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When I first thought about going to the JCI World Congress, I had only been a member for 6 months and was still finding my way through the JCI maze. Everyone was encouraging me to go but I was in two minds.....Brussels in November? Should I really spend my hard earned leave at a week of workshops when I could be lying on a beach somewhere? Even when I clicked the button confirming my registration I still wasn't sure......until I got there and was thrown headfirst into an exhilarating whirlwind of parties, activities and the friendliest group of people I have ever met in my life.

It all kicked off with the Opening Ceremony which was the first time the global scale of JCI actually hit me. Over 4000 delegates flooded into the Brussels Expo dressed in their national colours madly waving their flags in a mass celebration. There was a brass band and cheerleaders to get us in the mood-everyone just seemed incredibly happy and excited to be there. Each National President was introduced on stage accompanied by a booming soundtrack which kept everyone on their feet and energy levels sky high. When our own Alison Cowell came on the stage, the UK delegation went into a wild frenzy! We couldn't quite beat the huge crowd of Germans who drowned out pretty much everyone else but we certainly beat them hands down on the fashion front with our Union Jack sparkly dresses!

At the end of each day, there would be a huge party followed by after parties for those who had the stamina! The French and Germans outdid themselves at the European night with their revolving dance floor, which went down a storm with the UK delegation! The Netherlands party the following night was a lot of fun as was the Korea party next door. The best party overall was Global Village where we got the chance to sample the national food and drink of lots of different countries. The gin and tonic at the UK stall proved to be a massive success while the French stall was overflowing with bread, cheese and wine. After making a few roundtrips, it felt good to burn off some of those calories on the dance floor!

During the week there were lots of speakers and training sessions and I tried to attend as many as I could. They covered a wide range of topics from leadership skills to negotiation to how to improve your flirting skills in business! The highlight for me was a talk given by Rees Mann of JCI South Africa who spoke about his life after JCI and how the skills he developed helped him in his career. Despite having no formal business training, he completely transformed a rundown area of Johannesburg helping many young people into employment along the way. Despite all the obstacles he encountered he showed that one person can make a lasting difference to the world around them.

Now that I have been to World Congress, I finally understand what everyone has been raving about. For me, it was all about meeting and making friends with people across continents and cultures. I felt like I had the whole world at my fingertips. The enthusiasm and positivity of everyone around me was so infectious that it inspired me to get out there and change things for the better in my own community. It has also given me some great ideas for my role as 2012 Personal Development and Training Director for London.

Many of the people I met were amazed that I was attending my first World Congress so soon after joining but looking back I'm glad I took the plunge so early on. As with all things JCI related, your experience is what you make it and that manic week in Brussels ended up being the most fantastic experience of the year so far.

By Mehnaz Siddiqui

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So what happens at a world congress?  Well...a lot!

Key note speakers - I attended Rees Mann's talk on ˝The JCI Advantage - Giving You the X-Factor˝, in which he outlined the amazing things he has achieved post-JCI thanks to his experiences as a local and national president and international vice president.  These included transforming a run down area of Johannesburg and setting up a fashion school for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Johan Driessens' talk on ˝the power of enthusiasm˝ has to count among the most unusual, fun and energetic key note speeches I have ever been to - largely because he had us jumping around and playing air guitar!  His tips on how to live with more enthusiasm certainly gave us something practical to put into action!

Competitions - the debating competition included fun and amusing topics such as ˝cats make better pets than dogs˝ and ˝it is better to be single than married˝.  The JCI UK team did a fantastic job and reached the semi-finals, only to be narrowly beaten by JCI Australia.  The final of JCI Scotland vs JCI Australia was an intense debate on ˝the JCI brand is about what we do, not who we say we are˝ and the brilliant team from JCI Scotland emerged victorious. 

The four winners from each of the JCI area conferences also competed in the world public speaking competition on the topic of ˝to stir the world to an ever-lasting peace˝.

Awards Ceremony - we saw local and national chambers around the world rewarded for their outstanding projects, the final address by outgoing World President Kentaro Herarda and the inauguration of 2012 President Bertolt Daems.

Training sessions - I attended Training Commission Director Patrick Knight's session on Painting with Passion, in which we explored how to use language and stories to communicate our message.  Some participants shared their passions on stage, which included their training business, food and the incredible hulk!  There were many more sessions on a diverse range of topics from social involvement to flirting in business and from advanced negotiation to personal branding.  The JCI official course are also on offer.

General Assembly - where national presidents discuss and vote on important issues for the future of the organisation, such as training and the elected officers for the following year.  All members are welcome to come and watch.

