March Malago Meeting

Ladies, all the ladies!
Clear your throats, please, in preparation for the March meeting of Malago WI!

Wednesday 25 March will have us projecting, booming, and commanding, as we take part in a voice workshop. Selina Keedwell, director of interCre8 (creatively learning through
drama), is a drama artist, performer and facilitator, specialising in teaching physical theatre and drama to students of all ages and abilities. Selina has performed in, devised, facilitated and managed creative projects in diverse settings, from taxi drivers in Indonesia and doctors in Torbay, to dancers in New York and young mothers in Devon. She firmly believes that learning through drama can have huge benefits for all, helping to gain confidence, develop positive self awareness, and the ability to work with others co-operatively by exploring and accepting ourselves as individuals.

The workshop allows us to explore our voices while discovering new ways of communicating confidently with an audience, at work or play. Using breathing, relaxation, diction, projection, rhythm & pace, use of pause, body language and delivery, we will develop a better understanding of ourselves as communicators, and of our voice as a useful tool. The voice workshop is a fun way of working together to explore our abilities in a supportive and creative way, and is designed for all levels - no experience required. We hope you enjoy it.

You may have noticed that www.malagowi.co.uk has had temporary makeover, in celebration of the forthcoming MWI exhibition as part of the Southbank Art Trail (9 and 10 May 2009). There will be a sign-up sheet at Wednesday's meeting - we'd like as many members as possible to take on an assignment (despite the onerous-sounding name, assignments are really very easy and straightforward, we promise!). The nature of the Learning To Love You More project means it's open to all - whether you consider yourself an artist or not (yet). It's an art project of a most democratic nature. And it's a whole lot of fun.

Don't forget: if this will be your third meeting and you're not yet a member, then it's time to cough up. Membership is £29 for the year - see Jen, our treasurer, at the meeting.

April Meeting
Malago WI hopes to provide a few tips and ideas for beating the credit crunch at our April meeting, with interesting information provided by not one, but two speakers. Kath Kelly author of 'How I Lived on Just One Pound a Day' will be talking about how she survived her self-imposed penury by revealing where to look for cheap clothing, food and toiletries, along with offering novel ideas for socialising and gift-giving.

We are also joined by Dave Hamilton, co-founder of www.selfsufficientish.com and author of 'The Urban Guide to Self Sufficiency'. Dave is an expert in all things organic and will demonstrating how to make environmentally friendly cleaning products at home as well as supplying us with tips on how to garden, totally organically and on a budget. He also has a wealth of knowledge on the type of vegetables that can be grown in space-strapped gardens.

Ooh, it's all shaping up nicely.

Until Wednesday, adieu,
MWI

A Spring update

February's meeting was fantastic. With more members than ever coming through the doors, there was a real sense that our humble group is becoming properly established.

Steve Humphries from Testimony Films spoke to us with passion and conviction about his 25 year career in oral history documentary-making. We were treated to clips of his world-changing programmes, with women speaking candidly about their experiences of orgasms, sex before marriage, and unconsummated marriages in the twentieth century. Without Steve and his team, much of this wonderful material would have been lost in the mists of time. We're very glad Testimony exists.

Alice and Lottie spoke about the Southbank Art Trail project, for which Malago WI members will make assignments from the Learning To Love You More project. If art's not your thing, we're also looking for donations of cake and a few hours over the weekend, to help run the fundraising cafe. Email jointhewi@gmail.com for more information, and we'll have a sign-up sheet at the March meeting too.

Talking of which, the programme for March will be a voice workshop, presented by Selina Keedwell of interCre8. The workshop is about having fun exploring our voices whilst discovering new ways of communicating confidently with an audience, at work or play. By exploring breathing, relaxation, diction, projection, rhythm and pace, use of pause, body language and delivery, we will develop a better understanding of ourselves as communicators, and of our voice as a useful tool. We're sure the voice workshop will be a fun way of working together to explore our abilities in a supportive and creative way.

See you in March,
MWI

February meeting

Roll up, roll up, ladies of south Bristol, it's that time of the month again. The fourth Malago Women's Institute meeting will take place on Wednesday 25 February at 8pm.

Much anticipated, this month's speaker is Steve Humphries of Testimony Films. Postponed from last month, Steve is the king of oral history and his talk celebrates women's experiences of love, sex and relationships from the last century. Illustrated with video clips, Steve has selected the best from his vast archives for what will be a fascinating and insightful meeting - not to be missed.

And the rest of our programme is shaping up nicely too... There's now a link on the right which should take you straight to details of all meetings, both archive and forthcoming. Some is yet to be confirmed, and contributions or suggestions would be most welcome. We hope you feel that we've listened to what our members want - it's your WI so let us know.

Also coming up is the Bristol Women's Show for which we need 4 volunteers to help spread the WI word. The Show celebrates all things female, including fashion, fitness, careers advice, health, finances, safety and more. Speak to Jen at the meeting if you can spare a couple of hours on Sunday 29 March between 10am and 4pm, or email jointhewi@gmail.com with your name, contact details and availability. Entry is £5, volunteers get free entry.

