View this email in your browser IFUW In Focus – 9 October 2014 This monthly communication provides an overview of IFUW’s activities, and opportunities to be involved, for all national federation and association (NFA), and branch, Presidents, Coordinators of International Relations (CIRs), Membership Coordinators, and members who would like to be more involved in IFUW. In Focus briefs you on IFUW training, advocacy, social media, member activities, and NFA news, so that you are fully informed and can, in turn, brief your members. Please do pass it on to as many members in your NFA as possible. Training Webinar: Introduction to the Human Rights Council, 30 October 2014 This webinar, for members only, will provide an introduction to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC), with an overview of its structure, function and opportunities for engagement. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), one of the main features of the HRC, will be outlined with insights on its significance to human rights globally. The webinar will include time for questions and discussion. Date and time: 30 October at 09:00 and repeated at 18:00 Central European Time (CET). Please check your local time here: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes Who should participate? All members. View this email in your browser How do I register? Register online for the 09:00 CET webinar here and for the 18:00 CET webinar here. Advocacy Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council What are Special Procedures? The Special Procedures system is part of the United Nations (UN) human rights machinery, implemented under the auspices of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). The system is carried out by a body of independent experts – mandate holders – who are tasked with undertaking fact-finding missions and reporting on human rights situations across all countries and regions. Special procedures is a universal system. Mandate holders undertake their work unpaid and on a part-time basis. Though they receive support from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Mandate holders work closely with governments, civil society, UN bodies, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), individual victims and other key actors in the human rights world. How can my NFA get involved with Special Procedures? Civil society groups provide critical on-the-ground insight for the experts when they are engaged in fact-finding missions. Where NFAs have specific knowledge of the issues underlying the mandate (e.g. education, violence against women, gender discrimination etc.), they may seek to arrange a meeting with the mandate holder during a country visit. The OHCHR provides a directory of all current and former mandate holders, including contact information. Furthermore, special procedures often hold consultations and seminars with civil society, which also offers an opportunity for NFAs to meet first-hand with the human rights experts. Read more here. #Social Media If not you, then who? If not now, then when? It’s time to get involved with social media and join the discussions on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, to see current trends in the discussion on access to education for girls’ and women. If you are not sure where to start… Here are some guidelines to get you started on Facebook. Here is our top tip for this month: View this email in your browser Tell a story Use stories to capture your audience’s attention and engage them in your work. Remember to keep it short as people are often on the go. On Facebook you can create milestones with a timeline and tell a story such as the history of your organisation, or the history of a particular campaign. A powerful story has to be bigger than your organisation and be about your fans and the cause. Social networks are at their best when people are passing content around and they will only pass yours around if it is creative and appeals to their interests. Think about the stories that you most often read on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media sites, and scope what will appeal to you audience. Share posts from IFUW’s Facebook account on your NFA’s page, retweet IFUW’s tweets and comment on the discussions in IFUW’s LinkedIn group. Remember to mention @IFUWomen. This month’s Twitter # #edpost2015 #post2015 #EducationForAll #BringBackOurGirls #investingirls #GirlsinSTEM #GirlsEducation #womenseducation #RespectforTeachers #EducationTransforms Member News How to Create a Newsletter for Members Sending a regular newsletter to your members can be a great communication method to inform them about upcoming activities and opportunities, share news on what you have achieved together, and outline how members can be more involved in your association. Have clear objectives for your newsletter, a good plan, and keep it short to help ensure that your newsletter will be read by your members and keep them interested in your association or federation. Follow these 10 steps to create an effective member newsletter. Are you ready to respond? IFUW is attracting the interest of women around the world who write to us to ask how they can become a member. In countries where we have a national association or federation (NFA) we refer this person to that NFA and ask them to get in contact. View this email in your browser It is vital that your NFA has a membership system in place so that you are ready to respond to these potential members. Please ensure that you have an answer to each of these questions:  Is there one member, or staff member, assigned to respond to all membership enquiries within 48 hours?  Do you have a membership application form in place with clear details on how to apply and who to send it to?  Upon receipt of a new membership application is there a person assigned to process this and send a response?  Do you have a welcome email or letter, pack of information and step by step guide to send to new members when their membership is confirmed? If you answer no to any of the questions above, we can help you. Email Caroline Staffell: [email protected]. Latin America Workshop & Seminar, 19-20 September 2014, Mexico Last month twenty-two members from Mexico, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica gathered in Mexico City for a workshop on “Building Membership & Visibility”. In this two day interactive event, the members explored the needs of women across the generations and how their associations can meet these needs through events and services. The workshop culminated in the development of an action plan for activities that will attract new members and make their group stronger and more appealing to young women. On 19 September IFUW held a seminar entitled, Educación de Calidad: Transformando la vida de las mujeres y las niñas en América Latina (Quality Education: Transforming the lives of women and girls in Latin America), in partnership with UN Women, the Mexican Federation of University Women, and the Women’s Museum. Participants from civil society, business, government and the media came together to discuss quality education for girls and women in Latin America. Read more. Coming up Peace is Loud Screenings, Geneva, Switzerland IFUW, in partnership with Association genevoise de femmes diplômées des universités (AGFDU), will host an open film screening of the Women, War & Peace films: “Peace Unveiled” on 9 October 2014 and “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” on 16 October 2014, at the University of Geneva. Further information. View this email in your browser We want to hear from you! To share current news from your NFA, or if you need help accessing the IFUW Members Corner, our members only section of the IFUW website, or if you have any other questions, please email Caroline Staffell: [email protected]. Follow IFUW on our social media outlets! Join the discussions on LinkedIn. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of University Women, All rights reserved. You are receiving this message because you are a President or a Coordinator of International Relations (CIR) of an IFUW national federation or association. Our mailing address is: International Federation of University Women 10 rue du Lac Geneva 1207 Switzerland Add us to your address book