Here you can read our own personal policies and guidelines ​ GVWI core activities We provide 11 meetings a year that are free to members. Your subscription also gives you access to the WI’s website MyWI and the Learning Hub, where most of the course material is free to members. All women are welcome, and I have attached the WI’s current diversity document, which stands until any changes to the Equality Act 2010 are made. ​ Guests at meetings  We have decided to formalise our guest policy in line with WI guidelines. First meeting – attendance is free Subsequent meetings – up to 2 more meetings at £5 per meeting and then people are expected to join. The Quiz is a social meeting and mixed gender, and sits outside of this. ​ Additional social activities These are not part of the core offering that we are mandated to supply as a WI group and whoever runs the group sets the parameters of it. Activities are as follows: CraftyGoth This is an online group, overseen and owned by Celia, that meets every Monday from 19:30. It is made up of GVWI members and female friends. It is a social group and there is no requirement to actually craft or to attend all evening - do dip in for a cuppa and chat if you want to. There are occasional CraftyGoth meetups in real life, and anyone is free to propose and arrange a get-together. Summer picnic This is an Open+ event (see below for definition) that the committee organises each year. It is a social picnic on the lawn at Kenwood House on the first Sunday in August), to which friends, family, kids and dogs are invited – all genders welcome. Extra-curriculars These are ad hoc activities that are proposed and hosted by GVWI members – we put them on the website to make them more visible to members, but they are owned and coordinated by individuals. Often these will be things like gallery visits or theatre trips. Usually everyone is responsible for booking and paying for their own ticket. Naming convention - We want to suggest a new way of naming the groups to make things clearer for members: Closed Group – GVWI members only. Open Group – GVWI members + friends/prospective members. Female only and over 18. please only invite guests if you are attending the event. Open+ Group – As for the open group but other people can join in (partners, kids, any gender, etc). We use WhatsApp a lot for planning the individual activities, and a few of you can’t/don’t have access. We will ask group hosts to keep you in the loop and try and keep things as up to date as possible on the website + Verene is going to do a regular mailout about what activities are being planned – but we can only do our best here. The Host is in charge of the group and their word is final – for instance, they will set the group status (Open/Closed) and will specify time and date - your preferences may be able to be accommodated, but if it doesn’t suit you then propose and set-up another group visit or go on another date. Please only include GVWI members in WhatsApp groups – if you have guests be their point of liaison with the group. As a courtesy, make sure the group host is aware of any proposed guests (there may be limitations on numbers for instance). If someone has their own WhatsApp group that contains people outside GVWI (for something like an event/party that they are hosting) - they can give details of the group, but please notify each time that it is an external group and may be mixed gender, etc. Spare, guest and free tickets – we are very lucky that we have a few members with guest memberships or who can get extra tickets to places like the V&A and Tate. We also have a few members who get a free carer’s ticket because they have a disability. Please allow these tickets to go to members who need them most, and maybe offer to split payment on carer tickets (if you can afford to). It’s fine to say ‘I’d love that free ticket if no one else takes it’, but, if you can afford a ticket, do let others take freebies first – we all have fluctuating finances and your generosity will be appreciated. Bibliogoth This isn’t a GVWI group – it was set-up by Raven, an ex-member, and few members of GVWI are also members of Bibliogoth. It is a mixed gender group, with an interesting and slightly offbeat reading lis t. ​ ​ Behaviour  Please remember that the WI should be a safe and respectful place for us all. It is all about community, support, and friendship. It is also a campaigning organisation but on a non-party political and secular basis. We are an outspoken lot, and you may think that you are on the side of the angels, but then so does everyone else, so think about what you are saying, both in person and in messaging, and remember that not everyone agrees with your opinions. If something happens that you are unhappy about: Stop and take and take a breath, it is unlikely that anyone has deliberately set out to annoy you, but they may have a lot on their plate and not thought before acting/speaking (we have all been there, and the world does feel like it on fire right now) and your kindness in that moment could make all the difference If you don’t feel you can speak to that person or address the issue directly at the time, do have a word with a member of the committee – we will take it seriously. It goes without saying that courtesy should be our watchword. This is not usually a problem within GVWI, but we are a growing group and I’d like to remind you all to (in the words of the immortal Bill and Ted) “Be excellent to each other!”