Mission Update
Public education and control of tobacco products headed the list of child-advocacy actions when directors of the Women’s Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries met in April.
Directors voted to kick off Phase III of United Methodist Women’s Campaign for Children, which will focus on public education. Daniel Cassidy of the U.S. Department of Education spoke to directors about the condition of public education.
"There is a real crisis of the system itself, and it requires real systemic changes," Mr. Cassidy said.
Women’s Division directors agreed. The campaign will encourage every member of United Methodist Women to visit schools in her community to find out how United Methodist Women can work for quality education, including high quality teachers, adequate funding and facilities, safety and security, and fair measures of students’ progress and success for all children regardless of economic status.
A book entitled Campaign for Children Phase III: Let’s Go Back to School will be available this summer to give women guidelines for visiting schools, assessing the quality of education and beginning advocacy work on behalf of children’s education.
Women’s Division directors also voted to join the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, which urges states to substantially increase their excise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products.
These actions are part of what Joyce D. Sohl, the division’s top executive, referred to as the organization’s measures of accountability. (See article by Ms. Sohl at right.)
As world leaders continued discussions of violence in the Middle East, Women’s Division directors voted to grant $5,000 to the Grassroots Advocacy Project of Churches for Middle East Peace. The project will produce resources and educate local groups on issues related to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, the situation of the Palestinians living under occupation and how to be effective advocates for peace in the Middle East.
In other business, directors:
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