General Meeting September 12, 2016

Transcription

1 General Meeting September 12, 2016 Tom Brown Arena Community Centre, Ottawa The meeting was called to order at: 07:30 p.m. with 84 members and 2 guests present. Donna Nicholson introduced Wendy Adams as the new FFO president, Donna taking the position of past president. 1. Approval of Agenda Wendy Adams Moved by Eugenie Prevost that the agenda be adopted as presented, seconded by Brian Ingham. Carried 2. Welcome/Guests/Announcements Wendy Adams a. The president welcomed all in attendance. b. Two guests were introduced: Kevin & Debra Ford 3. Approval of Minutes: General Meeting, April 11, 2016 Alain Dawson Moved by Jaap Schouten that the minutes be approved as presented, seconded by Barbara Smith. Carried. The Record of Decisions from the 20 August Board meeting is posted on the FFO website. 4. VP Membership Lynda Heffernan a) FFO currently has 178 members. New members since the last meeting are: i. Wayne & Heather Bennett who have rejoined; ii. Brian Armstrong; and iii. Sharon Leblanc. b) Name badges were presented to two new members present: Barbara Stiles & Marcie McGarry 5. Treasurer Leonard Bonnet a) The budget (see Appendix A) and was presented with the following highlights (see budget notes at Appendix B): i. The increase in cost of the insurance policy is a result of being part of group insurance policy with the other 22 Canadian clubs. This insurance policy provides enhanced protection not just to Board officers, as the previous policy did, but to all members when participating in club activities including night, day and dinner hosting. The Board decided that this enhanced protection was required in today s prevalent law suits. ii. The budget is a deficit budget which is covered by the club s current excess cash position. Additional funds from the current exchange account (estimated at approximately $2000) will be transferred to the General Account when the Exchanges Account is closed. Moved by Carol Lundy that the budget be adopted as read, seconded by Ginette Bocage. Carried. 6. VP Engagement Jennifer Rae a) FFO Solo - Since our June 5 kick-off party, the following events were held: i. Excursion to the RCMP musical ride on 25 Jun; and ii. A day at Eugenie Prevost's cottage on 10 Jul. We are looking forward to an October 1 adventure to the theatre in Morrisburg, organized by Barbara Stiles, a new member. More information and sign up available at the side table. b) August & Summer Celebration. This event, a combination of the July Golf Day so well-organized in the past by Rheo and Dorothy Brunet, and the cancellation of March 1 World Friendship Day, resulted in a party for all members to celebrate friendship while basking in the good weather. The venue, range of GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 1 of 11

2 activities, food and weather were all in our favour, attracting about 40 people. Maria Schouten organized the event with the assistance of Jaap Schouten, Kay Knobel and Wendy Adams. You can read Maria's report in the CapCon. Wendy was chief price negotiator, getting the price of the supper lowered from $35 to $25. There are some free photos at our table. c) AGM/Holiday Party. Will take place on December 5 at Amberwood Lounge and Eatery in Stittsville, where the Summer Celebration took place. We were so enchanted with the venue, the staff and the food that we decided to try it again. Combining the AGM and the party is a new and welcome twist. Barbara Lewis has volunteered to co-organize the party with me. Members are invited for a 6:15 pm social time followed by the meeting at 6:45 pm. The cash bar will open from 6:15 for a half hour and then again at 7:30. Veggies and dip and cheese and crackers will be available for the meeting. The party will begin at 7:30. This is not a dinner but an assortment of delicious canapés. Price is $25 per person, tax included. Dress is casual. Since the theme is international, please feel free to bring/wear articles from your travels. Tickets are available for purchase at the sign-up table and at the Farewell Dinners for Sweden (Sept 25) and Vancouver (October 17). d) Planning Committee. Wendy Adams and Lynda Heffernan have joined the committee and Lucie Nelms has resigned but is available for consultation as needed. Other members are Ian Wilson, Eugenie Prevost, Maria Schouten and me. The committee last met on Sept 10 at Amberwood. e) Caring contact proposal - Unless someone contacts the FFO President, births, deaths, birthdays, illness and other important happenings go unnoticed among members. I would like to propose that a Caring Contact be nominated to receive any announcements the members care to share and, if requested, communicate them to the group either directly or via the President. Those who are alone and ill may need a visit or a meal, or just a note to let them know we are thinking of them. And it would be fun to celebrate extra special events at the FFO meetings. Do you know how many members turned 70 this summer? 7. VP Exchanges Kathy Hatherill Exchange information and updates were published in CapCon, therefore no need to go through all the details. a) 2016 Inbound Exchanges The Helsingborg Sweden and Vancouver inbound exchanges will occur very soon and tickets for their events are available tonight at the sign-up tables. b) 2016 Outbound Exchanges Donna Nicholson announced that one seat was available for the Fukuoka, Japan and Taipei, Taiwan exchanges in November 2016, as a result of a withdrawal. c) 2017 Inbound Exchanges Plans are well underway for 2017 inbound exchanges. Sign up sheets for hosting are at the tables. The EDs for the winter exchange would like me to remind you to save your winter clothes so that we can keep our Australian friends warm. We will welcome the Greater Hamilton/Burlington Ontario club for a mini exchange in Sept. /Oct and possibly with a Colorado club who have an exchange with Montreal and would like to come to Ottawa for a few days. d) 2017 outbound Exchanges The draw was held for Schwerin Germany and there is a waiting list which you can join at any time GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 2 of 11

