I am sure most of you (if not all of you) have read about the AWARE AGM.
So what do cats and AWARE have to do with each other? Quite a lot in terms of how causes are promoted.
Some commentators have noted that perhaps the old guard were out of touch, and that it's time for new people to take over. That may well be, but certainly there must be a better way of going about it? Coming in and ejecting the old committee, however 'legal' seems most underhanded.
It is however not a new tactic. A similar suggestion was put to several animal welfare groups a few years ago.
It is to the credit of the welfare groups that the idea was not picked up, and the individuals who came up with it realised it wasn't a good idea in the end. Sure it might have been 'easier' in the short run to take over another organisation, but by doing so, all moral authority would have been lost.
What this case illustrated to me again the perils of not acting together as a group. It's something we've discussed about in terms of animal welfare in the past - the need for a united front. If the new committee members had come on board and asked to work together with the old ones, I think it would have made AWARE much stronger. Instead this has now degenerated and made the whole issue into a farce, which is a shame for all women.
And here is why I think it's related to cats - when caregivers fight, and do it publicly, it makes it difficult to take the cause seriously. How does one effectively champion a cause if one cannot work with others working for the same cause?
The strongest caregiver groups I see are the ones where people support each other. Do they think identically on every topic? Of course not. But what they DO have is respect for each other, and they keep an eye on the ultimate goal, which is animal welfare. I am always impressed by one particular group where if one person has a problem, the rest will immediately support him or her with the TC. It makes the TC more careful as a result.
5 comments:
Yes, the cause - the 'cause' has to be the main motivation / factor. When things are done, it's not because of an individual / group but the organisation as a whole.
Many cat care-givers have different opinions of the level of care they extend to the community cats they are managing.
Cat care-givers can work together if all parties are supportive of each other.
Talking of which, does anyone render any paid services to cat care-givers for the feeding of strays when they go on holidays? Or does anyone know of people who provide such services? THis is because I know of many cat care-givers who find it difficult to go on even short trips simply because there is no one to help them feed strays.
What I disagree with is the method used by the new exco to seize power. And, I don't think AWARE is representative of all women now. The 4 top positions go to people from the same Church. We should support the Old Guards so that AWARE can become a pluralistic society again.
You know, it's not even that I have an issue with them being from the same church/group etc. If they can really keep the separation of church and state, I have no issue with that.
But as you said, it's the WAY that power was taken which I have a major issue with.
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