On the last Sunday morning of every month in a cosy setting in Lewisham, South London; you will find a group of women happily chatting away about anything and everything from interesting news segments to TOWIE while enjoying their morning coffees, teas and full English breakfasts.  These group of women, from various different backgrounds and religions have been brought together by the Me & My Hijaab blog team as part of their Me and My Community initiative.  The bloggers run the Coffee Morning each month to encourage women to come together, build strong relationships, to offer the women a break from their busy schedules and to promote working together to better our communities as a whole.   The coffee mornings begun in November 2012 and have brought together as much as 25 women of all ages in one sitting all sharing their stories and experiences on a wide range of topics.  The Me & My Hijaab blog team are FOR sisterhood and believe that “somewhere along the line we isolated ourselves from one another, and with that, saw the downfall of a prospering united community. It’s time to get together”.

Today, those of us within western societies in particular are beginning to move much further apart from one another due to advancements in technology and our very busy schedules.  We’re constantly on the move that it is very difficult for us to feel any sense of community.  Many of us have also limited our socializing with each other to email, instant messaging, tweets and other forms of social media which means that we have forgotten what it’s like to hold real conversations with one another.   It cannot be denied that there are some benefits to social media, it has enabled us to maintain relationships that would have otherwise fizzled out but the manner in which we rely on these platforms is increasingly worrying.

The Me & My Hijaab coffee mornings aim to encourage face to face communication with members of the community in order to  enable them to feel a sense of belonging and thus begin to build a more engaging and supportive one.  The Me & My Hijaab blog team believe “that if we want to revive our community and make changes, we have to start small. Get together and talk. Nurture ourselves, each other, and our youth. Learn about respect despite difference of opinion, and the importance of knowledge, understanding and productivity”

The next coffee morning will be held on the 24th November 2013 starting at 10am.  It is open to women only of all ages and backgrounds so do not be afraid to come and check it out.  For the venue address please e-mail [email protected] to register your interest.

Finally, a lovely review from a young woman who frequently attends the coffee mornings:

“I thank god that I met these wonderful ladies- diverse backgrounds and different talents, but all with the ultimate goal in mind.  Mothers, students, entrepreneurs, activists, fashionistas- all under the umbrella ‘WOMAN’.  It was so encouraging to see sisters who are active within the community with regards to female empowerment and development- I learnt so much just by the way a sister carries herself and handles the challenges of life.

A simple coffee morning- which has encouraged me to stay strong and understand that I am not alone in my journey.

Sisters, Thank-you. Warmth and smiles all around-

Thanks again for welcoming me.

S”

See you there!