Election Results

Hot News!

The new IJR has been announced! Please welcome Rowan El Shimi, IJR 2009-11. Yay!

We are very excited to see Rou at work and to see what she comes up with for the future of IJB. Check out her jbpedia page here

Of course this means we say goodbye to the current Sr. IJR, our dear friend Kelly Bowden. Kelly did a wonderful job over the past two years to work for JBers everywhere, putting in countelss hours and tireless effort. But don't worry, she's not leaving CISV forever, there's even an NBM rumor floating around... hmm.

From Guate!

IJR Candidates

Each year at the AIM the NJRs of the world elect a new International Junior Rep to take on a two year term as the go to person for international junior branch. It's like being NJR, but for the world. The IJRs are responsible for chairing the IJB committee and representing the Junior Branch on the adult board. They help pull together everyone's ideas to make them into a plan to assist juniors around the world.

So this year we have two excellent candidates vying for the chance to join the current IJR Maru in the job. The candidates this year are:

Rou from Egypt and Juanma from Colombia. Last night we had some excellent answers from both sides in the Q and A and both have worked so hard during the last months and for this IJBC. Before the IJBC they were asked to make up album covers for themsleves. These are them:









Of course with the election it means it is time for Canada's own Kelly Bowden to step down from her role as IJR. She has done a fabulous job over the last two years and deserves a huge thank you for all her effort and ideas.

Elections will be held during AIM and of course we'll tell you the result as soon as we know it.

From Guatemala, Kalenne and Rémi.

Summer Time is Meeting Time

Hello lovely juniors!

This is just an update about the fabulous meetings that take place during the summer months for NJRs, active juniors and tons of involved adults!

The meetings are ARMM (America's Regional Members Meeting), IJBC (International Junior Branch Conference) and AIM (Annual International Meeting). This year they are all being held in Guatemala.

ARMM was the first meeting on the agenda and is attended by NJRs and JBers from the Americas Region (from Canada to Argentina and everything in between). This is not much meeting and lots of training and workshops to help give the participants and facilitators more skills and ideas to help their local and national JBs develope. Everyone had a lovely and informative time and is now more prepared to tackle problems, run sweet sessions and make good things happen. Yes!

Many of these ARMM participants have now moved on to IJBC, which is at this very moment half way through its first day. And there's exciting news about this! Ready?!

Rather than reading only reading Kalenne's opinions and memories here you can read a collective blog of many participants' takes on the meeting on the IJBC Live Blog!

The link to it is here:http://ijbclive2009.wordpress.com

Check back often and follow along the IJBC happenings, since afterall, it's a meeting for Juniors around the world and that includes you!

High fives from Guate!

PS The blog is put on by the IJB Connect Team and they're so techy it's also in Twitter form here: www.twitter.com/ijbc09live

Complete at last... Here we are!

With the election of our National Camp Coordinator we now have a full executive that needs an introduction. So, here's a quick word from all of them and their contact emails.

Part of the JB National Executive is of course the NJRs. You probably know enough about Kalenne and Rémi by now, for fun facts just scroll down the blog and we're sure you'll find some gems of information.


NCC (Nat Camp Coordinator)
Nom/Name: James Young
Chapitre/Chapter: St. Grégoire
Email: jyoung1991@msn.com

Bonjour à toute la branche juniore canadienne,
Je tennais à vous remercier pour m’avoir donné la chance d’être le NCC. Merci beaucoup!!! Je ferrai tout ce qui est en mon possible pour que ce soit merveilleux. Donc si quelqu’un a des questions, commentaires, suggestions, ou si vous voulez savoir quoique ce soit à propos du national camp ou bien a propos de moi, vous pouvez me contacter par email.
Hey JB Canada, Just a couple of words to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to be NCC. Thank you!!! I’ll do my best to make it wonderful. So if you guys have any question, comments, suggestions or anything else about the National Camp or me, you can reach me by email.

JBDCC (Junior Branch Development Committee Chair)
Nom/Name: Brittany Bernard
Chapitre/Chapter: Victoria
Email: brittanyj@hotmail.com

Hey Canada! I have been involved in CISV for almost 8 years. One of my favorite CISV memories would have to be playing Murder Mysteries in the very early hours of the morning with the rest of Victoria's JB Board at minicamp. I am really excited about this year and to be more involved with CISV at a national level! My thumbs up in the photo is to yummy Swedish grilled cheese and to a super fun upcoming year! Lots of love.
Bonjour Canada!
J'était une membre de CISV pour presque 8 année maintenant. Une des souvenirs favories de CISV était lorsque j'ai joué Murder Mysteries avec les autres membres du JB Board de Victoria a minicamp. Je hâte de commencer travailler cette année et d'être plus liée avec CISV a une étage national! Mes 'thumbs up' dans le photo est pour le fromage de la Suède et pour une année super animer! Beaucoup d'amour.