Parties - each night a different country/region hosts a party.  This year we were treated to Belgium night with many types of beer available, European Night in a club with a revolving dancefloor(!) and Global Village where many countries have stands showcasing their national food and drink.

What makes a congress so special is the people that you meet.  There were 4,600 delegates from around the world in Brussels - all there to improve themselves, contribute to the organisation and make friends and have fun.  You never know who you are going to meet.  I caught up with people I hadn't seen in over a year from the COC (Conference Organising Committee) Academy I attended last year, as well as those from our twin chambers, European Academy and people I've met at other international events. 

I also met a lot of new people (the Union Jack sparkly dresses we were wearing helped as everyone wanted a picture!).  We even met the 1978 President of JCI London, Ian Cameron Black, who had lost touch with the chamber in recent times as he does not have a computer. 

It is impossible to do everything and even harder to describe to someone who hasn't been exactly what it is like.  All I can say is that everyone who goes does not come back disappointed.  When discussing highlights with the JCI London council last night, all who had been to World Congress said that it was their highlight of the year.

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One of my favorite things in JCI is to go and see how other National Organisations (NOMs) do things. Though we're all the same organisation with the same vision, mission and values, we have different sizes, different membership and different traditions that all in all makes us do things quite differently.

National Conventions all around the world all have some similarities; they allow the members to come together, they offer training sessions, meetings, workshops and parties. So going abroad to visit another national convention you quite soon can feel at home and comfortable. Also people are much the same - the same proactive, positive and engaged people we are used to here in the UK.

Of course, I'm particularly interested in how other NOMs run their things as I'll soon be running JCI UK (well, luckily not all by myself...). And its great to think outside the box, get some inspiration from other places and learn.

JCI Denmark is quite a bit bigger than JCI UK. They have around 48 local chambers and around 800 members. This means they run things a bit more formally than we do. They have to. Their General Assembly also took quite a bit longer, but overall it was pretty similar.

One of the National Convention traditions JCI Denmark shares with JCI UK is to have a costume party. I'm not sure where the blue men came from, but that night they came from outer space. In Denmark a chamber all dresses up the same, within a chosen topic. So all the blue men came from the same chamber.

JCI Denmark has been loosing members the last couple of years so this national convention was centred around membership growth. I got to present in front of the participants of a workshop about how we do things in the UK and in particular how we do things in London. In Denmark they don't have any big chambers so the workshop moderator wanted the members to see that its possible to have a big chamber and a bit about how things can be done then.

We also heard from Danish chambers that have grown recently and we heard from the National President of JCI Turkey, Gulboy, about what is working in Turkey. I was there to speak, but I think I was the one learning the most. Lots of new ideas for 2012 in the UK.

Someone made JCI ear rings and gave me! They are fun! I didn't know who made them before I got home and saw this picture on facebook.

These cute animals were there to promote the Danish Spring Conference in Mors in March. On the left is the JCI Denmark National President 2011 Jon Kjaer and on the right is the JCI Denmark Deputy National President 2011 and President Elect 2012 Soren Greve Olesen.

One of the highlights of the convention was the elections. Two people were standing for the role as Deputy National President 2012 and it was interesting to see their campaigns and what they were thinking. I think its great to have contested elections, though I must admit I would be really nervous myself. In addition the National President for 2012 was elected, Soren Greve Olesen from JCI Ribe. In this picture I'm with Soren and his parents just after he was elected.

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JCI London has five twins - JCI chambers in other European Capital cities that we have a special relationship with, with the aim of promoting the sharing of cultural exchange, ideas and best practice. JCI London's twins are Stockholm, Paris, Tallinn, Copenhagen and Berlin.

The multi-twinning weekend is a past tradition of JCI London, which was reinstigated in 2011. On the weekend of 9-11 September members from each of the chamber's five twins were invited over for a weekend of home hospitality, sight-seeing and socialising, i.e. to learn how to really live like a Londoner. Activities included:

Welcome drinks and curry on Brick Lane

Shopping in Camden followed by a trip down Regent's Canal

Dinner in Holland Park followed by clubbing in Kensington

Farewell brunch by the River Thames

The weekend was attended by a total of over 40 JCI London members, members from four out of five of our twin chambers, senators and also several alumni, who we were delighted chose to reconnect with the chamber for this event. Thanks to the fantastic feedback received we are definitely planning to host another twinning weekend next year!

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May 24, 2011 was when my life changed (Jarvwan bumroungruksa) . I rang my mother with such excitement telling her that not only had I found an ideal place that inspired me but that I felt I would always be inspired by it. It was the JCI London opening, where I was given a glimpse of what JCI was about.