Likewise, WI groups across the land will be sending representatives to the Million Women Rise march to end male violence against women. Women's right to live free from violence has not been achieved, and women continue to be attacked and violated in many different ways. The march aims to show our mass dissatisfaction and campaign for change for all women and children. The 2008 march went down in history as the largest demonstration of women in UK - this year's march is set to be bigger and better. This thoroughly worthwhile event takes place on Saturday 7 March in London, beginning at midday. If you'd like to attend, Jen's your woman - same details as above. If we get enough interest, we'll try to organise discounted train fares.

On a lighter note, May heralds blossom, asparagus, and the Southbank Art Trail. This year, we'd love to have an exhibition of work made by Malago WI (as well as a cafe), not only to show our artistic side, but also to spread the word, raise crucial funds, and recruit new members. Based around the Learning To Love You More assignments, the exhibition is open to anyone from MWI - Alice will explain more on Wednesday, but here are a few examples to keep you guessing.

Many of you will have seen Malago WI in the local press and on the local news. Exciting times indeed. We'd like to thank you for making MWI what it is today, and for sharing our vision for a supportive, educational and fun meeting place in this great community of south Bristol.

Here's to more of the same.

Over and out,

MWI

Malago WI programme

Upcoming programme and meeting dates 2012

:: Wednesday 28 March
Blogging and campaign resolution
:: Wednesday 25 April
A New Taste of Spring with Shannon Smith
:: Wednesday 30 May
Gardening with Lia Leendertz
:: Wednesday 27 June
Health TBC
:: Wednesday 25 July
TBC
:: Wednesday 29 August
Make do and mend
:: Wednesday 26 September
Seasonal produce
:: Wednesday 31 October
Birthday party and quiz
:: Wednesday 28 November
Ways with wool: Felt

Archive Programme 2012
:: Wednesday 29 February
Paper flowers and fabric birds
:: Wednesday 25 January
Happiness

Archive programme information

2011

:: Wednesday 30 November

Ways with wool: Pompoms

:: Wednesday 26 October

Malago WI 3rd Birthday party - swish and sweets

:: Wednesday 28 September

Salsa

:: Wednesday 31 August

Sleep!

:: Wednesday 27 July

Malago WI village fete - jam, vegetables, bunting, cakes

:: Wednesday 29 June

Mystery meeting

:: Wednesday 25 May

All-female DIY with Jo Behari, Home Jane

:: Wednesday 27 April

Learn to Speak with Selina Keedwell, Intercre8, WI resolutions vote

:: Wednesday 30 March

Aromatherapy - mixing our own home and beauty products with Ali Cook, Pure Bliss Aromatherapy

:: Wednesday 23 February

Bag-making and book/present swap

:: Wednesday 26 January

Story-telling

2010

:: 24 November 2010

Present-wrapping and wreath-making

:: 27 October 2010

Pudding club - our second birthday party 

:: 29 September 2010

Ways with wool - crochet and felts

:: 25 September 2010

Best of Bedminster show (fundraising event)

:: 15 September 2010

Social event

:: 25 August 2010

Quiz night

:: 28 July 2010

Nick Hand talks about his travels around the UK meeting artisan craftspeople

:: 30 June 2010

Bollywood night (rescheduled from January 2010)

:: 26 May 2010

Jane Brocket

:: 28 April 2010

Tea- and chocolate-tasting with Lahloo teas (Brunel group meeting)

:: 31 March 2010

Self-portraiture

:: 24 February 2010

Morph-making with Aardman

:: 27 January 2010

Badge-making and new year resolutions

2009

:: 25 November 2009

Creative writing

:: 28 October 2009

Malago WI First Birthday party (change of venue: Southville Centre)

:: 30 September 2009

Ways with Wool

:: Best of Bedminster show, Saturday 26 September 2009

:: 26 August 2009

Swishing!

:: 29 July 2009

Pilates with Anna Christy, and Chris Uttley from BERATE

:: 24 June 2009

Flower-arranging, Claire from Les Fleurs

:: 27 May 2009

Save the Honey Bees campaign vote and history of WI campaigning talk

:: 29 April 2009 Spring clean your life:

Kath Kelly (author of How I Lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day) and Dave Hamilton (of www.selfsufficientish.com, the urban guide to almost self-sufficiency)

:: 25 March 2009

Voice workshop, Selina Keedwell, Intercre8

:: 25 February 2009

Women's oral history, Steve Humphries, Testimony Films

:: 28 January 2009

Indian Head Massage, Alison Cook, Pure Bliss Aromatherapy 0117 9831284

:: 10 December 2008

Paper Christmas decorations, Alice, Lottie and Carrie

:: 12 November 2008

Inaugural meeting - History of the WI, programming ideas, tea & cake

We're in Venue magazine!

That's right, Bristol and Bath's favourite weekly what's-on features a nice little article about Malago WI on page 29 - available from newsagents now.

It's the one with Bristol and Bath's Top 100 most powerful people on the cover. Malago WI President Karen Bowers was 101.

See you on Wednesday 25 February,

MWI