If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?

• Using contacts at the top, pushing doors, working below
• As Christians we need to come out and stand up
• Inspired by what Julie said- JB would want to be there

With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?

• Seed corn funding to new projects
• Help make ideas of Josephine Butler more widely known, especially in schools where she could be a role model (This could involve producing teaching and learning materials on a citizenship/ social history module)
• Aspiration to achieve more than ‘achieved’
• Match funding by other organisations
• Challenged- need to be clear where we want to go

How can Josephine Butler Trust develop this vision in Greater Merseyside?

• Network –are there other similar bodies we could network with? (E.g. Sheila Kay)

Group 2 -Ricky:

If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?

• Tackling trafficking- especially girls and children for slave labour
• Encouraging and supporting police policies – all officers now have awareness of trafficking on their role description.
• Challenging other police policies – ie domestic abuse is now devolved to local units in the police force
• Raising public awareness of what is happening and also being aware of things that are emerging
• For instance - Facebook/ grooming on the internet (Eastenders story line on grooming)
• She would be actively engaging in schools work
• Would she be raising really difficult issues? Maybe about legalising all drugs and legalising properly managed brothels?

With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?

• Recognising that the media is the key to increasing awareness
• Publicity, awareness of sex trafficking
• Addressing cutbacks to agencies tackling alcohol, drug, sex, domestic abuse
• Campaign for increase in resources to agencies
• Addressing residual prejudice in the police force e.g. comment from officer ‘you deserve violent treatment because of what you do’, also simply handing out fines which means girls have to ‘work’ more to cover it

Group 3- Jen:

If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?

• Network; half-way houses receiving addicts, prisoners, etc in spiritual environment; hostels- homeless, from care- prevention work
• Website
• Trafficking, genital mutilation of women among other races
• Sex tourism; pole dancing, kissograms
• Challenging us to think about the unthinkable
• Faith, offering choices
• Working through government, parliament (Caroline Cox)
• Sex trade where there are military bases
• Working interfaith
• Nonjudgmental
• Question time- any media; standards on tv, i-player, mobile phones, chat room
• Page 3 girls, sexualising of children (bye - buy childhood campaign[MU] )

With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?

• Prostitution, supporting street workers
• Support workers for girls, be-frienders
• Awareness- projects to make people aware of problems of trafficking, etc
• Raise awareness in parishes of issues, theological colleges
• Homeless women, organisations fighting domestic violence

How can Josephine Butler Trust develop this vision in Greater Merseyside?

• Website, internet
• Social media, facebook, twitter
• Networking - National Christian Alliance on Prostitution

Group 4 - Lynn:

If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?

• Raising profile with media
• Promoting Christian based social care
• Networking opportunities, links-don’t make assumptions that links already exist
• Identify gaps- in service, demographics
• Enabling workers to break cycle –exit!
• Tell stories about individuals
• Attitudinal change- policy and practice

With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?

• Attract local applicants
• Increased Opportunities for speaking out for those involved in trafficking (lobbying)
• Target allocations e.g. work at looking at the role and need for interpretation with disadvantaged groups
• Bid development tendering processes

How can Josephine Butler Trust develop this vision in Greater Merseyside?

• Increased networking – locally

Group 5 -Paula:

If Josephine Butler were alive today, what do you think she would be doing?

• Supporting parents who are pressurised by teenage girls’ dress code and behaviour; exploitation of children (‘bye buy childhood’);
• Parenting courses for young people
• Addressing reasons why there is dependency on alcohol, drugs, etc
• Young women from courts on licence – outreach programmes, mentoring
• Supporting young women (and young men) in emotional aftermath of terminations

With the Josephine Butler Trust’s limited resources, what should our KEY priorities be for the next 5 years?

• Promote wider networks e.g. young woman going home after support on Merseyside returns to home area without support networks to continue her progress
• Promote examples of supportive activities for ‘recovering’ women (e.g. choir)
• Offer negotiating skills for young women
• Help people who feel disempowered- having the conversations, maybe doesn’t cost money

PP/END
15/6/11

March 2011, St James House

Look! We are all around you:
In the work rooms of industry, and of every functioning enterprise,
Unheralded, invisible, some say nonexistent, but we know otherwise.