That very day, I was so motivated and very eager to become part of the Jaycee family. So I signed up to my first international event - the JCI Global Partnership Summit, not knowing what to expect or who to meet, but just hoping for the best.

June 20, off I went to the Park Central New York Hotel, which was situated at the West end of the vibrant city of New York. It wasn't my first time here, but it was the first time I was this excited. This time, I wasn't here as a tourist but as a delegate to what I would call a gathering of the finest people around the world, people with passion who aim to make the world a better living place through active citizenship.

After registering on the Sunday, June 20, I was told to wait for the opening ceremony, which was about to take place around 5.30pm. So I went to Starbucks just around the corner. As I sat down, my nerves started to hit me. It hit me that I was in New York City, alone... whom was I going to talk to? I had no friends with me. To my surprise, a gentleman approached my table asking if I was a JCI and whether he could join me. "Of course", I naturally answered. And so, my first friendship here was born. Jamie Lee was his name, and now I was not alone. I asked him if he would mind me tagging along with him and he welcomed me to his group of friends.

As the opening ceremony began, I was pleased to learn about the long remarkable history of JCI, and how it formed and rose from St Louis, MO, USA into a worldwide partnership, purely by the power of a small group of men who had dreams.

As Mr Kodama, JCI Secretary General, stated: "We need men who can dream of things that never were (JFK)... and ask 'why not?'"  That was what JCI peers were about.

The four days and three nights of the conference were intense. We early birds met at 7.30am for breakfast and a bit of a chit-chat prior to our interactive discussions, workshops and case study sessions. Our first sessions began each day between 8am and 9am and would continue intensively until 3pm or 4pm. Of course, we never did leave at exactly 4pm as there were so many interesting people to meet and so many things to do such as have drinks on the Monday 21 as hosted by JCI Philippines. It was at this point that I realized how much of an opportunity this conference had provided me to meet top class people without so much of a hassle of having to fly around the world to other countries to see them. The creams of the crop were all right here, all summoned to one place and I needed look no further.

Besides learning such things as how to advance UN MDGs goals, how to take action in local communities, how to adapt sustainability development in the work environment or do business that can help solve a society's problem, what was hidden was the fire within each individual and the personal experiences they brought to the table. They were from all walks of life: business owners, lawyers, social workers, doctors etc.

The spirit of the Japanese people particularly impressed me. There were some 150+ Japanese delegates there, not including their translators. They managed to come to New York with such positivity of attitude despite the unimaginable difficulties they are presently going through in their country. It was a tragic moment when a slide presentation was shown of the devastation.

Instead of throwing our lunches away, we were asked if we would like to bring the food to the homeless shelter nearby - a thoughtful gesture to which many of us were more than happy to fulfill: it was reminder of such easy ways there can be to make small changes that most of us probably forget about.

Moreover, I got to meet other UK delegates, including Mr Mooraby, also known as Faisal from JCI Reading to whom I am very grateful. He introduced me to Toastmasters, an organization training public speaking skill through practice and feedback. We went to the Microsoft building, the hardest place to get into and, to my experience, to get out of. The organizer did not show up, but as a JCI and a great leader, Faisal took charge. We decided not to waste our time and organized our own session and it there he taught me how to be a better speaker.

I also met somebody I will  callMr Bat. He asked where I was originally from and I explained I was from Thailand. His next question was whether I knew who the former Prime Minister of Thailand was. I said yes, of course. He then told me that he had been invited to join the inauguration ceremony of Thanksin's sister. I might just make it clear here that Thailand's Prime Minister's election was not due to happen until August 3, and yet here I was on June 22 being told this: as you can imagine, I thought to myself how he could he possibly be sure who was made Prime Minister? Then Election Day arrived...as Mr Bat predicted, he was right -Thanksin's sister did indeed win. It made me question our system of democracy. As a result, I decided to do a dissertation for my master's degree on this topic.

The most unforgettable moment and quite personal of mine would be our last day going to the UN Headquarters. It was raining hard, but we didn't care. It was a shame that the UN Secretary, Ban Ki-moon, was unavailable at the time. I didn't know what to expect, but there were talks, speeches, scroll signing symbolizing our agreement to the resolution, and out of the blue, my name was called to the stage. I was in shock. The youngest JCI membership pin I received will always last long in my heart.

It took me 23 years to fly across the continent to finally find myself in the right place at the right time with like-minded people at JCI. The hospitality was amazing and it was an experience I will never forget. It was the best that I hoped for and the best is what I got. 

