The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

courage new members to take office and to always do your best. If you are not satisfied. take courses. The Women‘s Institute is a learning ex- perience. _ b By working together. they said. we have tremendous power to help or change things, whether by resolunons or lobbying the government. These women were dynamic and made everyone sit up and take notice. They all emphasized that the Women's institute is a great organization and we need to tell the World. - as reported by Joyce Glover Sarah Smith from the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Tribe spoke on the duality of life from the native perspective. "Turtle Teachings." she said, are passed on by the Dodah (older tribal members) by word of mouth from generation to generation. Sarah spoke of cycles, the impor» tance of four, unseen forces that are spiritual, and the importance of love and respect. In the Dodah‘s story of the formation ofthe world, the twins repre- sent the duality of life - there are two choices to eveI'Ything. We have a choice in what we do. She said we have lost the difference between day and night. And that some ofthe native people have strayed from their peaceful ways and must review their history. In her quiet way, Sarah Smith said it was time for women to become leaders and to clean up the had things that are happening. and to work in harmony to create a better tomorrow. - as reported by Jane C raft A Twinning Lunch was also pan of Saturday's agenda. It was to be a time When Twin Provinces would sit together and share each others stories and experiences. The President of the FWIO, Peggy Knapp, arranged for On- tario and Nova Scotia to be together. There were 177 members from Onâ€" tario and 18 from Nova Scotia. I am sure that the Nova Scotia ladies were Somewhat overwhelmed, but they cer- tainly made up for their numbers in friendliness and enthusiasm. It seemed to me that the FWIC was not too concerned about Twinning this War. I feel that at this point in our “MOW - when we are facing a declining membership - we need to commit our- selves to the Twinning Program more than ever. at both the national and provincial levels in order to bind us together. I wonder if it would be possible to appoint a Twinning Convenor to better organize this program in the future. - as reported by Peggy Dadd El Sunday, July 14, 1991 Sunday began with an interfaith Ser- vice at the conference centre. This was followed by an ACWW program of entertainment and Speakers. In the afternoon, BC Day commenced to in- clude exhibits from the districts, and craft sales, competitions and other dis- plays, Several members then travelled to Sooke for their famous salmon bar- becue and logging show. [I Monday, July 15, 1991 Hilde Morden, Program Co-or- dinator for the FWlO, began the moming‘s discussions on the environ- ment. She spoke on "What Women’s Institutes Are Doing to Save Our World." Women must not waste time on non- essentials, she said. They must be strongcaretakers ofour fragile environ- ment. And caretaking is the traditional role of women. We can begin to change the health of our environment by changing our at- titude. By working together we can make this world a better place. Start to take care of our environment right now - educate and initiate and become more knowledgeable. Garbage is international. As stewarts, we must care and nurture our world. Quality is never an accident, but the result of a combined effort. Our Women’s Institutes have par- ticipated on waste study councils, held workshops, set up displays, organized fashion shows using only recycled goods. planted trees, cleaned up parks and presented coffee mugs to counctl members. But we should investigate other ways to further help the environment, We should investigate how plastics can be reused. Encourage composting as an area that can make a difference. Lobby for hazardous waste depots in rural areas. We must have research into safe incineration processes. We should al- ways look for the environmental choice. We have to rebalance ourselves for change; in this way we can move ahead to take care of our fragile environment. ' as reported by Peggy M cLead Mel Biggs, a Sales Manager for PCL Plastics Corporation (a company lead- ing in recycling post-consumer waste into new plastic bags) addressed the delegates on "Our Everyday Environâ€" ment." And on Monday afternoon, Dr. Robert Glossop, Coâ€"ordinator of Programs and Research at the Vanier Institute, spoke on "The Rural Family of the '90’s." A banquet at the convention centre was the final event. The guest speaker was Wayne Humphreys, owner and operator of a grain and livestock farm in Columbus Junction, Iowa. Mr. Humphreys is also the National Viceâ€" President of Future Farmers of America. Humphreys is an enthusiastic and dynamic speaker with a difference: he doesn't stand behind a podium, but mingles in the audience. The world is changing at a fast pace, he said. But we sometimes don't change with the times. The attitude that "we have always done it that way” is detrimental to our progress. Our members, he said, are a special kind of people who have the ability to create relationships. be understanding of others, and recognize potential problems. As well. we have the enâ€" thusiasm and commitment to rise to a challenge, and get the job done: in sometimes adverse circumstances with very little fan fare. Teamwork is essential for the sucâ€" cess of an organization (as we have proved many times). No task is too small or too large; together, as a team, we can accomplish anything What the mind can conceive, WE CAN ACHIEVE. - as reported by Margaret Munro HSLC July,August,September l99| 13