JCI London has KICKED OFF
JCI London has KICKED OFF
JCI London kicked off it’s 2017 programme in true style to a packed room in Central London. It was a night full of networking, socialising and opportunities; and for anyone who might have missed it, I’ll be summing it up here for you!
Membership Director Godfrey opened the evening by welcoming our guests and members. With over 50 people, new members and old, it was a fantastic representation of our JCI family. He was followed by Secretary Dexter, who gave a rousing speech on the inclusivity of JCI London. We have such a wide range of nationalities and languages represented within our Chamber, mirroring the composition of London itself. Dex highlighted the incredible amount of opportunities available as a member: drawing off of his personal experiences at European Academy, as well as mentioning all the team member positions available to work with any of our Directors (I’ll get to that in a second). Dexter closed his section in classic fashion: reminding us all to “Seize The Day”, and about the importance of having not just our big goals, but our day to day ones as well.
Up next: Training Director Blanka, outlining our development programme for the year. The focus? Bringing the best we possibly can out of YOU! The training schedule will be starting on the 24th of January, with a fantastic Goal Setting event from Simon Ong (who we were so pleased to see at the Kick Off!). Tickets are still available for this training. If you want to get more involved in the training team, Blanka is always happy to welcome new members to her team: you'll get expereince building and executing her programme. Get in touch with her to find out more!
Communities Director Adeline’s big project for the year was announced next. Adeline has spent a lot of time working out her project: Organised around 3 Chapters, Challenge! will highlight the initiatives and positive changes which can inspire others all along the year:
1. the resolution - Take care of yourself ( eating healthy, stop smoking, stop drinking…)
2. the summer- Take care of your environment (nature, sport, recycling…)
3. the winter - Take care of the people (homelessness, education, charity shops…)
Each chapter will close with an event, and will be an incredibly inspiring project for all involved. Look out for more details as they’re announced in the coming weeks. Again, Adeline has a lot of opportunities for involvement: be in as a part of her communities team, as part of her project team, or as a participant.
Our returning International Director, Katie, then revealed this year’s international plan. There are two main themes for the year. The first is Discover London: which will be kicked off with the Cultural Evening on the 8th of Feb. This theme is all about finding out about the languages and cultures on our doorstep as part of our global city. The second is Discover the World: getting JCI London members to international events. Keep an eye out for information about European Conference and World Congress, and as always, get in touch with Katie if you want to be part of her team!
In our final talk from the areas of opportunity, Business Director Davit emphasised that the business team’s plan for the year is all about developing skill sets! We have a series of exclusive talks already lined up, with the Dr Demartini lecture on the 21st and our soon to be announced Marketing event. As ever, you can talk to Davit about joining his team!
A key part of the JCI London programme is its special projects. One of our TEDx Directors, Maud, announced this year’s theme: “The School of Tomorrow”! Tickets JUST WENT ON SALE (about 12 hours ago in fact), so get yours for TEDx SquareMile on the 18th of March. Rafael presented the Peace wek project, running for moe than 4 years now. There is a great opportunity for a DIrector, Deputy Director and Team to lead Peace Week 2017, so if you are interested please message one of the directors.
The evening was closed by President David, with a touching personal account of his JCI London story. After denying that we’re a cult (I mean, we’re probably not....maybe?), David went on to remind our guests about all of the events and opportunities to develop skills and get involved in teams (each one of our directors is recruiting!). Most importantly, he announced our theme for the year: We Are London. Feel free to reach us with #wearelondon or #weareleaders and hopefully, we’ll see some of you soon: at our Thirsty Thursday on the 26th, or our Gala Dinner on the 24th Feb
Oh yeah, then we took a selfie. I’m really sorry about that.
Marketing Director, Out.
By JCI Manager