Jaruwan Brmroungroksa (JCI London Marketing Team Member)

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JCI World Congresses are hosted in different countries around the world.  In 2012 it will be in Taipei, Taiwan and in 2013 in Rio, Brazil.  Brussels is only two hours from London on the Eurostar.  This year's conference therefore offers the fantastic opportunity to attend a world congress about as  close as it can get!

There are at least 10 JCI London members planning to attend and we'd like to make it even more.  JCI London members attending their first international event can apply for a bursary by downloading this form.

Here are details on how to join the JCI UK delegation:

Registration: Delegates are required to register direct with JCI Brussels - http://www.jciwc2011.be/ The cost is currently 350€ until 31/08/11, then its 375€ until 30/09/11, then its 450€ until the date of the congress.

Transportation: JCI UK has made a group booking on Eurostar and there are 5 tickets still available. The cost is £76 and a non-refundable deposit of £19 is due immediately and the balance is payable by 12/09/11.  

Outbound Journey: Mon 31st Oct leaving at 12.57 from London St. Pancras arriving at Brussels Midi at 16.05
Return journey: Sun 6th Nov leaving at 14:59 Brussels Midi arriving at London St. Pancreas at 15:56

Hotels: The JCI UK delegation official hotel is called Le Dome and is 300 meters from the congress HQ hotel and is very close to the metro station.  40 rooms are reserved at the Le Dome for the BANSI countries (JCI UK, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Malta).  All you need to do is reserve the room direct with the COC and pay the hotel direct on departure. The cost is 112€ per room per night including breakfast and taxes. To book the hotel please use this link - www.resotel.be/jciuk Rooms will be available until 01/09/11, after which any remaining rooms will be released and your reservation will be subject to availability.

If you decided not to use this hotel that's ok, if you can just let JCI UK International Director Carrie Green know where you are staying so we can make sure we can keep in touch that would be great.

Social events and Goodie Bags:  These will be organised for the JCI UK delegation.  More details will be coming soon!

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Hi Jaycees,

I send you this message to give you feedback about the Crayfish conference in Halmstad (Sweden). It was really nice. During the weekend I discovered Halmstad, a town with a port, situated next to the North Sea.

I went there on Friday evening, too late for the black tie event. Instead of staying at the hotel, I walked around the streets to get my first impression of the town. I noticed that quite a lot of people hang out together in family groups. Ambiance is friendly and relaxed. People seemed to be welcoming the weekend. It is evident they use bikes extensively to travel/commute. Wood can be seen everywhere, mostly in the houses. Somehow it sounds like a nice place to take rest where people can lead a peaceful lifestyle. Sweden is clearly advanced in ecology system.

Saturday started with a seminar called "What is success?" given by Martin Pettersson. He shared his experience of being a Buddhist monk for 4 years. One more time, I am impressed by the JCI network and its ability to find people coming from totally different backgrounds. Martin gave us his feeling and somehow his feedback on his meditations. We enjoy life only after having achieved something, or gain something, for instance at work. It was not a lecture (with notes) but really a sharing of experience. I don't tell you more, you will see by yourself if he comes to London :-)

We were then invited to a small house nearby the boats for the "Crayfish Tie Society Drink". All wearing a special brown tie or a scarf, we experienced the Swedish tradition: Opening the Champagne bottle using a sword. (In fact, it is known in France as well, but it was not known by me until this time). I did it, it was not very hard. Almost all of us opened a champagne bottle with a sword, so there was enough alcohol for everybody. We also enjoyed some specialty from Sweden (cheese, dry bread, fish).

In the afternoon, we did a cooperative game : Arosfortet. Similar to Fort Boyard in France, we had to solve enigmas, or to use technical skills to succeed in a challenge and accumulate points. It was a very practical way to illustrate that discussion and collaboration are often necessary to achieve a common goal. We were welcomed by Halmstad hosts (for me, Daniel), to enjoy the famous crayfish party. The rhythm was easy to follow : one crayfish, one strong glass of alcohol. We enjoyed singing many Swedish songs and did some games where we had to walk with an egg on a spoon that we kept in the mouth. In fact, crayfish may be tricky to eat as the hard part has to be removed. Luckily we were sitting next to senators who explained  the Swedish technique to quickly open the crayfish and get the meat. It saved me loads of time. We finished the evening in a Swedish club.

Overall, I really enjoyed this weekend. I discovered a new culture, new town, new traditions, I met new people. This was an outstanding experience and I can't do otherwise than recommending it next year. I just regret not to have found time to enjoy the beach. But I was back from holidays in Tenerife so there's not much to dwell on...

