“Teachers are the most important people in our early lives,” said journalist, author and feminist Anne Summers when she spoke to the 130 women that gathered at this year’s SSTUWA Women’s Conference. 

“However, it is because of the important role we play that she believes we also have an obligation to effect change beyond the classroom.”  The theme of the conference was Making Our Voices heard: Now and Into the Future. 2011 celebrated the 100th year of international Women’s Day.

Anne recounted the many changes which have been made over the past four decades, in relation to women, but warned us that “While there is much to celebrate, there is also plenty of unfinished business.”

Read more: 2011 SSTUWA Women’s Conference Success

Australia’s Global Action Week is extended to allow states and territories to organise activities in schools from May 2nd to 17th June.

Themed around “Women’s and Girl’s Education” Global Action Week this year coincides with the one hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day.

The Global Campaign for Education has been making gains in education advocacy for over ten years, but, despite the member coalitions in over 100 countries, Australia has not been represented – until recently.

Approximately 37 million girls are not in primary school, so over 10 million school students worldwide will participate in classroom activities highlighting the rights of girls to an education.

Read more: Global Action Week

This is the first Women’s Contact Officer eSTREAM news in the new format. It is planned to send out at least one newsletter per term, which will be emailed to all office bearers. Please circulate the newsletter through your networks and encourage your women colleagues at other worksites to nominate for the position of Women’s Contact Officer within their branch.

The role of the SSTUWA Women’s Contact Officer is to work ‘in conjunction with the Union Representative / Deputy Representative and branch committee to encourage participation of women members within union structures”. They also support women within their worksite.

Union Branches need to be organised for the beginning of the 2010 academic year. On the Branch Officers nomination form there is the position for Women’s Contact Officer.

There is a lot of relevant and useful information on the Union website, in particular under the resources tab.

Read more: Womens' Contact Officer Newsletters

Former Journalist Anna Stewart was an active Victorian Union Official. Her great involvement with the union and tireless efforts to introduce fair working rights for women will forever be remembered. She gave hope to many other young women during a time when women were being treated unfairly in the workplace and weren’t favoured when combining a career and motherhood.

Anna exposed women’s needs to unions and the workforce as a working example. During Commission hearings she would breastfeed her baby son or seek adjournments to do so. Anna had her own opinions on women’s rights within the workforce.

Anna died tragically in 1983 at the age of 35. In her honour, many of her co-workers and friends developed the Anna Stewart Memorial project. The project is a two week training program for women unionists. Women from diverse occupations are placed with their own or sometimes other unions.

Read more: The Anna Stewart Memorial Project

Approximately 1 in 3 women experience at least one form of violence in their lifetime, either physical or sexual abuse, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

One of the most effective ways to reduce violence against women is to engage and educate men on the issue and they can start by wearing a White Ribbon.

The White Ribbon Foundation was established in Australia in 2007, but its roots began in Canada in 1991, where the campaign was initiated by a small group of Canadian men.

It marked the second anniversary of a massacre that took place in Montreal, where one man executed 14 female engineering students.

Read more: International White Ribbon Day 25 Nov