Encourage higher education
ESO grew out of GFWC's long push for women's access to education, and it still points members toward new ideas, different cultures, and the stories of women worldwide.
ESO Book Club
Epsilon Sigma Omicron is the Federation's reading and study program. Its motto is Enlighten Your Own Pathway.
What ESO is
Epsilon Sigma Omicron, or ESO, is an honorary educational society open to every per-capita paying member of a GFWC federated club. It became a permanent part of GFWC more than sixty years ago and is one of the Federation's Special Programs.
The idea is straightforward. You read on purpose instead of by accident. ESO gives you a structure, a set of categories, and recognition as you work through them. Some members do it in a group. Others do it alone, on their own schedule, and report what they read.
It is also the reason a lot of clubwomen have read a book they would never have picked up. That is the point.
Who it is for
Any member of any GFWC Tennessee club. There is no test to get in and no minimum you have to finish. If you read one book this year and report it, you participated.
Start reading
Most clubs have an ESO book club. Join the book club, keep a record of what you read, and submit it by the annual deadline.
Why GFWC clubs run book clubs
Unite members in volunteerism
Another way to be part of the Federation that does not depend on being able to attend every meeting.
Build reading and discussion groups
Many clubs run their ESO group as a standing book club. Others read independently.
How to take part in Tennessee
- Join your club's ESO book club.
- Read. Track the title, the author, and the category for each book.
- Submit your reading record by the annual deadline.
- Recognition is awarded at the state level.