ICC (Internal Communications Chair)
Nom/Name: Julia Sheldon
Chapitre/Chapter: Ottawa
Email: cisvbum@hotmail.com

I am studying geography and religious studies at the University of Ottawa. I am in my 3rd year, and loving every minute of it. I LOVE shepherd's pie, sleeping in late, board game nights, and spending time with a boy I am crazy in love with. December 28 - January 3 is Ottawa's annual winter camp, and I can't wait!! It will be my 6th winter camp, and it is personally my favourite program in CISV.

As Internal Communications Chair, it's my job to keep everyone in touch. So answer my emails and Facebook messages, please!! So far everyone has been really good about it :)

Much love from O-Town, j.shelds

Je suis dans ma troisième année d'école à l'Université d'Ottawa dans la programme de géographie et les études réligieuses, et je l'adore!! J'ADORE "shepherd's pie", dormir tard, des nuits de jeux avec mes amis (comme Sorry et Scrabble), et passant du temps avec un garçon que je suis fou dans amour avec. Le 28 décembre - 3 janvier est le Winter Camp annuel de JB Ottawa, and je ne veux pas attendre! Ce sera mon 6e camp d'hiver et c'est mon programme favori de CISV. Comme Internal Communications Chair, c'est à moi d'assurer que vous êtes tous en contacte, donc répond aux emails et messages de Facebook, s'il vous plaît!

Tant de bisoux du capitale, j.shelds

ECC (External Communications Chair)
Nom/Name: Caitlyn Wood
Chapitre/Chapter: Calgary
Email: caitlynw1@gmail.com

Salut! Moi et Julia planifions d'avoir une année très productive pour CISV Canada. Nous allons faire quelques nouveaux changements et quelques vieilles traditions vont rester dans CISV Canada. Je suis super énervée d'être dans le conseil exécutif national (National Board) cette année et j'espère rendre les JBers (brancheux!) canadiens aussi enthousiaste que moi! Je suis une personne très occupée mais j'aime avoir des choses à faire! Quelques unes des choses que j'aime faire quand j'ai le temps sont : yoga, dance, magasiner, aller voir des films, bénévolat et voyager! On se voit dans la prochaine année!
Hey! Julia and I are planning on having a very productive year with CISV Canada and we hope to make some new changes as well as keep some old traditions within CISV Canada. I am super excited to be able to be on the National Board this year, and I am hoping to make Canadian JB'ers just as excited as I am! I'm a pretty busy person but I enjoy having things to do! Some things I like to do when I have the time is yoga, dance, shop, go to the movies, volunteer and travel! See you in the New Year!

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Big happy hello under the snow "Québécoise" (neige est un mot féminin)!

After a lot of waiting, some e-mail reading, a phone call or two, a good counting session... K 'n R came out with one name as the new National Camp Coordinator! Yes, you understood just as us that the three candidates were awsomely good ones and that the decision was quite difficult to make. But, the choice has been finally made...

I'm stressed to write it down and I know I should do it short and sweet but I first want to thank the 10 chapters that have voted in such a short delay. You guys helped us to be effective! What happened with Toronto and Victoria??? Well... The majority of voters decided that this year, they wanted their NC to be hosted by James Young. He will be working hardly from now on to plan a fantastic National Camp next August with a team of staff he will build. You will for sure hear from him in the next few weeks so he can get his planning starting!

So we now have our EXEC full-filled. YAY! This is a great year starting on a good note for JB Canada. Let's try to keep it as good as it started!

Rémi for the two NJRs !

Coming back from Calgary!!!

Wow ! After such a weekend, it's difficult not to be crying to be back home with a lot of school, work, family stuff, dishes to clean and brooming to do...

The time as come for JB Canada to start the year with whole bunch of fun!!!

One of the really fun things that the NJRs have done at National Board Meeting was... CHANGING... yes, you read well, Kathy and Kalenne are now replaced by...

Kalenne and Rémi!

Of course, one of the two current NJRs as the same name as one of the two past NJRs. The thing is that each NJR are voted for two years and they will start as Junior NJR and then the year after they become Senior NJR. Concretely, Kalenne Thors is now Senior NJR and Rémi Francoeur the Junior NJR.

"But, are they alone?" (I can hear you asking in front of your computer!)
NO! They are not! They have all of you Juniors from all across our beautiful country. But as well, they have a wonderfull team with them on the EXECUTIVE of JB Canada. This team is including
Julia Sheldon as the Internal Communication Chair,
Caitlyn Wood as the External Communication Chair,
Brittany Bernard as the Junior Branch Development Committee Chair
and James Young as National Camp Coordinator.

Those people will be the people you guys can refer to at any time during the next 11 months in case of needs, questions or just for having a nice talk!

If you want to contact your NJRs, you guys just have to write a comment on this blog or you can send an e-mail to njr@ca.cisv.org

With love and respect,

...your most bearded NJR...

NJR candidates 2008!

Hello juniors of Canada!

as some of you may know, the time has come to elect a new njr. The election will take place AT nbm 2008 this weekend in Calgary, so let your chapter representative know who you think should be leading junior branch canada for the next two year. So without furthur ado, let's meet our candidates!
Looking good guys.

