Blog

Beat of Berlin is a fun and social international weekend event organised by one of JCI London's twin chambers JCI Berlin.  It is a chance to visit a fantastic European Capital City and get to know other Jaycees from many different cities.

This year Beat of Berlin took place on 1 to 3 July with the theme of culture.  Participants got to go behind the scenes at two German opera houses, tour around a very international area of the city, see two concerts and were even treated to a improvised comedy show by JCI Berlin members.

Three JCI London members attended and here are some of their thoughts about the weekend:

"Any weekend that involves a pizza with a diameter of more than 1 meter, is an amazing weekend (at least for me)!  Berlin was very interesting, cultural and fun. Getting to meet up again with friends and understanding the Berlin culture was  what I was looking for, and that was exactly what I got. Known for their German precision and reputation in delivering excellent events, JCI Berlin sent us home at the end of the weekend happily exhausted by the tours, impromptu acting and parties." Eyad Hamouieh

"It had been a long week, I had had to get up at 4am for my flight and it was forecast to rain all weekend, but all that paled into insignificance when I walked in on the first Beat of Berlin event.  You never know who you will see at these international events, but you know you will always have fun - the energy and excitement among the attendees is always fantastic.  I got to catch up with some old friends and make new ones, plus got to see and learn more about the lovely city of Berlin.  Thanks to the JCI Berlin team for another great weekend!"  Sarah Beckwith

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I am going to tell you why I have come to love debating.  Before joining JCI I would never have considered having a go at debating, but it is a fantastic JCI staple and for good reason!

It is a brilliant place to brush up on your impromptu speaking skills.  In debating there is not much time to prepare and you have to react quickly to what the other team is saying.  I have had a few people comment that I am normally pretty softly-spoken, but quite the opposite when I debate!

That is the magic of debating, getting swept up in the argument so you can passionately put your point across; even if it is a subject you know nothing about or in reality vehemently disagree with.  The beauty of being able to make it up is that anything goes, often with hilarious results.

In debating you are at perfect liberty to bend the truth, make things up and insult the other team.  Debates are fast, furious and fun. 

We are looking to get some regular teams together to enter the debating competitions at the JCI World Congress in Brussels (31 October to 6 November) and JCI UK National Convention in Sheffield (25 to 27 November).  If you are interested then please get in touch!

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By Niraj Shah, JCI Business Team Member

In early July, we hosted a business seminar where 25 JCI members and guests gained a unique insight into the world of a successful, serial entrepreneur. Tony Craddock was our special guest and he proved to be an excellent choice as he regaled tales from his entrepreneurial life which spans over 20 years and 5 businesses. 

The format of the evening was slightly different to the usual seminar. To mix things up, we began with an extended interview where I acted as host and proceeded to ask Tony about what prompted him to start his first business. What were his early experiences and feelings? What lessons has he learned along the way?

Tony proved to be a very insightful, entertaining and captivating speaker and little guidance was needed - in fact it's fair to say that at times he took full command of the discussion - and proved far from shy in challenging the audience directly!

From here we moved on and the tables were turned; it was now Tony's turn to interview JCI Business Director and fellow entrepreneur Simon Bucknall. This brought a new twist to proceedings and gave us further food for thought around getting a business off the ground successfully. Tony's choice of questions yielded further insight into the sorts of issues you need to explore in getting under the skin of a business - in this case Simon's!

We finished the evening with an extended Q&A session and then as usual continued with networking and drinks at a local bar. I am sure I am not alone in my sentiments that the only thing that could have made the evening even better would have been an extra hour or two to glean as much as possible from Tony! 

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After weeks of training, the JCI London Hot Pink Ladies (me, Soraya Bowen, Sofie Sandell and Alexandra Illsley) took part in the 5K Race for Life on 17^th July at Hyde Park. When we arrived, an awesome sea of pink greeted us as over 11,000 women of all ages had gathered to run in aid of Cancer Research UK.....along with a few dogs dressed in pink tutus! The atmosphere was incredible. Many women had their reasons for running printed on message cards on their backs and it was quite poignant reading the inscriptions dedicated to loved ones who had been lost to the disease.

We started off with an energetic group warm up (not an easy feat on a Sunday morning!) and were separated into runners, joggers and walkers. As we were in the runners group (which was a bit optimistic on my part!), we were first to the starting line and as soon as Jamie Theakston gave us the signal, off we went!  We were hoping that the weather would be kind to us but shortly after we started the heavens opened and the rain gave everyone a good soaking. Fortunately Sofie had bought some waterproof ponchos for us so we got off quite lightly compared to some of the other runners. I think the ladies in the shower caps had the right idea....

In spite of the torrential rain, our spirits remained high as we were cheered on by the public and the volunteers who stood at every kilometre along the route willing us on. Part of the way through we got separated but after 35 minutes, I saw the last 500m sign and sprinted towards the finishing line. It was a great feeling to hear the cheering and clapping as I crossed the line to be handed the silver medal that is handed out to all the runners who complete the course, not to mention the pink goody bag full of treats! After meeting up with the others, we all headed off to the pub to enjoy a well earned lunch and to celebrate our achievement with our JCI colleagues which was a great way to end the day.  

The Race for Life was a fantastic event to be a part of and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who sponsored us and for your good luck messages.

To date we have managed to raise £405 but you can still donate to this worthy cause by going to our just giving page at http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/JCIHotPinkLadies

Well done to all the fabulous JCI Hot Pink Ladies!!

Mehnaz Siddiqui 

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On Wednesday evening, six teams gathered to take up the challenge of becoming JCI London's first pub quiz champions.  They competed for great prizes, but more than that, they fought for the glory of winning!

