Issue number two
JB Canada News letter
Note from the editor This is the second ever JB Canada news-letter. Meant to bring JB Canada closer together and inform everyone on what is going on within the Canadian chapters and other international projects and meetings. This issue includes articles about what it is like to be on the international junior branch team. CanExUs updates and different activities that have happened in our local JBs.
lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
CanExUs Connects Us -Bryan Boro (CISV USA) Hello there! This is Bryan Christopher Boro here comin始 atchu (at you) from JB USA! I始m a former LJR from the Brandywine Valley Chapter, current secretary of the up and coming Boston Junior Branch, and current member of the USA National Mini-Camp Committee! I was fortunate enough to be the JB USA content staff member at the third annual CanExUs neighborhood workshop this past month, and it was a huge success! For those of you who maybe haven始t heard of the program yet, CanExUs is JB leadership program designed for the JB North. JB North is a little community we like to call a neighborhood. In the Americas始 Junior Branch (AJB), all the JBs from North and South America are broken up into four different neighborhoods, and ours is JB North! Comprised of Canada, Mexico, and the United States (hence the name, CanExUs :O), our neighborhood puts on the CanExUs program to bring together the leadership of the neighborhood in order for us to build a sense of identity and community within our neighborhood, and have JB leaders share common best practices and ideas for how to improve our own local organizations.
2
lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
For the first time ever, the CanExUs program was hosted by JB Mexico! We held the program out in the country about an hourʼs drive away from Mexico City. The campsite was insanely gorgeous like you wouldnʼt believe, and gave us a lot of opportunities to have activities out in the sun. Most of the attendees were from the hosting nation, giving JB Mexico its best attendance record thus far for the program; sending representatives from their two established chapters (Mexico City and Queretaro) and from their other chapter just starting to get the JB off the ground (Guadalajara)! USA and Canada also sent some of their finest JB leaders down south for the camp. Overall attendance was also the highest it has ever been for the CanExUs program with nearly 40 participants! Also attending was our neighborhoodʼs representative from the AJB Team, Pedro (Pizza) Nordskog from Brazil! This was the first time I was lucky enough to be in attendance in the CanExUs program, and I was thrilled to be a part of it! The other staff members, Samantha from Queretaro, Nick from London (Canada not UK), and our fearless director, Nancy, and I ran 25 activities in total over the five day program. The activities consisted of ten focused on the development of Junior Branch, ten based on the educational content themes, and five fun night time games. Pizza also ran an activity about what it means to be a part of the AJB. It was a great pleasure to be there representing the USA as a staff member and facilitating the education and exchange of ideas amongst all the participants. Attendees left with a lot under their belt to bring back and implement in their local chapters. Iʼm pleased to say Iʼve left with a lot of great new ideas to bring to the brand new Boston Junior Branch to help establish the chapter base and create some awesome programs and activities for the chapter. The camp as a whole helped continue to establish the sense of community within our region, and give us a unique identity. I really think that everyone left the program having learned something new about JB or having an insightful conversation about educational content. Overall, the program was a blast and I wish I could be a part of more to come in the future! I highly recommend to anyone in JB North 16 years or older to consider being a part of the next CanExUs program. Whether you have a formal leadership role in the JB or not, if you are a self prescribed active JB member in any capacity, I urge you to consider applying when the time comes around to be apart of the program. You wonʼt regret it. Peace and love, BCB 3
1 2
lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
was en other years. there th t en er ff di as w ar CanExUs this ye ce to n so we got the chan tio ta en es pr re in er tt much be better then we have ch an Br or ni Ju rs he understand each ot nal content activities io at uc ed od go of t the past. We had a lo taught before, en be no ve ha t os m cs and touched on topi of the workshops t ou t lo a t go so al e W such as food deserts. ps and coming up with am ic in m ng ni an pl and worked on rd (CISV Halifax) fundraisers. –Asa Fo
CanExUs reminded me i do have things to fight for, no matter how small, and that I'll always have all of these lovely people's support for it and pretty much everything else in life. I felt safe and challenged and it was lovely. Zeta (México)
Atte n gave ding Ca n Can me a fe ExUs de a e nort da does l of wha finitely h t chap does. M but of w not jus t h t diffe ers and eeting o at jb t r gave ent way hearing her h s bett me an i we wo e dea rk re er o ur ch of h ally hope o a w f p u ter to lly futu re 10 better u and wi ll – Ma / s ggie 10 expe for the rie T ur n er (C nce!! I SV Halif ax)
My favorite part of Can ExUs was fo some of the r sure meeti amazing JB ng ers of JB N actually see orth and ing all the w onderful th Junior Bran ings each ch has bee n developin neighborho g! Our od I'm really ex is getting stronger an ds cited to see the next ste tronger and Pedro Nord ps it'll take skog (Brazil !– )
4
lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
Breaking down stereotypes Julia Connolly (CISV Halifax) El Jones is Halifax’s former poet laureate, spoken word artist and prisoner’s rights activist in Halifax. As a part of CISV Halifax’s effort to become more involved in our community, we asked El to speak to us about her work. She graciously agreed and came to our aged 14+ activity where she debunked some of the most common myths Canadians have about our prisons. Though our perception of prisons tends to be that they are extremely dangerous, El pointed out that 80% of prisoners in Canada have been sentenced for non-violent crimes. She also talked about the false expectation that our prisons help and the stereotype that prisoners “do nothing” when they are imprisoned, which is rarely the case. What El emphasized above all was the personhood of those who end up in prisons, something that seems to be rarely considered. She talked about the inequality in imprisonment and how some groups are more vulnerable because of socioeconomic disadvantages. El ended with some beautiful spoken-word poetry about what she has witnessed of Canadian prisons and the people she has met inside of them. El’s words sparked a great debrief full of interesting points and ideas. She got us talking about things that most of us would probably not even think about otherwise. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we feel very lucky to have met El Jones and we are very thankful that she took the time to speak with us.