Rémi Francoeur

Hey hey! You people reading this text about who are the NJR candidates on the NJR blog less than 4 days before NBM starts... yeah, you! You might be really intense in CISV!!!
But well if you don't know (or if you want to know more about) me, her is a little intro to my person. I'm never brief, neither in French or in English and my Spanish is good but not yet enought to make clear and simple sentences. So I guess I will write my 200 words without saying much about my self but eh! that's not to bad.
When people ask me what I like to do in life, I usually answer "Make people smile!" . In general, it works and the person I told it to smiles. This is one of the thousand examples of how good I am to achieve what I want to do. But it's mainly a good way to explain you how important a smile is for me. In fact I think that smiling is a cure to a lot of diseases and problems. I once studied clown. One day, I would love to work as Doctor Clown (hope you heard about it). As well, a smile is way better than some make-up to "pimp-up" your face. If you want to be pretty, the cool stuff to do is not to wear a super-dress, have a newh air cut or use the extra-lip-gloss-dupper-cool, the cool stuff is to put a smile in your face. I believe.

What? Else than smiles? What do I like as well in life? Here is a quick improvised list : monkeys, chocolate, shaking hands, latin languages, philosophy, strawberry soymilk, hugs, theater, airports, looking to the toilets(bathrooms) in fancy restaurants or hotels, palmtree, juggling, dressing up, biking, people playing acoustic guitar, cats, potato chips, fresh carrots, lezards, Facebook and all its possibilities, folk music, seeing the raise and the set of the Sun in the same day, beaches, climbing(in trees, on buildings, in CISV hierarchy), sudoku, french fries, cutting my friends hair, have a beard so I can shave with weird shapes, taking pictures, singing, jumping, when the sound of the fridge stops suddenly and I realize it was annoying me since a while, skipping, throwing rocks on the water and count the bounces, bread, futuristic movies, making analogies on the spot when I talk about something, improvised theater, circus, dancing, beeing told by people I like that I did somehting good, my mom, my sisters, sleeping, complimenting someone if I really think it, my backpack, my other one as well, wearing hats, collecting hats, trading clothes, my friends (including a lot of great human beings), trying to guess what language people are speaking on the street, history, mini-anything (everything really small is really cute; deodorant, trucks, animals, music instruments...), someone looking directly in the eyes, human touch, clapping my hands together, hammocks, hiking, maple trees, salt, talking, did I say talking?, oh and finally, i really appreciate to talk (I can almost say I'm talkative)...

I'm Rémi Francoeur, 21 years old, male, from St-Grégoire Chapter, french speaker, live in a city called Trois-Rivières, work in entertainment, tourism, arts and restaurantion, involved in CISV since 1999, candidate for Canadian NJR this week-end at NBM in Calgary. I can't wait to let you all people know more about me... Take care of yourselves!

Love, Remi.


Julia Sheldon

hey hey hey,
Julia Sheldon here. I've decided to give you some stats a.k.a. statistics about myself to start things off.

Hometown: Waterloo, Ontario
Current town: Ottawa, Ontario
Birthday: Oct 6 (I expect presents :P)
Years in CISV: 9 (officially), 16 unofficially
Hobbies: reading, traveling, tree climbing, drinking tea, good conversation, having my mind blown
Languages: English, French, German (barely)
Education: 3rd year University of Ottawa - major in Geography, minor in Religious Studies
Countries visited: Germany, Holland, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, England, United States, Nicaragua, Canada DESPERATELY HOPING FOR MORE!
Favourite food: chocolate, hands down.
Favourite colour: green, hands down.
Favourite energizer: "Who Gives the Best Hugs" from USA NBM 2007
Favourite CISV activities ever played: Hopes and Fears, Ottawa Winter Camp 2005; Communication, Holland Seminar Camp 2007; Cross The Line, every time!
Pet Peeves: incorrect spelling, improper grammar, people who talk during exams or lectures, being late, when things/people are late, the feeling of unbrushed teeth ... you know, when it feels like there's a layer of fuzz on your teeth EW.
Recent exciting journey: went to Berlin for an interchange (junior leader), got home, slept for 2 days, then drove across Canada (from Kamloops, BC to Ottawa, ON) in 4.5 days!

More about me? Staples is my favourite store. I love school supplies. And being organized. Ridiculous? What are you gonna do about it?!... That's what I thought.
I love learning. SO much. Also, I have realized that in certain circumstances, I tend to turn into a southern ghetto-fab grandmother. It's slightly ridiculous.

I think being NJR would be a HUGE change for me, and something that I am very excited about. That being said, Remi is a great guy, and would do a wonderful job. I wouldn't want to have to choose between the two of us. So good luck!!!

MUCH LOVE
j.shelds



Well, that's it for now friends! Stay tuned for much more nbm news!


love!
your friendly njr's, Kathy and Kalenne

NBM's a comin' Yeehaa.

