2016-2017 Eh Team Candidate Package
NJR Candidate Jon Haggarty Involvement in CISV: Positions held in CISV: Village, Copenhagen Denmark (participant) – 2005 Summer Camp, Vancouver Canada (participant) – 2007 LJR, London – 2009-2014 Summer Camp, Londrina Brazil (participant) – 2008 JB Liaison, London – 2015-Present Nat Camp (participant) – 2009 Village, Tennessee, USA (JC) – 2010 Nat Camp (participant) – 2011 Relevant experience outside of CISV: IPP, Norway (participant) – 2013 Village, Reggio Emilia Italy (leader) – 2015 Artistic Director, Art on a Limb Children’s Nat Camp (staff) – 2016 Artistic studio 2012-2015 Server, Dolcetto Risto 2014-Present Train The Trainer, RTF – 2016 Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I have many skills that have helped me during my time in CISV, and many that CISV has enhanced over the years: - Creativity – finding new ways to accomplish tasks and get work done. - Leadership – empowering others to become involved while maintaining the direction o f the group. - Problem solving – overcoming challenges on the fly. - Working under pressure - Collaboration – works well with people in cisv - Forklift operator – unrelated but I will find a way to make it useful over the next 2 years. Why NJR? Ever since I went to my first CISV camp at age 10, CISV has been my biggest inspiration, and has played a part in most, if not all of my decisions in life. For me, being NJR is a way to continue to grow within the organization, while giving back and inspiring the next generation of leaders in CISV. I am also passionate about chapter development: from being LJR in London to now being the JB Liaison, I have seen many different approaches that have worked and ones that haven’t. I would embrace the opportunity to learn more about each individual chapter in Canada and the challenges they face, and help each one to grow and evolve.
Jon Continued What is your vision for JB Canada over the next 2 years? Please be specific. I would like to help build a clear path for older JB members to stay involved (on a national level). This will help to retain even those who move to cities that do not have a chapter. I would also like to have a stronger online presence, with more communication though the year, especially during the school year, which typically have less national programs and events. It would also be fun to have an online national merch store (similar to Norway). One benefit of this is that we could provide all the traveling delegations with the same travel outfits. More communication through the year can also help to focus on more localized training to help solve problems that each chapter might be working to overcome. What you improve in the current JB Canada structure? Please be specific. I would like to see more communication between chapters that are part of the same Region; having stronger connections between chapters that share the same regional reps can help solve smaller problems that those chapters are having. Getting those smaller problems out of the way allows for events such as NBM and SBTF to be used for more area specific or topic based training for local LJRS. Stronger communication between regional groups also makes it possible to vote and make changes to help us grow through the year, as opposed to just during NBM and SBTF, it also makes it easier to plan mega camps, which everyone loves. As NJR, the long absences between CISV Canada events can cause one to get distracted and push CISV to the bottom of the priority list, especially between school assignments and other tasks. How will you work to combat this in your own life? Time management and conflicting obligations will not be a challenger for me as NJR. Currently I work full time at a restaurant which amounts to about 30 hours of work per week, which leaves 138 hours free each week. Being NJR will allow me to spend my free time doing meaning and stimulating work to help our organization while also allowing me to grow and develop as a person while representing our country. If you were a supervillain, who would you be and why? Loki, because even though he is the god of mischief, he always joins the good guys in the end and ultimately knows the difference between right and wrong. He is also the reason why the Avengers teamed up in the first place.
NJR Candidate Maia Kachan Involvement in CISV: Village- 2008 (Odense, Denmark) Step Up- 2011/2012 (Christchurch, New Zealand) JC- 2013 (Helsinki, Finland) SBTF- 2010 (participant), 2016 (staff) NBM- 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016 IJBC- 2016 (Medellin, Colombia)
Positions held in CISV: Local Activities Coordinator- 2008-2009 LJR- 2009-2013 National Development Committee Chair- 2015-2016 Regional Liaison (Calgatoon)- 2015-2016
Relevant experience outside of CISV: Volunteer at LGBT drop in centre (2016), Resident President at University (2016-2017), Equity Studies student
Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: II think my most significant skills that could contribute to the national JB executive are creativity, passion, and knowledge/understanding of CISV. In my involvement in CISV, the one thing that has never really wavered has been my passion for the work I’m doing. It’s easy for me to feel personally motivated to do CISV, because I’m happy to do work that allows me to make a positive change and work with people I respect and care about. My academic and personal background is based heavily in creativity, and I think applying these skills to CISV helps me find innovative ways to solve logistical problems and interpersonal conflict. Finally, my involvement in CISV and JB since 2008 have helped me gain much understanding of language and structure of CISV and JB. Attending IJBC this year aided me in learning about the international JB structure, as well as other NA’s. Conversely, I think my background as an equity studies student make me especially attuned to issues we have in our organization.