3 We still have some spaces available for Georgetown Texas and Northern Colorado in September and you can sign up here at the GM, I have information on both locations. These were to be all of the outbound exchanges for 2017 but we have been invited by the Greater Hamilton/Burlington Ontario club for a mini exchange (3-4 days) in May Stratford and Shaw have been mentioned and also Burlington has the Royal Botanical gardens, so if you are interested please sign up. The FFI fee for domestic exchanges is $10 US per night. e) 2018 Exchanges Survey It is time to make our choices for the 2018 exchanges. You have all received the s from Wendy requesting that you fill in a survey to indicate your choice(s) of destination by 19 Sep We are trying to make our requests realistic and hope that we will be awarded our choices. Additional travel information was included to help you make your decisions. Please return the survey by or if you printed them there is a box here for you to leave them. Copies are available tonight. f) Exchange Presentations i. John DuVernet gave an excellent presentation with a slide show on the Washington inbound exchange held in June. A very much appreciated car rally was used as a way to mix up everyone; as an experiment, a successful discussion group was conducted on two subjects: Health care and Legal system; a great day attending the RCMP musical ride practice and visiting the grounds and stables; the luncheon at the Mill Street Brewery was enjoyed by all and a few tasted the variety of brew made in situ; and the farewell party at the Kanata Lakes Golf and Country Club was excellent. ii. Judy Whyte, a club member since 1998, told us about her Global exchange experience in Spain. Since there were no club in Spain, she joined a world exchange to Barcelona where FFI intended to create a club. She described the process of signing on this exchange. She explained that the group was dispersed all over the Barcelona, accommodation wise, but managed to meet every day. She described her wonderful experience and how she was fascinated by the façade and interior of houses. Thank you to all our hard working EDs who with their committees make our exchanges so successful. 8. CUSO Workshop Donna Nicholson for John Cooke FFO and CUSO have developed a partnership which would be beneficial to both. A ½ day custom workshop has been developed for FFO and is scheduled for Oct 20 th. The participants will decide whether a morning, afternoon or evening session would work best for them. The workshop syllabus will be distributed to the membership tomorrow via (see Appendix C). A sample of the workshop syllabus content was presented to whet the members appetite to sign up. There are a maximum of 20 seats at a cost of $20 per person. A sign-up sheet is available or presidentffo@gmail.com ASAP. 9. Vacancies Donna Nicholson The following current and upcoming vacancies have been or need to be filled: a) VP Exchange - Tim Traynor resigned as VP Exchange, Eugenie Prevost was presented as his replacement; b) Art Appreciation - Laura Légaré resigned, Janet Wilkinson is taking over with an assistant; c) CapCon Editor - Jane Rau has stepped down and Joanne Curran will take over the position; d) 2017 Nomination Committee - Volunteers are required to form the Nomination Committee; e) Media Equipment - Backups are required to assist Brian at functions and replace him when he is not available; and f) Face Book editor - to replace Donna Nicholson who started it GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 3 of 11

4 10. President Wendy Adams a) Privacy Concerns i. Some member s personal information appeared on the FFO web site available to the general public. John Cooke is investigating the revision of the FFO web site to create a members only section. Check the Metro Vancouver web site which is a good example. ii. In the mean time, the last CapCon edition published on the web site is different from the one sent via . Personal information has been removed. iii. Generic - Currently the FFO president is the only position with a generic . Generic is being investigated for other positions. b) Contact Info - Please note that the presidentffo@gmail.com is now directed to Wendy Adams, not Donna Nicholson. Please, amend the contact info in your computer to have the correct individual associated with that address. 11. Adjournment: Moved by Carol Lundy that the meeting be adjourned; seconded by Dorothy Brunet. CARRIED. The meeting adjourned at 8:32 PM. NEXT GENERAL MEETING is scheduled for Monday Dec. 5, 2016; Amberwood Lounge & Eatery (Amberwood Golf Club in Stittsville); Social 6:15 p.m.; Meeting 6:45 7:30 p.m., followed by the year end party Wendy Adams FFO President Alain Dawson FFO Secretary Attachments: Appendix A: Budget Appendix B: Budget Notes Appendix C: CUSO Workshop Syllabus GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 4 of 11