Who shall find a valiant woman?

Look! We are all around you: Contributing, setting standards,
Changing the course of history, Preparing, supporting,
Challenging those resentful of our collegial claims and capabilities.

Who shall find a valiant woman?

Look! We are all around you:
Woman of courage, compassionate, patient. Our number is legion, our gifts diverse,
Our goal one and the same: That history hear, that history is cognizant of,
That history will one day recall our names.

Who shall find a valiant woman?

We honour the women of the Hebrew Scriptures,
Especially Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Whose courage, persistence, love, and fidelity
Kept the lineage of faith alive.

Who shall find a valiant woman?

We honour the women of Jesus’ time
Who cared for the community of believers? Who followed Jesus to Calvary?
Who buried Him?
Who proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection?
Who passed the Gospel to their families, friends and strangers?

Who shall find a valiant woman?

We honour the valiant women who impact on our work and we think particularly of Josephine Butler
Who nudge us back on track? Who remind us of the promises of Christ’
Who claim the Gospel for women, too? Who preach the reality of wholeness?
Who strain against a patriarchal church? Who challenge us to grow!

Who shall find a valiant woman?

Living God, Today we gather in and among Your Presence.
Valiant women throughout the world,
And all gathered here, raise our voices in global petition
For your promise of wholeness –fullness of life
To be realized in our entire world, in our nations and in our lives.
This we pray in Your Name. AMEN

Petitions

Loving God, be with us as we gather together, one in heart and spirit.
We pray for all those in need of your mercy.

Loving God, hear our prayer.

For all world leaders, that they may be moved to work for peace and justice by ratifying the United Nations Convention, to eliminate all forms of Discrimination against Women, and carry out its terms we pray.

Loving God, hear our prayer.

For those most vulnerable to oppression or neglect, especially women and children, we pray.

Loving God, hear our prayer.

For women who bring forth their children in uncertainty -
For refugees and for victims of war, we pray.

Loving God, hear our prayer.

For all those who go hungry while others feast in plenty, and for those who struggle to support families in the midst of economic injustice, we pray.

Loving God, hear our prayer.

For all who struggle for the basic necessities of life - nourishing food, pure water, fresh air, and adequate housing, we pray.

Loving God, hear our prayer.

Loving God, you have heard the cries of your suffering people.
Open our eyes to see the immensity of your love for us and the wonder of what you have done for us.
Give us the courage to be your hands and heart for those who are in pain.
Give us the wisdom to speak out for justice and righteousness.
May your will be done in us today and always. Amen.

Closing prayer

We thank God for all those valiant women
Giving leadership in our homes,
Contributing to our community,
Working for change at all levels of society,
Crying for justice and mercy,
Living the Gospel,
Understanding theology,
Practicing our faith,
Remaining true to the Word

Sending forth

Let us go forth then, O Living and Loving God,
Let us go forth in the power of Your Presence deep in our hearts,
And the power of your presence overflowing in our communities,
Let us go forth confirmed and strengthened in our vision
Let us go forth named in Hope and Love, and sustained in these challenging times.
Let us go forth as valiant women of justice and peace.
Bless Us, Bless our Work today, bless those who we love, those who we work with and those who we work for. Amen

Adaptation of Miriam Therese Winter’s “Valiant Women”
By Cathy O’Keefe, a graduate of Mercy High School in Baltimore, Maryland.
From the Sisters of Mercy website

Rod Garner is an Anglican Priest , currently Vicar of Holy Trinity, Southport.  This book is a lively and well drawn portrait which delves into the personality of Josephine Butler and reveals the deep faith and prayer life that sustained her in her work.

In 2010, Rod gave a lecture to Trustees and friends at their celebratory event enlarging upon the book and enthusing everyone with his knowledge and insight into Josephine’s life and work. The book has been acclaimed as an excellent piece of social history.