Maia Continued Why NJR? I’ve been involved in JB for more than 7 years, since the first ever JB training in Halifax in 2009, and I feel incredibly lucky to have gained so much from being part of it. This past year on the Eh Team, and especially going to the International Junior Branch Conference this summer, have really motivated me to become more of a leader in the organization, due to the rewarding work I’ve done (and hope to continue to do), and the incredible people I’ve met. What is your vision for JB Canada over the next 2 years? Please be specific. Over the next two years, if I get elected as NJR I hope to focus on two main areas in JB Canada: improving our structure (to facilitate more frequent voting, and have votes represent the spread of Canadian JB population more evenly), and improving both the occurrence of & ease in completing mosaic projects. I think we can make our voting procedures much better, allowing us to create organizational change. I also think that, being in Canada, we have the opportunity to run diverse and successful Mosaic projects across the country. I think this is an area that many chapters still need support, which is why over the next 2 years I want to create a national Mosaic position that helps facilitate local mosaics and the logistics like forms, as well as local mosaic coordinators. I think extending the impact of our organization on to other people and really applying what we learn is something important that we can improve on. What you improve in the current JB Canada structure? Please be specific. From my perspective, there are 2 major changes that can help JB Canada structure be more successful- increasing the frequency at which voting can happen (rather than just once a year, at NBM), and creating a voting system with better representation of the population of JB Canada (where the chapters/LJRs have a larger majority of the votes- as they represent the vast majority of Canadian JBers). Since changing the voting structure and frequency is relatively major, I would want to draft a motion for NJBM and possibly create a working group with broad representation of Canadian JBers to figure out how to improve how we make decisions. In addition to these bigger changes (and the creation of a national Mosaic position), I want to increase communication/develop creative ways to communicate (like JB USA’s newsletter!!) and help develop the DCC role to something that is more productive and allows for better use of the development committee, because in my past year as DCC I found that it was hard to find projects that were both meaningful, and made use of the development committee.
Maia Continued
As NJR, the long absences between CISV Canada events can cause one to get distracted and push CISV to the bottom of the priority list, especially between school assignments and other tasks. How will you work to combat this in your own life? I think this question is super relevant as a a full time student, with a part time job. I find it really easy to be motivated about CISV, since it’s something I’m really passionate about. I actually find that CISV is what I do when I am procrastinating other work. I’m constantly on my phone and computer, so I’m really easily reachable, and I think having a lot of accountability and communication with my other NJR is a big way that I would combat this.
If you were a supervillain, who would you be and why? Probably Poison Ivy from batman, for a few reasons. From a feminist perspective, she’s one of the few super villains who is a) a woman, and b) who’s existence isn’t centred around a man at all times (like Harley Quinn). I also appreciate that her villainous acts surround saving the natural environment, because if I was a villain I would (hopefully) be fighting for something as significant as saving the world.
JBCC Candidate Zac Dinelle Involvement in CISV: Countless mini camps (regional and Local), cookie bake, village, natcamp, Summer camp, CanExUs, SBTF, NJBM, Peacebus, Seminar Camp
Positions held in CISV: Participant, Merchandise, Secretary, Communications, LJR (All through JB Vancouver)
Relevant experience outside of CISV: I have been a member of student government during secondary and postsecondary school, and have been developing leadership skills since I was 10
Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I delegate well. I find that I am very strong at finding who does what best, along with finding things that will make everyone in the group comfortable and as successful as possible.