5 APPENDIX A Budget 2016/17 BUDGET BASED ON 178 MEMBERS & FEES OF $40/PERSON 2014/15 Fiscal Year 2015/16 Fiscal Year 2016/17 Fiscal Year Actual 2014/15 Budget Difference Actual as at 2016/08/ /16 Budget Difference 2016/17 Budget INCOME 6,267 6, ,140 7,200 (60) 7,120 Bank Interest Membership Fees 6,265 6, ,140 7,200 (60) 7,120 Membership Fees:Member Fee Income 6,230 6, ,105 7,200 (95) 7,120 Membership Fees:Membership Fees Late Payment Membership Fees: Membership Nametag unpaid (30) 0 (30) Membership Fees:Membership Fees Overpayment EXPENSES 7,242 8,245 1,003 9,178 8,521 (657) 9,060 Administration 1,239 1,191 (48) 1,414 1,351 (63) 1,660 Administration:Bank Charges (19) Administration:Office Supplies, Postage (176) Administration:Printing, Photocopying Administration:Insurance , (399) 1,290 Communications (10) Communications:Capital Connections Communications:Website Communication: Canffex Communication: Audio visual?? (259) GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 5 of 11

6 APPENDIX A Budget Actual 2016/17 BUDGET BASED ON 178 MEMBERS & FEES OF $40/PERSON 2014/15 Fiscal Year 2015/16 Fiscal Year 2016/17 Fiscal Year 2014/15 Budget Difference Actual as at 2016/08/ /16 Budget Difference 2016/17 Budget Membership Expenses 5,048 6,109 1,061 6,102 6, ,120 Membership Expenses:Badges and Pins (19) (308) 0 Membership Expenses:Year-End Party (4) 500 Membership Expenses:Conferences Canadian Membership Expenses:Conferences:International 1,000 1, ,000 1, ,000 Membership Expenses:ED Training Membership Expenses:FFI Fees 2,901 2,714 (187) 3,342 3,200 (142) 3,400 Membership Expenses:Friendly Wanderers 57 0 (57) Membership Expenses:Friendship Day Event Membership Expenses: Gifts Membership Expenses:Meeting Refreshments Membership Expenses:Member Recruitment/Retention Membership Expenses:New Member Reception Membership Expenses:Room Rentals FFI Legacy Fund Contribution (263) 500 FFI Support Contribution (203) Net Difference: (975) (2,119) 1,144 (2,038) (1,321) (717) (1,940) $35.00 $35.00 $40.00 $40.00 $ GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 6 of 11

7 APPENDIX B Budget Notes BANK ACCOUNTS: We currently have three bank accounts, the General, Savings (Reserve) and the Exchange Accounts. The General and Savings will ultimately be rolled into one account. We believe that there is no longer a need for the two accounts to be kept separate. As of Aug.24, 2016, funds remaining in the General Account are $2,203 and in the Savings (Reserve) Account $3,393 for a total of $5,596. The Exchange account still has funds in it belonging to various exchanges. With the move to have each exchange open their own accounts, this account will ultimately be depleted and any funds remaining will be transferred to the General Account. This Exchange Account will then be closed. Thus, our total net worth as of Aug. 24th is $5,596 plus funds remaining in the Exchange account, once closed. There is sufficient cash in the General Account to cover the anticipated 2016/17 budget deficit of $1,940 while maintaining the membership fees at $ /17 BUDGET: In the budget table presented, the actual income and expenses/budget for 2015/16 as of 2016/08/24 are provided for comparison purposes. Note #1: You will see that there has been an increase of $399 in the cost of our insurance policy. On the recommendation of the Canadian Council of Friendship Force Club Presidents, all 23 Canadian Friendship Force clubs have decided to purchase an enhanced group policy that covers liability claims against Board Officers and adds General Liability coverage for all members during FF activities. (Note: Up until now our policy covered only claims of financial liability resulting from Board decisions. Members personal home insurance is insufficient to cover members against a claim during an FFO activity outside their home.) This coverage is absolutely necessary for a club our size that is interacting with so many people from other locations when the risk of a lawsuit is becoming increasingly prevalent. In addition, purchasing the insurance through the group package negotiated by the Chairperson of the Canadian Council of Friendship Force Club Presidents (Angie Grikis) is substantially cheaper than we could buy ourselves from our current insurer. All 23 Canadian FF Clubs were required to participate in the national plan for the company to agree to the group plan. Without everyone's participation, many smaller clubs would be left with no insurance coverage at all. The FFO Board wishes to extend, on behalf of the membership, our appreciation and thanks to Angie Grikis and FFO member Andrew Stirling for their tremendous efforts in negotiating the current insurance policy. Note #2: The Financial Statement documents will be presented after year-end on Oct.31, 2016 and sent when available by to the membership for discussion and approval at the Dec. 5 th, 2017 AGM. This is the first time we have decided to move the budget presentation and approval process to our September GM. Your board has worked diligently over the summer months in order to present this information to you now. This will allow us to hold an AGM that will focus more appropriately on our club's accomplishments and plans for our future. We would appreciate it if you could any questions or concerns you may have to the FFO president (presidentffo@gmail.com) and these will be addressed at the AGM GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 7 of 11