The evening started with a presentation from JCI Heartland's (Nigeria) President Okorienta Sylvesnus Chijioke on the Nothing But Nets Project and how his chapter is making a difference locally.

The theme of the quiz was ˝It's all about Britain˝ with four rounds of questions about Geography, History, Food and Drink and The Royal Wedding.  It was a fun night, with friendly competition and in total over £140 was raised for this great cause.  Thanks to organisers Nadene Jones and Soraya Bowen and quiz master Alex Illsley.

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Having fun, the chance to win prizes and helping to save lives - the perfect recipe for a great night.  Join us on Wednesday for our Nothing But Nets Pub quiz.  You can bring along a team or come on your own and we'll introduce you to others to form a team on the night.  Everyone is welcome and tickets are just £4 per person. 

The relationship between JCI and the UN dates back nearly 50 years.  JCI has committed to helping fulfil the UN Millennium Development Goals.  One of these is to eradicate malaria in Africa.  Every 45 seconds a child in Africa dies of Malaria.  A horrible fact, but something can be done about it.  The Nothing But Nets project raises money to send bed nets to families in Africa and it is making a difference - the figure used to be 30 seconds. 

To help us reach our target of saving 50 lives, sign up to the quiz here.

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The JCI Twinning Program is a voluntary and reciprocal agreement between national organizations or local organizations in different countries, regions or cities.

Did you know?  ..that JCI London has five twins?  ...JCI London is twinned with Stockholm, Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen and Tallinn.  ...the JCI Twinning programme is an opportunity for JCI members to learn from and exchange ideas with other JCI members so we have Invited all five twin chambers to London for a weekend!

The motivation to twin originates from the members in national or local JCI organizations who wish to establish a mutual understanding and friendship. The objective is to exchange personal visits, ideas, projects and culture.

Our “Live Like A Londoner” themed weekend is due to take place on 9^th-11^th Sept and we are in need of some volunteers to offer some home hospitality for the weekend. Are you able to provide a bed to an international member for 2 nights? It’s a fantastic opportunity to get involved in this great weekend and build new friendships with like minded JCI people from across Europe. You will be able to get in contact with your guest and get to know them a little before they arrive.

We have a full schedule planned so they will be attending activities from 9am on both days and more than likely not getting back until late evening time so you won’t need to entertaining them. You are also more than welcome to join in the Twinning Activities; more details of these events will be on Eventbrite soon.

If you are interested in knowing a little more or in hosting a person, please email twinning2011@jcilondon.org.uk for more information.

By Nadene Jones (Social Director 2011, JCI London - nadene.jones@jcilondon.org.uk)

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They say there's no substitute for the benefit of quality, first-hand business experience. But as an attendee of our recent 'Women in Leadership Roundtable' that's exactly what we gained.

JCI London members put their questions to a splendid 'triumvirate' - executive image consultant, Lynne Cantor, top corporate recruiter, Kate Butler, and Head of Christian Aid Africa, Esther Stevenson.

Topics discussed included handling the emotional side of team dynamics, managing the difference between male and female leaders, the challenges faced by female leaders as well as how to raise your profile without seeming arrogant or self-serving.

Rather than run a standard 'speaker format', each speaker hosted an informal small group discussion - so members could get to grips with what it really takes to succeed and prosper as a female leader in business... Although as the comments below might suggest, many tips and insights proved entirely applicable to male leaders too!

From the outset the tone of the evening was open and engaging. The high calibre of speakers mixed with the interactive nature of the event gave me a valuable and unprecedented insight into the lives and careers of three very inspiring women. - Euan Gillies

A very personal, thought provoking evening with exactly the right profile of speakers. A great opportunity for us to have one-to-one conversations with each speaker and to make sure our questions were answere, while also learning from other JCI members given the mini-group structure of the event! - Stephanie Zammit

Where else can you have that sort of intimate access to outstanding business women and leaders willing to share their personal stories and advice?  I was inspired by each of the three speakers and have come away with much to think about.  More fool those who did not sign up - they missed a treat! - Sarah Beckwith

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We speak to James Lynch, our new Finance Director and latest addition to the JCI London Council.

How long have you been a member? I joined JCI at the beginning of last summer so about a year now.

Why did you join? A friend of mine made me aware of JCI initially. We spoke about the variety of events, quality of the speakers, and the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of the people involved and it certainly sparked an interest. So I checked out the website and saw that everything I had been told was true and that there was literally something for everyone, I really liked that broad approach that you don't have access to with some professional societies.

What made you take on the finance director role? All the people I've met through JCI have been inspiring and interesting individuals in one way or another and the opportunity to be involved with the running of an organisation that attracts these types of people to it was something I didn't want to miss. Also, I come from a finance background professionally but my current role focuses on external reporting so the chance of gaining an insight into what is is like to work from an internal perspective is something I hope will help me to develop a more rounded understanding of finance.

What are you most looking forward to in taking on this role? I'm most looking forward to learning more about how the council operates and from the strengths of the other council members. It seems that everyone comes from a different professional background so it's a real melting pot of skills and abilities. It's because of this diversity throughout our membership base that JCI London is going from strength to strength so I'm looking forward to contributing to its continued success and watching the organisation grow.

What do you enjoy most about being a JCI member? There's so much on offer it's really hard to choose one thing. One element that I really do enjoy is welcoming new members to their first event or social evening. Most people are a little nervous when they first walk through the door but once they realise that everybody is really happy they came and keen to get to know them it opens up a world of discovery for them as they explore what's on offer. Well that's how it felt for me anyway but I guess I'm a bit of a romantic at heart.

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