Learning Programs

Stimulating programming for college-educated women

In keeping with our strategic vision, Lake/Sumter AAUW offers members an array of learning programs, including General Meetings, Diversity Discussions, Book Club, Great Decisions, and Day Trips.

General Meetings

The branch holds General Meetings on the fourth Saturday of the month from September through May at the Allamanda Recreation Center (1515 St. Charles Place) in The Villages. Doors open at 9:15 a.m., social time starts at 9:30 a.m., and the meeting starts at 10:00 a.m. Each meeting includes an educational program as well as a short business meeting. Recent programs have included presentations by Rosie the Riveter: Florida's Women in WWII, SISters in Seeking Insights for Solutions, and our own Tech Trek campers.

General Meetings are open to the public. When local conditions dictate, the meetings are held via Zoom.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs

Lake/Sumter AAUW's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee supports our branch commitment to DEI and enhances members' awareness of diversity issues by providing programs focused on those issues.

DEI Committee

Lake/Sumter AAUW's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is charged with supporting our branch commitment to DEI, enhancing members' awareness of diversity issues, and providing programming for members and guests to learn about other racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.

2024-25 DEI Programs

Infusion of Inclusion: We offer these 10-minutes segments at General Meetings, with an emphasis on enhancing cross-cultural communication.
Banned Books Reading Group: We launched this book discussion group during 2023-24. In the current program year, we read and discussed by Where Colors Meet: A Tapestry of Black and White by the SISters of Seeking Insights for Solutions.

DEI Movie Night: Also launched in 2023-24, this year the committee hosted a viewing and discussion of The Long Shadow, a documentary about the lasting impact of racism.

Great Reads from the DEI Committee: The committee continues to submit recommendations for the column in the monthly newsletter. See the current newsletter as well as archived editions for books we have recommended in the past.

Contact our DEI Committee Chair for more information

Book Club

The Lake/Sumter AAUW Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of every month from September through May; the December meeting is devoted to a holiday lunch. At the end of each program year, members recommend and select books for the coming year.

The Book Club meets live at the Sheriff's Annex on CR 466 in The Villages from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Interested members then go to lunch. During the pandemic, the Club met via Zoom; that option continues to be available as conditions dictate.

HERE is a downloadable PDF of the book selections for 2024-25 and a brief description of each one.

All Lake/Sumter AAUW members are welcome to join the discussion.

Contact our Book Club Coordinator for more information.

Great Decisions

Our branch participates in the Foreign Policy Association's Great Decisions discussion group. The discussion is based on the Foreign Policy Association's briefing booklet, which contains eight articles relevant to our times. Topics for 2023-2024 include: Mideast Realignment, Climate Technology and Competition, Science Across Borders, U.S. China Trade Rivalry, NATO's Future, Understanding Indonesia, High Seas Treaty, and Pandemic Preparedness.

Great Decisions meets in person beginning in late January and running through March. We meet once a week for about 90 minutes and discuss one chapter each week for eight weeks. During the meetings we discuss the chapter and watch a 20-minute video segment prepared by the Foreign Policy Association which extends our understanding of the chapter.

The Great Decisions discussion group is open to all members as well as non-members. Both pay for their briefing booklet; non-members also pay a nominal fee.

Contact our Great Decisions Coordinator for more information.

Day Trips

Each year, Lake/Sumter AAUW's Day Trips Committee organizes two to three outings for members, who may invite friends if they wish. Destinations for Day Trips are within a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive from The Villages. Past trips have been to Cross Creek, the home of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and lunch at The Yearling restaurant; lunch at the Mission Inn, a tour of the Howie Mansion, and a stop at Yalaha Bakery; and a luncheon cruise on the St. Johns River out of Sanford.

Although the committee selects the venues and makes the arrangements such as reservations and transportation, each participant pays her own way. Our most recent trip this program year was to visit the Community of Royal. Read a summary of our visit HERE.

"Women are leaders everywhere you look...we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes."
Nancy Pelosi