About VIEW Women - Women Volunteering for The Smith Family
Celebrating 50 years of VIEW, looking to our future.
VIEW women know their organisation is unique. Where else can a woman find a group that gives her the opportunity to:
- Meet regularly with other women of all ages and from all walks of life
- Have a forum to discuss and exchange ideas
- Secure lasting friendships
- Learn new skills and develop new interests
- Have fun times together with others
- Do good things and help others
VIEW women are seriously committed to providing educational opportunities for disadvantaged Australian children and their families, and have great fun while actively contributing in their local communities. VIEW is non-sectarian and non-party political.
VIEW women know who they support - The Smith Family!
VIEW women in nearly 400 communities enjoy regular social events and the friendship of other women. Through VIEW they learn new skills, develop new confidence and broaden their horizons. A simple but rewarding pleasure is to share a meal with women of all ages, listen to a great guest speaker who enlightens, entertains and perhaps enlarges one's view on the world. In addition, there are coffee mornings, theatre parties, holidays, concerts, all occasions where 'fun and friendship' can be cultivated and maintained for a lifetime.
Where it all began
In 1960, the General Secretary of The Smith Family, George Forbes, created VIEW (Voice, Interests and Education of Women) Clubs of Australia, for women. At this time women were prohibited from joining Lions, Rotary and other service clubs. The purpose of VIEW then was to offer companionship and help deal with social isolation, particularly of rural women, and improve opportunities for women to have their say, especially at government level, while recognising that they needed a network of support for this to happen.
Growth over the years
The decades since have seen massive changes particularly in the family unit and women's place in society, including the breakdown of the extended family and the rise in numbers of lone parent families. During this period opportunities for educational attainment have improved for women, yet this has not been reflected in their advancement to key leadership positions in greater numbers. Rapid developments in communication technologies have also altered the way individuals connect and have provided new opportunities to increase VIEW members' ability to exercise their voice. Throughout VIEW has provided a critical support network for women and continued to play a pivotal role in enhancing opportunities for members to engage more fully in society, while helping disadvantaged children and families to increase their ability to participate too.
In the late nineties when The Smith Family transformed from a welfare organisation to one helping children and families to break the cycle of disadvantage through education, VIEW changed its focus too.
VIEW Today
Today VIEW is a national, self-governed women's organisation with more than 21,000 members in 400 communities across the country. A valued part of The Smith Family, the work of VIEW women in local communities aligns with and strengthens the impact of The Smith Family's Learning for Life suite of education and learning programs. Over the decades VIEW has played an important role supporting women, now in the 21st century the organisation is working to meet the challenges presented by a society that has changed immeasurably since the sixties. With a focus on helping disadvantaged Australian children realise their potential through education, there is no question that the work of the organisation meets a clear need in our society today, and in the years ahead, with their collective goodwill and capabilities, VIEW members will continue to make a world of difference to thousands of Australians in need.
How VIEW helps
In 2008/9 VIEW members helped thousands of disadvantaged Australian children get more out of their education by raising over $1.5 million through fundraising initiatives and by sponsoring more than 600 children supported through Learning for Life.
As well as fundraising and sponsorship, VIEW members volunteered their time and talents in a myriad of ways to unlock opportunities for these kids. Members read with local children to advance their literacy skills; helped with school work at after-school Smith Family Learning Clubs, acted as mentors for students or mentor co-ordinators for students on Smith Family mentoring programs; made library bags and donated school stationery packs for use at home and school and donated toys and books for disadvantaged children at Christmas time.
