Dear fellow Zontians,
Warm Zonta greetings from my home in Verden, Germany!
How wonderful that you are taking this time to attend your district conference. Whether this is your first conference or you have attended many, district conferences are a wonderful opportunity to meet other Zontians outside your club and to discuss important topics and share ideas about the future of Zonta. I personally also always enjoy the possibility of meeting old friends and making new ones, and I hope that you too find joy.
As you come together with your fellow Zontians, women and girls around the world are facing unprecedented challenges. Conflict and war, climate change, economic hardships and legal and political battles threaten the hard-won gains for gender equity Zontians and others have worked so hard to achieve over the last 100+ years.
However, despite the enormity of the problems we face, I am not discouraged. I still believe our vision for a world where women’s rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential is possible. Why am I so hopeful? Because each and every day I hear stories of Zonta clubs and individual Zontians working together to make our Zonta vision a reality in their local communities and around the world. Thank you for inspiring me with every action you take and every story you share!
At the beginning of this biennium, I presented my biennial goals – Stand Out for Gender Equity, Represent Global Citizenship, Develop Future Leaders, Celebrate Ourselves and Position Zonta for the Future. We have already made good progress on many of these goals. I am encouraged by the number of new clubs in formation and by the active participation in our Zonta Says NO to Violence against Women campaign and new Zonta Says NOW activities across the Zonta world, as well as our new strategic plan. I am excited about the future of Zonta, but there is still more work to do. To ensure our vision for gender equity is a reality, we must work together, and we must strengthen our position by inviting others to join us.
I am looking forward seeing you at the 66th Zonta International Convention in Brisbane, Australia, 27-30 June 2024. It promises to be a fun and exciting experience. Until then, best wishes and thank you for all you give to Zonta, your dedication and determination and your generous donations to our Zonta Foundation for Women – to BUILD A BETTER WORLD FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS.
Warm regards,
Ute
Ute Scholz
President
Zonta Club of Verden, Germany, District 27
Motto: Stay flexible in your hips.
A member since 1992, Ute says that she has learned a lot through Zonta, such as languages, how to do online business and the flexibility of working together with different people every biennium. Ute has served on all Zonta levels. Among others, she was chairman of the International Young Women in Public Affairs Award Committee and governor of District 27, one of Zonta’s largest districts.
Ute is a graduated lawyer. After 22 years as a legal adviser and chief executive in public administration, she now works freelance as a business coach and mediator. She knows how to motivate volunteers and how important team spirit, reliability and leadership are for a successful organization.
Ute’s goal for Zonta is to be known in the world as a reliable and sustainable human rights organization that focuses on women and girls and whose members are engaged and proud to be a Zontian.