8 APPENDIX C CUSO Workshop Syllabus Intercultural Training Building Bridges between Cultures Friendship Force 2016 T rue Eccles Street, Suite 200, Ottawa ON K1R 6S4 cusointernational.org GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 8 of 11

9 APPENDIX C CUSO Workshop Syllabus What to know about Cuso International s intercultural training The training is designed to develop participants skills, knowledge, and attitudes in order to interact effectively in another cultural context and with people from different cultural backgrounds. Below, the overall course aim, objectives, and agenda are outlined. These are followed by the key objectives and a brief description of each session. Aim: To further develop your knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will help you to be interculturally effective. Objectives: By the end of the course, you will have increased your 1. Ability to describe how cultures and values affect social relationships and our experience of travel in another country. 2. Capacity to reflect on your intercultural experiences and maximise the experience of travel and learning. The course is designed around the experiential learning cycle: using practical experiences, followed by reflection, generalizations, and applications in the real world. Sessions are active and participatory. Normally, the course if facilitated by 2 facilitators with expertise in cross cultural work. Facilitators use a variety of methodologies, such as: small group work, role-plays, scenario analysis, drawing, brief lecture, large group question and discussion, short videos, reflection, etc. Participants are actively engaged in each session. Agenda This is a half-day training, totalling 3.5 hours. It can be scheduled as a morning, afternoon or evening session, based on needs and availabilities of participants. 10 min 20 min 1h15min 15 min 30 min 45 min 15 min - Welcome, Introductions, Course Goal, Objectives & Agenda Ultimate World Traveller Cultural Concepts Break Single Stories Intercultural Communication Final Reflections & Applications Close T rue Eccles Street, Suite 200, Ottawa ON K1R 6S4 cusointernational.org GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 9 of 11

10 APPENDIX C CUSO Workshop Syllabus Brief description of sessions Course Goal, Objectives, and Agenda The overall aim and objectives of the course are presented to the participants. Facilitators also walk through the agenda and respond to any questions or comments about the content of the course. This brief session sets the stage for what is to come throughout the course Ultimate World Traveller This session identifies the skill areas to be interculturally sensitive and efficient as a world traveller. Participants demonstrate through drawings the ideal qualities and skills of an ultimate world traveller and how they will be able to reflect and build on those skills during the training. Cultural Concepts Explore different cultural realities in terms of different values, behaviours, and approaches. Use the iceberg image and cultural orientations as a tools for learning about other cultures, building cross-cultural understanding and building cultural empathy. Analyse and improve upon intercultural effectiveness. Using the iceberg metaphor for culture and cultural orientations, participants are guided through participatory activities to learn and practice how to develop cultural empathy. Single Stories To build awareness of issues of stereotypes and pre-conceived judgements around us and others. To take next steps in creating multiple stories for ourselves and others. Participants explore which Single Stories they may have about other cultures, and what Single Stories may exist about them. We use the Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Danger of a Single Story, as the basis for our reflections. Intercultural Communication Analyse different forms of communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Define and practice strategies for effective intercultural communication. T rue Eccles Street, Suite 200, Ottawa ON K1R 6S4 cusointernational.org GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 10 of 11

11 APPENDIX C CUSO Workshop Syllabus Using various role-plays and scenarios, participants develop an understanding of different forms of communication, including: verbal versus non-verbal communication and explicit versus implicit communication. Using a theatrical demonstration, volunteers also recognize the different filters a message must pass through in order to be understood by the receiver, especially in a cross-cultural situation. Participants then consider strategies for effective intercultural communication and practice them in small-group role-plays. Final Reflections and Applications Identify a significant learning point. Identify next steps for learning. This session brings a close to the course. Through reflection and experience-sharing, key learning by the fellows, follow-up actions they will take, and appreciation of everyone s contributions are highlighted. Location and Fees The training takes place at Cuso International, situated at 44 Eccles Street, Suite 200, Ottawa, ON, K1R 6S4. The flat fee is $400.00, which covers: Attendance to the ½ day Cuso International Intercultural Training (maximum 20 participants) Provision tea and coffee during the training Training materials T rue Eccles Street, Suite 200, Ottawa ON K1R 6S4 cusointernational.org GM Minutes Draft 2016 Oct 07 Page 11 of 11