Why JBCC? After finishing my term as LJR in back in Vancouver I have been trying to figure out how I would like to continue working with CISV Canada in a meaningful way. Since moving to Toronto to start a business and communications degree at Ryerson University I obviously cant be too involved with CISV Vancouver, so The Eh Team seems like the logical next step. This position will benefit me and my degree, but also I will be able to be an asset to the Eh Team with my knowledge and experience with Communication Studies. I have had almost 10 years of experience in leadership positions and CISV and I think this would be the perfect next step for my CISV Career
Zac Continued JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? I think JB Canada is very efficient at planning Canada wide programs, activities and friendly competitions, that are great at bringing the chapters together. Unfortunately this is also where it falls short. A lot of the time all of the great project don't get back to the whole chapter. I want to get more efficient and consistent communication with JB Canada and International, and promote inter chapter communication to increase more knowledge of what is happening outside of your chapter. I think it is important to push everyone to learn and stay on top of current CISV events, and the only way to do this is with the best communication. I want to have more communication with each chapter plus the LJRs instead of solely the LJRs.
Improvement in your position? As a Communications Studies student I have been spending a while studying the best most inclusive and most efficient forms of communications. I have passion for this area of work, and I want to work towards making JB Canada as efficient and as possible, so that everything else can be as great as it can be.
Your fictional character? I think I would be Stewie Griffin, because although he is probably crazy, he doesn't grow up, and his head is terrifying he seems likes he lives good life. He gets to live life and do what he pleases, have the best lines of the show, and can time travel whenever, so that sounds like fun.
JBCC Candidate Theo Giesen Involvement in CISV: I have been to a village in Norway, an IYM in Costa Rica, a Step-Up in Vancouver, JC in Guatemala, participant in Can-Ex-Us 1 and 2 Relevant experience outside of CISV:
Positions held in CISV: LDCC, LJR, member on the Pathways working group, communications chair with Review Team
Worked in parliamentary government
Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: Since I was 11, I have been actively involved in my local chapter. I went to all the activities and minicamps, and as I grew older, I took a risk and volunteered to be London’s LJR, not even knowing what it was. Soon, I learned that it was a big responsibility, and I took it on, learning as I went. I have strong leadership skills because of this, and know how to get others involved. I understand that a leader takes on tasks but also must delegate jobs to other people. I also have a great way with words, so a position where I am writing constantly is something that I will be able to excel at and constantly improve on, since I really do enjoy it. Along with these, I would say that I am a social person who enjoys having conversations with others, especially when the topic is CISV. I believe that I have the ideal skill set for this position. My position on the Review team has prepared me very well. Why JBCC? Ever since my first NBM, I looked up to the members of the Eh-Team and watched what they did. The way that the national exec works is really effective and to be a part of something so strong would be an honour. As previously mentioned, I love talking to people and really like to write. These are both skills that would allow me to get my work done as well as have a good time.
Theo Continued JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? One of JB Canada's greatest strengths is our national events, such as NBM, SBTF and National Camp. Generally we have great attendance from every chapter and everyone who should be there is. The activities are always extremely well planned, executed and debriefed, leaving everyone with a strong learning experience. Workshops are always educational and engage everyone in the room. I really like being at these meetings and want to be a part of making them as awesome as they are. During important gatherings like NBM, there are clear instructions and action items for each chapter to follow through on, but I have often found that as time goes on, less and less of these assignments are completed. For example, during the first few months after the EhTeam decided to do postcards again this year, our chapter received quite a few, but in the following months, the number of postcards mailed to us declined. I think it is important to maintain our enthusiasm and participation throughout the year, and the motivation by the people who assigned these products must be kept up to ensure success. Improvement in your position? Tying into the last question, I think that at the beginning of the year, there was a lot done in the role of ICC, but as the months passed, I heard less and less from the current Com-Squad. If elected, I hope to break this pattern by constantly updating every chapter on national events and encouraging CISVers to read the Canuck. In a recent JB London meeting, I asked my JB if they had recently read the Canuck. To my surprise, everyone admitted they had not, but because they did not know what it is. I believe that if every once in a while I got an email saying the Canuck had been updated, I would be able to bring this to my chapter and encourage the use of the online newspaper. Your fictional character? Nick Wilde from Zootopia because who wouldn’t want to live in Zootopia as a police officer?