That right folks, NBM is almost here. In just two short weeks the Juniors of Canada will be meeting out west for the first time in many a year in the lovely city of Calgary. Some things to look forward to include: JB Goals fun times, Adult- Junior hang out action, and a lot of bad cowboy jokes. We'll also be passing motions, doing elections and thinking up big ideas.

For all our eager NBM attendees, don't forget to do some homework before you come and get ready to bring things back to your chapter. NBM is a busy time so the more you've done before hand the better off you'll be. All the motions, reports and documents will be posted in the members' only section of the CISV Canada website soon- look them over, print them off and get familiar with the plan for the weekend. Also, take some time to think about what you want to get out of NBM and what you want your chapter to get out of it. How can you achieve these goals? Lastly, get ready for a party- NBM is always a great time!

To everyone who's coming we can't wait to see you and to everyone who's not, don't worry, your chapter chairs will be bringing back lots of great ideas, energy and tools- make sure you ask them all about it.

T minus 14 days. -kathy and kalenne

We leave you with a few shots from our fabulous National Camp. Once again a ginormous success. National Camp- it just proves how much our Juniors rock. And how many bugs there are in Saskatoon. Wow.

Next stop: Saskatchewan

A Quick Update. Kathy and Kalenne have both departed from lovely Florence and are now back on their respective oceans, at least for a few days.

This is another hilarious sign from the AIM site. Although not as funny as the 'No Tourists' sign it might say more than originally intentioned.

National Camp is just a few days away so the NJRs are already getting ready to set off to Saskatoon to set up and get ready to welcome all the participants.

We're really excited for camp and that excitement only gets stronger as:a) camp gets closer and b) we get more sleep.

This year's theme is 'One Beat' and is meant to capture a sense of unity while celebrating our differences. The Plains Cree of Saskatchewan used drums in many of their ceremonies as well as during gatherings with other tribes.

Although they had different songs and equipment they came together to create their own beat as a group. This is what we hope to do with National Camp- bring people together from coast to coast with different ways of thinking and living, and have them contribute that experience to create their own unique beat.

Watch for our prairie update, coming after camp. Peace out home slices. K and K

Discuter!!! Discuss!!!

CISV ONLY, NO TOURISTS

Salut a tous les membres de la Branche Junior du Canada! Kathy et Kalenne sont encore à Firenze, peut être la ville la plus chaude du monde- oui, on sait que c'est probablement (sûrement) incorrect mais la chaleur nous fait confuses.

Hello to everyone from JB Canada! Kathy and Kalenne are still in Firenze, maybe the hottest city in the world- yes, we know this is probably (definitely) wrong but the heat's confusing us.

Premièrement, on a une grande nouvelle de te raconter. Maru Ayam de l’Argentine était choisi comme la prochaine IJR (International Junior Rep).* Elle travaillera avec notre amie Kelly Bowden pour l’année qui vienne.
*Attends, c’est quoi un IJR? – C’est un peu comme un NJR, mais pour le monde. Oui, c’est un travail énorme.

Firstly, we have big news. Maru Ayam from Argentina has been chosen as the next IJR (International Junior Rep).* She will work with our friend Kelly Bowden for the coming year.
*Wait, what's IJR?- It's a bit like NJR, but for the world. Yes, it's a huge job.

Et maintenant, on veut vraiment entendre qu’est-ce que tu penses de quelque motions qui sont sur l’agenda des adultes.

And now, we really want to hear what you think of a few motions that are on the adult agenda.

Premièrement: Les programmes avec les jeunes (Village, Summer Camp etc) devraient éliminer l’alcool complètement, sauf pour ‘Leaders’ Weekend’ et ‘Leaders’ Night Out’. C’est une bonne idée?

First: Programmes where youth are present (Village, Summer Camp etc) should eliminate alcohol from the camp completely, except for 'Leaders' Weekend' and 'Leaders' Night Out'. Is is a good idea?

Deuxièmement: Summer Camp devrait changer à une programme offrit seulement pour les jeunes de 14 ou 15 ans. Les camps de 13 ans seraient discontinus parce qu’ils ne remplient pas les buts éducatifs au mêmes niveaux que les autres ages.

Secondly: Summer Camp should change to a programme offered only to youth aged 14 or 15. 13 year old camps would be discontinued as they aren't fullfilling the educational goals to the same level as the other ages.

Alors, dans le section ‘Comments’ donne nous vos opinions sur ses sujets, peut être, ça commencera une discussion.

So, in the 'Comments' section give us your opinions on these subjects, maybe, it'll turn into a discussion.

Avec amour d’Italie. Love from Italy. K and K

**UPDATE**
The Summer Camp motion was passed. We will now be focusing on developing the 14 and 15 year old camps.

The alcohol motion was tabled until next year (read: no decision was reached). As an interesting note however, from my perspective had it gone to a vote it wouldn't have passed. A lot of people feel casual drinking is part of their culture and we should be able to trust leaders to drink responsibly. I guess we'll have to wait until next AIM to see what happens....

