said AWI has gained up to 40 new members a year since she began promoting recruitment as a priority, but it barely offsets the number of women leaving the group or who die.
“Adelaide Hoodless was just one woman, but she accomplished much.”