JBCC Candidate Ellie Saunders Involvement in CISV: I a t t e n d e d a village when I was eleven in Norway, YM (14-15) in Rome, YM (16-18) in Lebanon, and this past summer I was a JC in Fredericton NB. I have also attended SBTF (2014 & 2015), NBM (2015), CanExUs (2015), and The Americas Jr. Branch meeting (2016).
Positions held in CISV: I have been on my local board since 2014 and I am currently the senior LJR of my chapter. Relevant experience outside of CISV: I work at mountain equipment co-op and where I am a product specialist, which means I have to help plan out what different departments will look like. I also help train new employees.
Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I love planning different projects surrounding JB that involve bettering communication. I have experience running meetings. I have also made many connections with other JBers in our region of the Americas and neighbourhood from attending CanExUs and AJBM. I am very enthusiastic about CISV and JB and I have become very passionate about executing projects that surround communication between JB Canada and the rest of the JB world. I want to help emphasize the importance of connecting and contributing to JB international especially from the local level. Why JBCC? I would like to be elected for this position because I would really like to be part of the Eh team this year and collaborate with the other members. I would also like to add more to the Canuck (the JB Canada blog), for example, publishing a newsletter every couple of months to help JB Canada stay connected as well as staying connected with JB international affairs. In addition to the articles that would be in the newsletter I would also include reminders and updates about different projects going on within JB. Along with my application I have a couple articles that I collected in the past couple of weeks, as an example of what I would like to do with the Canuck if I am elected. I would ideally have some sort of theme for each newsletter and hopefully receive articles from each chapter at some point throughout the year.
Ellie Continued JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? I think JB Canada’s strengths are that we have very strong leadership and this year there was very good commitment from the Eh team members. Another strength is that LJR’s receive a lot of training from our NJR’s to help our local chapters grow and develop. At NBM and SBTF we bond with other JBers from across the country. We collaborate and learn about best practices from other chapters, but something that JB Canada struggles with is staying in contact throughout the year. We make a lot of progress during trainings and meetings, but communication tends to decrease dramatically when we are apart. I would address these concerns if I were elected JBCC by working on continuing the project to create more town halls that can happen throughout the year. Running meetings with LJR’s or other local JB exec members to improve on communication and sharing of best practices throughout the year. Improvement in your position? I think that the role of JBCC needs a good definition and outline of the role. There is so much potential and room for creativity within this position and that is what drew me to it. The JBCC should be working hard for the publicity of JB Canada on a national and international scale. Not just to other CISVers, but it is also important to make JB Canada known to others organizations. In order for JB Canada to stay connected it requires more that just posts in the blog and that is why I have proposed the idea of a newsletter so that there are more articles not just written by JBers from Canada, but to assist in the connections to the different NA’s as well as our own. Here is a short example of some articles that I have collected as an example of what I would like to do with the JB Canada blog. If you can’t open it and you’re interested in reading please email me at elliesaundersemail@gmail.com. https://docs.google.com/document/d/ Your fictional character? I think I would be Phoebe from Friends. She is one of the most talented musicians that I’ve ever heard; I wish I could write songs like she does. I really like how real she is and that she doesn’t care what others think of her. Smelly cat is my all time favourite song.
Peace Bus Rep. Candidate Asa Ford Involvement in CISV: Village-Norway (2011), IYM-Costa Rica (2013), Peace Bus (2014), Step Up-New Zealand (2014/15), Step Up-Denmark (2015), Nat Camp-Freddy Beach (2015), JCIsrael (2016)
Positions held in CISV: M e m b e r at L a rg e, L N C C , L D C C , Communications, current Jr LJR
Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I think my time management and communication skills would help me a lot in this position. When planning a program like Peacebus you need to set deadlines and stick to those deadlines so that when the trip comes around everything is planned out and the participants can have the best experience possible. My communication skills will help in 2 ways. I will be able to communicate to other members on the Eh Team about the problems that might occur and reach out for suggestions. I will also be able to communicate with other chapters about how to get word out about our program.
Why Peace Bus Representative? I would like to be elected for this position because peacebus had a huge impact on my life and I want other people to experience the program. Peacebus inspired me to start volunteering in my community more and to start taking on a larger role on my JB. We always seem to struggle to get participants and leaders for peacebus so if I get elected I would really like to find a way to change our advertising strategies to really get people excited about peacebus.