========

Regards,
Vincent

Vincent Espitalier, JCI London Member

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The 15th JCI European Academy took place during the last weekend of July 2011 in the lovely Goteborg, Sweden. The event was attended by over 85 future local chapter presidents and delegates, who were hand picked to go from all over Europe. JCI European Academy aim to increase understanding and co-operation between future leaders from different countries. The aim was to establish a forum of representatives from all over Europe to facilitate an exchange of experiences, knowledge, culture and values.

For me, the idea of going to another country and spending 5 days with a lot of people that I've never met before was a little scary as you can probably imagine. I was sitting in the waiting lounge at 6am in the airport thinking I must be crazy to be doing this because I won't know anyone! I arrived in Goteborg and was warmly greeted by a mini bus of very friendly JCI people from Tallinn, Germany and Netherlands who were all in the same situation. Needless to say it didn't take much to strike up conversations as everyone had much in common, and most of all, they are so willing to share their passion for JCI.

After a welcome lunch it was straight into training which saw the delegates split into 3 different groups and assigned 3 experienced trainers for the afternoon which was then followed by an evening seminar on our Discovery Insights profile, where we found out about the different types of colours and personalities people have and how to interact with them. It was really interesting to see the range of different people in the room!

Saturday morning started off with the first General Assembly for the weekend which was attended by World President Kentaro Harada and after his inspirational talk, it was straight into the day's activities. As I'm sure some of you reading this will have the opportunity to attend EA next year (and I highly recommend it!!) I won't go into detail of what was involved. Just to say it was a fantastic experience and nothing like I was expecting as no one who went from the previous years would tell me anything either. It was incredible team bonding experience which I will never forget.

With only 4hrs sleep, it was up early on Sunday for breakfast followed closely by 2 sessions of training in the morning and the afternoon. One of the clips shown during one of the lessons had a real message to give people and i thought i would share it with you - have a look - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xHFfLTgjJI&feature=share

As a treat for Sunday evening, we did a little sight seeing of one of the local sights close by which had some great history attached to it and in usually fashion, some of the delegates from Netherlands, Germany and Turkey shared some of their countries gifts with the party - shots of liquor and Turkish delights for dessert! After dinner it was straight back to work with our teams until 3am the next morning.

Monday morning was a nervous time for everyone as it was time to show how much we learnt from the last few days with a presentation that had been worked on through out every waking moment during the weekend and then had to be presented in front of all the delegates and trainers. All the teams did an extraordinary job with their presentations, needless to say everyone graduated!

The Graduation ceremony was followed by a lovely last supper and a dance party which was well deserved.

The whole Ecademy was very well organised and thought out. The activities done, each had their own purposes and it truly was an amazing experience - from going there knowing now one to coming back to London having made some wonderful new friends and armed with new skills and knowledge to help me out with, not only the new chamber, but also my work and personal life. The European Academy has given me new inspiration to go out and make difference in my local community and make an impact on the world! Fair to say "I've had the time of my life"....Dirty Bit!

JCI - Go Impact The World!

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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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The thing I love about European Conferences is that there is so much to do and each year you attend is different.  Your first European Conference is always special.  Mine was in Turku in Finland (2008) and I threw myself into attending as many training sessions as possible.  In Budapest in 2009, I plucked up my courage and entered the debating competition, even managing to reach the finals!  This conference I attended the local leaders workshop, sharing ideas with other local presidents from around Europe; had lunch with members from some of our twin chambers and even got in some sailing and sightseeing!

I was incredibly proud of all the JCI London members who attended.  We could count up to 15 in all, including some very new members, members about to transfer in from other chambers and "honorary" members.  It was fantastic to spend time with friends and get to know new people.  Everyone did the chamber proud and we once again made our presence felt, with a huge number of conference attendees being stickered or receiving JCI London fridge magnets!  We also got in the conference newsletter, first a picture of the London ladies in the sparkly Union Jack dresses, then I was in a picture of the COC academy reunion.  Congratulations to Soraya, Sandor and Eyad who won best union jackage, best party animal and best networker in the informal JCI UK awards.

Having been in JCI for nearly 5 years, I have got to know quite a few people from chambers around the world.  International events are a great chance to catch up with them and I was very happy to see all my Jaycee friends.  With over 1,700 people at the conference, it is unfortunately just not possible to spend that much time with everyone and there are some people I did not see as much as I would like (or at all).  Fortunately there are always more opportunities internationally in JCI coming up (see our events diary for details).

International events really open up another perspective on JCI as an organisation.  It is impossible for attendees of a European Conference not to come back energised, full of ideas and raring to put them into practice.  I can't wait to see what our members do back in London.

If you missed out this time, the World Congress in Brussels on 1 to 6 November promises to be an even bigger and better event.  Remember we have bursaries available if this will be your first international event.  Contact me to find out more.

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