About this Event

WSC to virtually launch next century of service on Oct. 22

Members of the World Service Council, YWCA USA and World YWCA members and guests will come together for the 101st virtual meeting of the Council on Friday, Oct. 22 from 1-3 p.m. EDT to kick off our next century of service. Calling on all generations of visionaries, the event promises to inspire and re-imagine the future by building on the past to create a better, more equitable world for women and girls.

Keynoting the event will be Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who just stepped down as Executive Director of UN Women where she has served since 2013. Considered one of our own, Phumzile was Youth Director at the World YWCA from 1983 to 1989 during which time she focused on job creation for young women and promoted development education in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Attendees will also hear updates from World YWCA General Secretary Casey Harden, and YWCA USA National Board President Tina Herrera on their plans moving forward in these challenging times. In addition, perspectives from former World General Secretary Musimbi Kanyoro who served in that role for eight years, World YWCA President Mira Rizeq, a longtime General Secretary of YWCA Palestine, plus one of the first two interns to serve at the World YWCA Muna Killingback, will be shared as a foundation on which to build.

To get a younger perspective as we explore how to strategize on what lies ahead for women and girls will be a panel of young women featuring Adaeze Muonyelu from YWCA Nigeria, Hannah Athaliah James from YWCA Papua New Guinea, and Annie Priyanka Kumar from YWCA Secunderabad. Muna will be moderating the panel and Musimbi will be capsulizing the ideas and challenges presented by the panelists.

Another highlight of the meeting will include honoring exceptional past Chairs of World Service Council, Joyce Mims and Connie Tate. These women have been true leaders whose devotion and dedication to the work of the Council has maintained the international support that began a century ago while reinforcing the strong bond between the YWCA USA and the World YWCA.

In addition, Dr. Wanda Hendricks, who attended the 2018 World Service Council Annual Meeting, will speak about her book, The Life of Madie Hall Xuma: Black Women's Global Activism During Jim Crow and Apartheid, which is about to be released. The book follows Madie Hall from her YWCA experiences in the USA to her marriage to Dr. Alfred B. Xuma and her move to South Africa, where she was involved with starting YWCA groups in villages. It continues with her role on the World YWCA Executive Committee, plus international leadership roles on women’s rights, etc.

For those attendees who would like to delve a little deeper or who might enjoy some interaction beyond the chat feature, break out rooms will be available to you following the meeting. Watch for information on those in the registration.

This event, guided by current World Service Co-chairs Elaine Carlson and Mildred Morrison, promises to be a true celebration of the work we’ve done during our first century while we ardently explore new ideas and actions for the century ahead. Since there will be no fee to attend, we kindly ask those who attend to consider donating to the World Service Council in support of our next century of service. The fragility of the world in general, with climate and Covid crises has placed heavy burdens on YWCAs around the globe. They need our help.