What do you actually DO at IJBC?

So with IJBC drawing to a close the question remains, what exactly have Kathy and Kalenne been doing anyway?

To be honest, it's hard to say. You know when you come back from a Mini Camp and your friends want to know what you were doing all weekend and you have a really hard time explaining and before you know it you're throwing around words that on their own make almost no sense at all? Ya, it's like that. Except less awkward because we know you understand. Kalenne and her IJBC/AIM tag

But in the spirit of blogging we'll try anyway.

Our sessions have been divided into 4 topics:

- Junior Branch: As you can guess these are sessions about, surprise surprise, JB. They are aimed at aiding in the development of our JBs, locally, nationally and internationally. For example, we might do a session on the JB Goals, so we can use them more effectively when we get back to our chapters.

- Global movement: These are sessions to get us thinking about taking what we've learned in CISV outside to create movement. We as a JB are a global movement, cool right? These sessions aimed to get us thinking about how we as JBers can have more of an impact as a worldwide movement and also how we can become more engaged in other already existing global movements, for example, Peace One Day.

-Open Space: This is time for participants to develop ideas they think are important and are
interested in. They are like working groups at NBM. We brainstorm discussion or project topics and then split off to develop them. They can range from things like planning regional workshops to putting together a magazine or discussing how CISV can be more green.

-Parallel Experiences: This is a time when we break off into different groups to enjoy a session that interests us. It's the same as tripod time at NMB. This allows participants to use their time how they feel would be best for them and their JB. Yay

Kathy on the bus to ARMM.
The sessions were way more exciting.
We promise.

Whew, that's a lot of stuff. Along with formal sessions we're always story sharing and discussing challenges and successes of our JBs. As you can imagine a lot of the time these are really similar between different National Associations (NAs).

Well, that was a long one, but stay tuned for shorter posts with lots of funny pictures (we already have a few planned). If you're reading this please leave a comment, Kalenne needs constant validation. Love the NJRs

The view from our Tuscan Villa aka the ARMM site

NJR italy blog one

The NJRs are in Italy! Check out our first video blog....

All Our Bags are Packed...

In just a matter of hours Kathy and Kalenne will be jetting off to Italy for the biggest CISV meetings around. In fact we'll be going to three: ARMM, IJBC and AIM. What do all these acronyms stand for? Here's the rundown.

ARMM: The America's Regional Members' Meeting. This is the first place we'll be heading off to. It's a meeting/ training/ CISV good time for everyone from the America's Region, which includes North, Central and South America. Even though it's a meeting focused on the America's Region, it's so darn convenient there's sure to be some guests from other regions (like Europe and Asia Pacific). It's facilitated by the ARM team, which is sort of like JB Canada's executive and some Home Staff.

IJBC: The International Junior Branch Conference. This is a conference/ training/ CISV mutual learning experience for all Juniors from around the world. Wow. It's facilitated by the IJRs (sort of like the NJRs, but for the world) and previously nominated IJR candidates as well as some lovely Home Staff. This year's theme is 'Reflect and Act'.

AIM: This is the Annual International Meeting. This is the 'adult' meeting. It's a time for reports, motion voting and hopefully lots of funny antics. It's for CISVers from all over the world so this= lots of CISV in one place. Nice. This year's theme is 'Peace Education in a Multicultural City'.

As your NJRs Kathy and Kalenne will be representing Canada at the ARMM and IJBC and taking a bit more of an observer role at AIM, where CISV Canada's trusty trustee Rick Uy will be taking over as the front man. We know what you're thinking and don't worry, we're keeping our eyes on Rick and making sure he stays in line.

As NJRs we'll be soaking up anything we can to bring back to JB Canada, evaluating the past year as well as doing some strategic planning for next year and lots of other good stuff. If you want us to talk about something, ask around about how other countries are doing things or help you out with anything drop us an email at njr@ca.cisv.org or leave a note on this blog. Check back often for updates, as you can imagine these meetings are pretty busy places and cool stuff happens fast.

Ciao for now. Kathy and Kalenne

SBTF 08 status: great sucess!

SBTF 2008: Riding the LeaderSHIP!

Well friends, or should we say "arug mateys!", another spring board training forum has come an gone. The participants have returned to their chapter, their heads and binders filled with jb love, inspiration, and knowledge. And excessive amounts of pirate lingo.

This year's forum was a huge success. Sure it rained a lot of the time, but from May 16 to the 19th, 23 individuals gathered in downtown toronto to be engaged, challenged, and generally shook-up, pirate leadership-style.

We spent a lot of time in one very colourful room, looking at what makes a good leader. We discussed challenges and brainstormed ways to solve them together. We were lucky to have both developing chapters, Halifax and Montreal represented.

By dissecting the elements that make up a junior branch, we improved our own leadership skills, but also learned how to pass this knowledge onto others. A tour around the university of toronto campus took us to different stations where we shared stories about communication, adult liaisons, activities, promotion, recruitment, and so much more.

