Earlier this year, the Lamaze International Membership Committee was constituted by a great mix of vibrant Lamaze member volunteers from different parts of the world and is composed of seven members who will serve a three-year term. The Membership Committee is mandated to provide input and guidance on membership engagement, benefits, and structure of the organization. We also hope to provide input on membership surveys and monitor membership satisfaction, review membership reports and trends, and contribute our knowledge of member needs and trends in maternal/child health and perinatal education. We do meet once a month, and it is always a pleasure to engage and brainstorm about ways we can achieve our goals as the membership committee.

The membership committee plays a vital role in our organization. We hope to guide conversations about key membership benefits, identifying potential member challenges and strategizing solutions to better support our members. We believe that a strong sense of community is essential for any organization.

Our members are comprised of parents, educators and birth professionals, and doctors and midwives. In view of this, creating an engaged and connected membership is vital for the growth and development of our organization. As we all know, the Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) credential is internationally respected. The Lamaze certification program has been designed to meet the highest professional standards, with quality education offerings that help candidates develop as skilled, trusted LCCE educators. Our dream is to have as many educators as possible get the certification and recertify in order to retain members

What do we hope to achieve as the Lamaze Membership Committee?

1. Diverse representation

We plan to establish structures that represent a diverse range of individuals. This will help to create a more inclusive and dynamic community.

2. Advocacy and support

We plan to advocate for members’ interests within Lamaze International. We welcome the members’ concerns, proposals for changes and structures, and work toward improving policies and benefits.

3. Feedback and improvement

We believe that all Lamaze members have valuable insights, and one of our goals is to gather feedback, conduct surveys, and assess member needs. This information will guide the Lamaze Board in decision-making and help improve our organization’s growth and development

4. Spotlight on under-used resources

We hope to identify underused benefits of the organization and further coming up with ideas of how we can take a role in promoting and shining light on some of these underused resources.

There is a lovely Swahili word known as “Jenga” which means “build”. As we serve on the membership committee, we hope to have unity of purpose to build a strong Lamaze membership community.

Esther Kimani, LCCE, CD(DONA), is the Lamaze International Membership Committee Chair.

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