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Between The Lines Mrs. Keith Hiepleh President Federated Women '5 Institutes of Ontario Dear W.l. Members: The early blooming bulbs in the garden have once again announced that spring is here. It is a joy to breathe the fragrance and behold the sight of these first spring flowers long before the last traces of snow have disappeared, Gradually the lawns will turn green, the trees bring forth leaves and the birds return to build nests and raise their young. Spring is truly the season of hope! Early in January. on a late spring- like afternoon, at the College of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Guelph, an awards reception was held for the recipients of the I982 Federated Women‘s ln- stitules of Ontario MacDonald Awards Students from Ontario admitted to the first semester of the degree pro- gram at the college, are eligible to apply for these annual awards, Ap- plication forms are available from the assistant registrar, University of Guelph, after the beginning of the semester. The awards are presented after the successful completion of one semester. Twentyâ€"two recipients from the four provincial Divisions, Eastern, Southern, Western and Northern were selected for the $200.00 awards. These careerâ€"oriented students are most grateful for this award which 4 helps to purchase text books. Almax- imum of 25 Federated Women s In- stitutes of Ontario MacDonald Awards of $200.00 are available for 1983. Two weeks later on a cold windy day_ l augnded a preview of the Rural Seminars for Vital People, at the Skyline Hotel, Toronto. This one flay program planned by Rural Organizaâ€" tions and Services, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, was similar to the workshops held fer rural leaders and members of local organizations during the months Of February and March. Approximately 160 leaders attend- ed from the Women's Institutes, On- tario Plowmen’s Association, 4-H Clubs, Junior Farmers, Junior Women’s institutes, Agricultural Societies, Horticultural Societies, On- tario Federation of Agriculture and other rural organizations. This successful seminar concenâ€" trated on leadership styles for the 19805. Workshop topics included, “Aims, Goals and Objectives", “Parliamentary Procedure" and "Effective Leadership and Evaluan tion”. Enthusiastic, capable resource persons kept the workshops running smoothly. Buzz groups made up of eight to ten persons were set up in each workshop. This method of pooling ideas allowed each person to share his or her own experiences quickly. A spokesperson for each buzz group supplied the findings from that group to the other groups taking part in the session. This method provided an ac- ceptable summary of opinions and suggestions. The rural leaders were challenged to act as a mOVing force in their agricultural communities, to set goals to give their organization direction for short, intermediate and long term specific planning; to keep their members fully informed on current issues and to involve the total membership in striving to reach goals. Evaluation of ongoing projects is very necessary on a continuing basis to determine how well the pm» ject is doing, what needs to be recon- sidered to make the project more satisfactory and workable. At the conclusion of the project 3 {mar evaluation by the members and ex; ecutlive is needed to determine the ef. tecttveness of the project and con. srder whether the goals were reached_ Dedicated rural leaders can strengthen the role of their orgaan tion by implementing the valuable suggestions presented at the Rural Seminars for Vita] People. By now, branches throughout the province and all District and Area Conveners, will have receixed resource sheets produced to, Federated Women's Institutes ol = in. tario by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The sheet en. titled, “Women â€" Unlimited Pr 5”. tial” have been prepared with [hi i). jective of establishing a common 0. gram theme in Ontario. Topics i, re been suggested for the various in. venerships with many program i as submitted for your considera n. The intent ofthe sheets is to my an branch conveners in effective 0. gram planning for the coming y .r, By developing this fascinating ld most interesting program th e, “Women â€" Unlimited Potent l" under the suggested topics, br ch members are certainly going to in insight and formulate opinion .ln current topics. Prior to producing the info .l- tion, several meetings and a on n- workshop were held to develop as for the printed material. At ie workshop session, an excellent g 1]} of five knowledgeable people pr 1- ed an input in person or by video as for each topic to be discussed. .‘ er listening to these five resource )- ple submit up-toâ€"date informal n. the workshop group was then at l0 contribute a variety of suitable 0- gram suggestions for use at br‘ :h meetings. Over the years many subjects e been covered by our memi 5. However, by concentrating on fr ‘r topics, our organization can bec re more effective, as our voice is h d speaking out more frequently n fewer issues. Our potential as we n is unlimited. Therefore, let us \\'l l)‘ use our ability, positively for c good of people everywhere. Presenting new topics for - sideration at the Branch meetings ‘s' coming year, will create an aware' for each of us to improve I knowledge of the issues of the 'J Careful thought must be given a‘ l times to the upholding of respected motto, “For Home . i Country”. Respectfully submitt guarantee; Mrs. Keith Hiepl: t'