We were introduced to lots of the different functions of jb canada, and jb international. The junior branch development committee presented us with brand-new junior-branch co-chair manuals, and we saw presentations from the international junior branch committee.

As we became friends, and realized our similarities and differences, we were able to connect and form a community that will last despite the geographical monstrosity that is Canada. The leaders of JB Canada parted ways on the 19th of May 2008, with a few tears, but with renewed energy to continue fueling the great machine that is jb canada.

As NJR's, Kathy and Kalenne were very tired by the end of the weekend, but so filled with love from all of the brilliant leaders who attended the training. A huge thank you to the participants for making SBTF as incredible as it was!

so much love,

Kathy | Kalenne

Hello again!

Lovely to see you all. Kalenne and Kathy here in Toronto, enjoying the whimsical banter of cisv canada's adult board and executive.

Every year, the adult executive (of which Kalenne and Kathy are a part) and the chapter chairs from all over Canada gather for the
spring board meeting. This is a weekend full of motions, reports, and networking. Sort of like a mini-nbm that works as a mid-year
check in.

Kalenne and Kathy also present a mid-year report and a fancy powerpoint presentation, which we would love to send to you if you are interested in reviewing it. They will also both be avaliable on cisv canada's website (cisv.ca) in the member's only section. This report was well received, and all the adults were very impressed at our supreme level of awesome-ness.

Because Kathy and Kalenne live on opposite ends of the country, we are extending our stay in toronto until tuesday to give us time to
have a mid-way meeting for ourselves.

Here are some things we hope to accomplish:

review and planning of the junior branch budget!
planning of this year's spring board training forum
preparations for this year's armm, ijbc, and aim
brainstorming new ways to connect to and help out all of you lovely folk!

So please, if you have anything you would like to share with us, or you would like us to discuss while we are meeting, please let us know!
Have something you think the participants of the spring board training forum should be trained on? Have an idea for nbm next year?
Have an idea for a national project? Funny joke? Let us know at njr@ca.cisv.org!

looking forward to hearing from you!

kathy | kalenne

Sail away on the Leadership

It's almost that time again... Time for incoming chairs and interested Junior Board members from across Canada to come together for a long weekend of fun, excitement and leadership training.

JB Canada's own Spring Board Training Forum (SBTF) is still being held the May long weekend but this year it will be moving from Ottawa to Toronto. Our theme is Riding the Leadership (get it? here at NJR headquarters we thought it was pretty clever) so get ready for a weekend of bad theme pirate jokes but really good training for everything you need to set your JB up for smooth sailing. We looking to have representation from right across Canada from all our lovely chapters so get ready, we can't wait to see you all! This year we also have the pleasure of welcoming the lovely and talented Keenan Dixon to the training team as home staff. She's been working hard to sort out a lot of the logistical stuff and we are super appreciative.

For more information email the NJRs at njr@ca.cisv.org We can set you up with forms and answer any questions you have. If you're coming this year and you have a specific topic you'd like covered in Training let us know and we'll try to set up a session.

Also huge thanks to everyone who took time to check in with us during the NJR online time. The flow of communication both ways is so important and it really helps us give direction to JB Canada when we know how you're all feeling. Remember, we always love to chat and hear what's happening in your chapters, good and bad, so don't be shy, drop us a line. If you send us an email and we can set up a time to talk or you can find us anytime on MSN and Skype.

Big love from ocean to ocean. Kathy and Kalenne

Imagine us is a Mini Van

Can you picture it? A CISV van full of your JB exec members traveling the country from coast to coast visiting your chapters and having fun... Well, it's not quite in the budget this year but don't worry, we still want our presence to be felt, making jokes, brainstorming and lending a hand (or giving a free ride) if you need it. Since the addition of the communications team we've had to upgrade from a hatchback, and add a few seats from executives of the past, but now we've worked out some kinks and this year the road ahead looks clear. We're all excited to start the roadtrip, so here they are, this year's executive members...

The NJRs (National Junior Representatives)
Sr. NJR
So I'm Kathy Lewis. Originally from Fredericton, I now live and go to school in Halifax, where I study contemporary history and philosophy, international relations, and gender and women's studies. I have grown to love my new macbook, but am still not as fluent as Alex. I like tea and knitting, but I have been known to get out of the house once in a while for the occasional beer. I love CISV Canada because the juniors have to be extra creative due to our geographical and financial constraints. And they usually go above and beyond the challenge. While I am scared as all hell to be sr. njr, I am incredibly jazzed to be working with such an amazing exec. In my free time I work on the theme committee for the ijb, and am a trainnee on the international mosaic committee. I work at a women's centre as the activism coordinator, and make interesting collages with newspapers and magazines I steal out of recycling bins. I also tend to have unusually animated conversations with my gender-ambiguous goldfish Ralph. He's a horrible listener. Ungrateful jerk.