5
lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
What it is like on the International Jr. Branch Team - Daniel Krajnak (JB USA)
A few months ago, I was appointed to my first international JB position. After ending my term as NJR, I faced a grueling decision—should I continue to volunteer with CISV and contribute to an organization I love? Or was it time that I move on and focus on finding and defining my life outside of CISV? After many stressful, self-debating nights, I decided to stay and to accept my role on the Team. A big reason stayed was that my role on the IJB Team is awesome. It's really great—it's everything that I wanted to do on the international level boiled into one role. So, what exactly do I do? Well, the team is made up of 9 members appointed by the two International Junior Representatives who chair the Team (a member of the governing board is also on the team). It consists of a number of representatives who represent JB to CISV's international committees, like Resources and Infrastructure or Educational Content, and a number of specialists who serve as experts on particular topics and perform special tasks in order to sustain and develop IJB. I won't go into all of the roles on the team, but if you want to learn more, go to https://issuu.com/cisvjuniorbranch/docs/ijb _team_overview So within this group of dedicated, passionate, intelligent, and international people, I serve as the Operational Strategy specialist—it sounds a lot more impressive than it is (but look at my email signature, I mean damn).
6
lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
My responsibilities include developing: ● IJB Thinks A publication/collection of submissions written by JBers all across the world on topics ranging from a CISVer’s experiences in protests in Egypt, to criticisms of our organizational structure. It's a place where JBers can share what they're passionate about and learn from each other. ● The JB SET This is the Self Evaluation Tool. It's a set of surveys which JB chapters and national associations all around the world fill out to give them a better understanding of how their chapter/NA is doing and to give us all information about tour organization as a whole. ● The JB Training Curriculum A document to help JBs and NAs train their JB leadership. Currently, I'm working on IJB Thinks and the JB SET both of which are almost done. The tough thing about working in an organization is that sometimes even though you're done with something, you have to jump through a few hoops before you can share it. So, I can't say much now, but both IJB Thinks and the JB SET are going to be done in ways they never have before—I'm really excited to publish them and share all of what I've worked so hard on. Stay tuned for the JB Training Curriculum. I'm working to get some information on how JBs have used it in the past. Let me know if you have suggestions! If you have any questions about my work or what it's like to work on an international team, please do not hesitate to email me—you'll get to see my email signature in action. dan.krajnak@gmail.com
7
lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
Winter Camp 2016-2017
8
lorem ipsum dolor
issue, date
Winter Camp -Ady King (CISV Fredericton) This year, I had the opportunity to spend the first week of the year attending CISV Ottawa's winter camp, a 5-day camp over the winter break for CISVers aged 14 and up. This camp was a blast and I got to meet so many great people, not only from the hosting chapter but from different places across Canada as a few participants, myself included, flew in from different provinces to attend. At camp, we were divided into groups with which we planned and ran activities throughout the week, giving everyone the opportunity to take on more of a leadership role and create an activity about something that mattered to them. I thought this was a good idea since it helped in diversifying the themes the activities touched as well as giving everyone the chance to run some activities but also be able to participate in others. What I found the most different about this camp compared to others I've attended was the flexibility of the schedule. We were in charge of what happened and when and didn't really have to abide by a certain schedule. When we weren't carrying out activities, we had the liberty to do what we wanted and at meal times some participants even got to cook for the group. Overall, I really enjoyed winter camp, so much that I'm hoping to go back next year. I met a ton of amazing people and had so much fun throughout the week. I'd highly recommend it to anyone considering going next year.
9
lorem ipsum dolor
an apri co I'd prob t or somethin g? is th ably do at around apricot ? Proba -y thing a fruit? bly get s in a sm eaten o … just sit oothie o r r cooke m –Asa Fo d into s aybe put rd omethi ng.
l e lo gs g n a r rig an o tana B n –S a
Ok! And lmao mmm I'd be a pineapple and I'd shelter spongebob –Ady King
issue, date
Now for the fun stuff! If you could be any fruit, what would you be and why? Banana because then I could be a banana gun in a cartoon –Michael Lee
I wou ld sneak be a papa y u PAI Y p on peop a and then A le –Dan AHHH and and yell P Krajn A then r ak oll aw H ay.
I would be an avocado and I would create polemic/controversy on whether or not avocados are fruits –Diego Pozo
Probably grapes so I'd be able to hang out in bunches –Maggie Turner
could i e s u beca just d n a Apple e relax a tre d n n o a e ze liv e bree h t l e fe hipton S y l l i –B
10
lorem ipsum dolor
Keep In Mind J
Apply for National Camp 2017 “Cinnamon rolls, not gender rolls” Contact your local LNCC for more information LNCC: Local National Camp Coordinator
Any ideas and/or expectations for our new national positions: regional representatives please email the NJRs at njr.ca.cisv@gmail.com
AJBM is happening April 12th-16th Let the NJR’s know if you have any questions. AJBM: Americas Jr. Branch Meeting NJR: National Jr Representative
SBTF 2017! Takes place May 19th-22nd In Toronto
issue, date
Alpaca my bags for all the awesome CISV trips coming up
More information to come J
Follow our JBCC Instagram: @jbcancommunications Twitter: @jbcancommsquad
Stay tuned for updates on a traveling activity book that will start up in September 2017. Email:cisvcommsquad@gm ail.com if you are interested in helping organize and bring this project to life.
Follow the NJR’s on Facebook: @NJR Canada
If you would like to contribute to upcoming newsletters, please email: cisvcommsquad@gmail. com
11