Five years ago at the Conference of European Churches general assembly a vote was taken to remove quotas of women and young people that had been in place for many years. The EFECW voting place was also removed. Members of the forum strongly opposed this at the time believing that this would diminish the voices of women within CEC. When the subsequent CEC assembly begins on May 31st we will be watching to with interest to see the balance of women, men and young people looks the same as the last assembly with the quotas in place or whether there is a marked decline in the numbers of young people and women.
Within the forum, as we approach our assembly, we have also been discussing quotas. In England the forum inevitably reflects the demographics of many churches with a larger number of older women being active. Our newer ‘networking’ has been designed to reach out to younger women through this website , the use of social media and by working in partnership with other organisations in the promotion of events.
Despite our best efforts we do not have a younger woman to take the reserved place in the England delegation to the EFECW General Assembly in the summer. Even though we are beyond the deadline for registration we are still hoping we may find a delegate under 40 who would be able to take up a bursary place. If this is you or someone you know please contact us! After much consideration the national coordinators took the decision not to fill the place designated for a younger woman with someone older. Our experience, from many different settings, is that when quotas are not upheld it can be easy to lose sight of the need for change. When we return from Serbia we will be putting fresh energy into the continuing life and development of the forum. We know many are with us – please spread the word!
The Ecumenical Forum of European Christian Women in the UK 