Jr. NJR
Hey everyone! My name is Kalenne Thors and I'm originally from the Victoria chapter but I'm currently living in Vancouver, in my second year at UBC. I'm still involved at a local level in Victoria and I'm hoping to get more involved in the Vancouver Chapter, if only the city wasn't so big and I wasn't so busy :)
I'm studying Political Science and I generally like everything associated with that, as well as sports, weekends, recycling and watching movies with my roommates when I really don't have time. I also like holidays and other things that are easily themed. I dislike being bored, not remembering where I put things and the giant puddle that forms outside the Arts building when it rains a lot. I'm super excited to be taking on the job of NJR, continuing on the 'K' tradition and working with everyone (and I mean everyone, JBers, adults, your friend, your cat...).
We really like you (yes you) a lot. We think you're pretty cool. We also like hearing from you. Through the wonders of technology you can email us both, at the same time, at njr@ca.cisv.org or leave a comment here. Sweet.


The NCC (National Camp Coordinator)
My name is Patrick and I am from Saskatoon. I go the University of Saskatchewan where I am currently in my fourth and final year of studying Political Studies. In my spare time I like to do anything involving film whether it be watching them or making them. I also enjoy writing especially about video games where I have actually had some of my work published in professional magazines. I used to wakeboard but my knees are borked and no longer function up to the necessary level of workingness. The only real job I have ever had was a janitor at a swimming pool, it taught me one very important lesson and that lesson is that the cake is a lie, never believe them when they promise you cake after work. The most interesting moment of my year thus far has to be the time I was walking downtown when me and my friends were threatened by a group of veterans who said and I quote "we will wreck your shit with man", it has since become my favourite catch phrase. So thats me in a nutshell minus the pajamas. It should also be noted that I enjoy letting my fingers frolic in my beard. (Note: As you can see Pat's beard has disappeared... will it be back? Only time will tell)
Wanna talk Nat Camp? Ya you do. To get in touch with Pat fire off an email to escarpment.blues@gmail.com


JBDCC (Junior Branch Development Committee Chair)
My name is Safiya Dhanani, I am 16 and I live in the gorgeous city of Vancouver! (I have to say I am quite pleased with the west coast representation this year) I have been in CISV since I was 11; First going to Lucknow, India for my village and then traveling to Cairo, Egypt for my summer camp! Locally, I am 'past chair' as of a couple o weeks ago!
I am an ex-competitive field hockey player. The 'ex' referring to my ANNOYING knee cap injury...which has put me out for the season. I love rock climbing and most outdoor things...building igloos and camping out in them in crazy snow conditions being a favorite as well! I really like coffee. No, let me rephrase, I love the smell of coffee but strangely I can't even manage to finish one cup. I like going for loooooonnnnnng runs especially in the rain. My favorite gadget is currently my ipod, it is very hard to find us apart! Currently my top played bands include; Feist, Phoenix, and Bloc Party. I speak mandarin (not fluently) and I sing a lot! Apart from daily shower singing I sing in 3 choirs. I am currently reading 'zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance' and am VERY JAZZED to be working with a very stellar and goodlookin, as someone mentioned, group of CISVers.
To get in touch with the JB Development Committee email Safiya at safiya.dhanani@gmail.com


The Communications Duo- they like speaking in point form.
The ICC (Internal Communications Chair)
-I'm Paula Wilson, but many a man call me PHW or, alternatively, Pdub which is slightly embarassing though catchy.
-I live in downtown Calgary, a block from Western Canada High School but manage to be late 4/5 days no matter what.
-I am also REALLY excited this year about the canuck and generally how everything with jb canada has shaped up to be.
-It's much easier for me to describe my ownself in point form, though occasionally I prefer the run-on paragraph.
-Last night I dreamed that I was Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter, one of 5, and we solved mysteries in the student parking lot of my school.
-Talking on skype makes me uncomfortable because I feel like Phil of the Future!
- I just got my last paycheck from Second Cup, where my favourite customer had no teeth and sat in the corner singing ballads quietly enough that he would not disturb anyone, but loud enough make sure we ALL knew he meant business.
- I'm notoriously terrible at math, though I do write a mean paper.
- I use words like notorious freely though I often do not know in what context they are appropriate.
- My favourite colour is seafoam green, and it may interest you to know I'm terribly afraid of water.
- My current project is writing a one act play with my friend for our January theatre class wherein a couple breaks up at a Karaoke Party because the wife thought her husband's favourite movie was Back to the Future, where it actually is the second Die Hard. It's entitled "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart", you're all invited.
- On that note, my favourite movie is the Big Lebowski.

The ECC (External Communications Chair)
- I am Jessica Mae Williams, "call me Bubbles everyone doesss".
- Jess is fine too.
- I live in Fredericton.
- I go to a real big girl school and I study Fine Arts-ish stuff + Archaeology and Literature
- I'm Seminar Camp Chair for my chapter.
- When I work it's at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
- I should be writing an Archaeology paper, but I like you more than carbon dating, but not more than dinosaurs.
- I applied for a new job today as coordinator for my University's Art Exhibition. Fingers crossed I get it.
- I just bought two fish, tetra and neon tetra. They're named Harold and Maude. They're on vacation right now at a friends house.
- I like movies A LOT. I thought about telling you my favorites but I'll just say that I like Shogun Assassin and I like you.
"There are many Jess' in the park, they grow tall and the children climb them. One day I will go there and chop all the Jess' down and burn them for heat and comic effect."
- My favorite colour is International Klein Blue. I don't realllly like blue I just like the idea of patenting a colour. Ownership, that's the stuff dreams are made of.

