A few short months ago Andy Host, along with the Global Women’s Caucus leader, Anne Hesse, and DA Spain’s then-chair, Jim Mercereau, hosted a ‘Spain Women’s Caucus Kick Off,’ to generate interest in forming a Women’s Caucus in Spain. Well, I took the bait and here I am: the first volunteer leader of this caucus.
Unbeknownst to me, the kick-off was part of a pilot project employing a formula to help create caucuses through use of a 30-, 60- and 90-day plan. This plan will soon be complete and available as a template for future use by new caucuses. One of the crucial tasks to be completed in the first 30 days is to identify volunteers and potential leaders, and I’m proud to say that I have helped fulfill this requirement.
It has been a busy few months, which included a rather steep learning curve. I finally feel that I am getting closer to the middle of the curve, thanks to Andy’s support and enthusiasm. We held our first event in April called ‘Let’s Talk: COVID and Vaccinations,’ where we shared our experiences, frustrations and concerns about living through the COVID era and getting vaccinated. We co-hosted an event with DA’s Barcelona Chapter - a very interesting talk by Sofia Nogués about her experience on the eXXpedition, an all-women’s sailing voyage carrying out scientific research into plastics pollution and raising awareness about its environmental impacts. For June, we have planned our first fundraising event: a Paella cooking class where attendees cook along with our guest chef, Ricky M., to learn the art of making that classic Spanish dish, along with several tapas. Many thanks to Tina Samson for setting up the donation page. We have raised a little over 130 Euros for Democrats Abroad Spain and ended up with a delicious dinner. Ricky M.’s cooking class was instructive and entertaining!
Using the Global Womens’ Caucus mission statement, ‘Education, Community Building and Activism’ as our guiding principle, we’re busily planning our future engagements. In partnership with Mary Elms of Alicante, we’re creating a series called ‘Living in Spain’ which will consist of one-hour talks by a Spanish lawyer about topics which will include Spanish taxes, the wealth tax, resident visas, healthcare, wills, tenant rights, buying property, power of attorney, etc. If a specific subject matter interests or baffles you, please let us know. We would like to organize guest speakers who can shed light on your chosen topics. Series details are still being worked out. Please stay tuned!
On the activism front, we’re getting out the vote, but can’t forget issues that especially affect women, like the ERA and abortion cases soon to be heard by our rightwing Supreme Court. Even though the orange man is officially gone, he is leaving a long shadow, with voting rights and civil rights under threat. There is so much to do! We’d love your help.
Would you like to join us? If you are interested in volunteering, click on the link below to fill out the SWC Volunteer Interest Form. Thanks to all who have already signed up! If you’d like to get in touch with ideas or suggestions, you can contact me directly at [email protected].
I would like to end by expressing my gratitude for all the support I am receiving from the DA Barcelona Chapter, from DA Spain (both, its former leadership and the newly-elected committee), and from the Global Womens’ Caucus. Everytime I reach out, I get a positive, quick and cheerful response.
I hope to hear from you soon so that we can continue to grow and make a difference in our lives, both here and in the US.