To communicate with the communications team you can email Paula at sweater.down@gmail.com or Jess at jesswilliams.0@gmail.com.
Canuck submissions can be sent to cisv.canuck@gmail.com

There's always room for a few more in the van, so JBers, let us know what you're thinking. We're always looking for input on where we should be headed so don't forget to drop us a line. See that add comments option? Us it! Or, feel free to email, write a letter, facebook stalk or send a carrier pigeon. You know where to find us, in our sweet CISV mini van.

Love love. K and K

Looking Back, Looking Forward

With the end of the year comes changes in JB Canada. The National Board Meeting in November was once again a time for JB chairs and board members from across Canada to come together to share experiences, work together, learn new things, see old friends and conduct important JB Canada business. This year was a especially exciting NBM since it was CISV Canada's 50th anniversary! (Read: Time to party). It was held in Waterloo, where it all started for CISV Canada and golden 50th anniversary decorations were never hard to find.



Our JB elections were also held at NBM. Stepping into the role of Jr. NJR is Kalenne Thors, which means Kathy Lewis is our new Sr. NJR! Our new National Camp Coordinator is Patrick Morin and our communications team members are Jess Williams- focusing on external- and Paula Wilson- keeping it groovy with internal. Finally Safiya Dhanani will be chairing the Junior Branch Development Committee. We have a great team together for the upcoming year, keep your eyes open for more information about them (including some pictures) coming up soon. Big BIG thanks to last years lovely exec members: Holly, Brittany, Kalenne and Emily. Also, mad props to all our wonderful JB chairs. You guys are all doing an fantastic job and your chapters are very lucky to have each of you.

With elections, it also means our dear friend Alex has finished his term as NJR. It's been an amazing two years that has seen the start of the Spring Board Training forum, a reorganization of the Junior executive and a lot of amazing powerpoint presentations. Thank you for all your hard work Alex and good luck with your new 'adult' position.

Until next time. xo Kathy and Kalenne

The Return of K&A!

Where, you ask, have Kathy and Alex been for the past while? Why hasn't there been a blog post in some weeks now? Well, we will answer that question but the following few photos should make it pretty clear: we've been working on our modeling career. That's right, Kathy and Alex, in addition to being NJRs are international professional supermodels and we travel the globe pouting our lips and breaking hearts.

Okay, that's not true. But we have been busy...and we can tell you all about it...

We got back from Colombia around the middle of August and not even two days later National Camp began. National Camp took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia this summer at a scouts camp called Camp Nadooae. National Camp, a program which brings together junior branchers of all ages from all over Canada, had a very diverse group this year. We had representatives from every single chapter and developing chapter of JB Canada. We could go on about National Camp and how much of a success it was, but why don't you take it from our participants...

I feel way more connected to JB Canada. I love how everyone shared stories about their chapters and the problems they are having. It is always comforting to know that you are not along and that other chapters are going through the same things.

After this camp I feel so inspired to take an active role in my JB and I’m glad.

I think I’ve seen my leadership and decision-making skills grow and become stronger. I’ve further discovered my strengths and weaknesses when I’m in a leadership role.

I was able to turn dissatisfaction into action!

Huge thanks must go out to the National Camp Coordinator Holly Norris--without her dedication and hard hard work, this camp would simply not have happened. Holly deserves a huge pat on the back and a dozen hip-hip hoorays and should feel very proud of the success of this camp! Thanks Holly.

That's all for now friends. Stay tuned to the CISV Canada website (www.cisv.ca) for National Camp photos and stay tuned to this channel for updates about...can you guess it?...that's right... NBM! The National Board Meeting is coming up in November in Waterloo and it's going to be huuuuuuge. So come back soon, you don't want to miss it.

Love from the east coast.
K&A

Closing time

Well friends,

The NJR adventure in Colombia is drawing to a close.

It has been a journey of late nights, long meetings and good friends. It's been an evolutionary, revolutionary time to be meeting with such fantiastic people from all around the world. JB was deconstructed, evaluated, attitude-checked, knowledge-juiced , and skill-tested.

As we think about our trip home and national camp set to being on tuesday (the 14th), and we are full of motivation and energy to bring back and share with you. We are looking forward to sharing some stories with participants from every chapter in Canada! And of course, hearing about all of your summer adventures.

We hope that all of you have learned, laughed, and smiled as much as the two of us have over the past couple of weeks. We will see some of you very soon, and wish everyone a sunny rest of the summer.

With love,

Kathy and Alex.