Asa Continued JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? I think our strength is that we have a lot of passionate people who care about CISV Canda and are advocates for the organisation. Everyone seems to really care about their chapter and they want everyone to experience what we are. I think our weakness is getting more people involved in building a regional community and feeling connected to CISV Canada as a whole. If I got elected as peacebus rep I would push for the participants to learn more about our organisation and the similarities and differences between the chapters so that after the trip they feel inspired to become more involved in their local chapters and their JB and they feel connected with CISV Canada. I think peacebus is an amazing oppertunity to volunteer and make an impact on communities across the country but also the best oppertunity to show people what CISV Canada is all about and why everyone who chooses to take on big roles in their JB feels connected with people across the country.
Improvement in your position? I think the peacebus rep should really take charge in making sure the program gets advertised and they should really get people excited. I find that youth are better at influencing other youth so they should really take charge and make sure word gets out. Our advertising strategies don't always get us the interest we need so I think it is time to figure out new ways to get people excited and interested so we aren't desperate to find participants last minute. I also would like to see participants from each chapter instead of 3 people from the same chapter.
Your fictional character? I would be Sheldon Cooper from the big bang theory because he is so smart and analytical. He is also incredibly awkward but still managed to find friends who will stick by him no matter what.

DCC Candidate Tahara Briggs Involvement in CISV: Locally ● Participated in minicamps, monthly activities and fundraising committee since I was 10. ● Started planning and facilitating minicamps, monthly activities and fundraisers since I was 13. Nationally ● National Junior Board Meeting 2014 in Halifax ● Spring Board Training Forum 2015 in Toronto ● National Junior Board Meeting 2015 in Toronto ● Attending National Junior Branch Meeting this year in Saskatoon Regionally ● CanExUs 2015/2016 in Dallas, Texas ● Attending CanExUs 2016/2107 in Mexico City, Mexico Internationally ● Village in Hamburg, Germany in 2010 ● Interchange with Norway in 2013/2014 ● Step Up in Leeds, England in 2015 ● JC at a Village in Victoria in 2015 ● National Camp 2015 in Fredericton ● USA’s National Minicamp in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2016 Positions held in CISV: ● Member at Large 2012-2013 ● Merchandise and Fundraising 2013-2014 ● Incoming Local Junior Representative 2014-2015 ● Local Junior Representative 2015-2016 ● Outgoing Local Junior Representative 2016-2017 ● Head of the Fundraising Committee 2016-2017
Tahara Continued Relevant experience outside of CISV: I have experience in volunteering with the Free the Children club at the high school that I attend and planning fundraisers through that organization. I am also the head of the Environmental Club at Fredericton High School, my school. Currently I am planning a weekend long camp for youth full of educational activities that focus on Sustainable Development and Children's Rights through The New Brunswick Child and Youth Advocates Office.
Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I believe that I have some useful skills that will help contribute to my work on the National Junior Branch Executive. First off I consider myself a very hard-working individual. I set goals to accomplish projects so I don’t get overwhelmed and find that personally that helps me accomplish tasks. I also am a strong team player. I believe that teamwork is the best way to accomplish tasks and the Development Committee is the perfect example. It helps all the chapters work together and accomplish projects for CISV Canada. I work well with others and love hearing others ideas and gain inspiration from them. I also keep an open mind in my life and I think that this would help me when being creative and it will allow me to welcome all kinds of ideas and opinions. I am also very passionate about CISV. My passion creates motivation to focus on projects and accomplish them. One of CISV’s mottos is “learn by doing” and I am a strong believer in this. Every project and person is different and I think that it is very important to be able to be flexible and willing to roll with the punches that are thrown, which I am capable of doing. There’s only so much I can write about myself but it’s another thing to witness my work ethics and skills. An example of something that I have accomplished in the Junior Branch is that I have implemented a mandatory training session in January for Fredericton Junior Board members to participate in. The idea is to reflect on the first part of the year and create a plan for things that the Board would like to accomplish and also address any issues or conflicts that the Board may be facing. I encourage anyone reading this to either message me or email me (briggstahara@gmail.com) if you have any questions or would like more clarification!
Tahara Continued Why DCC? I would love to be elected to this position because I am not only passionate about CISV and evolving as an organization but I am also a project type of person. I love working on projects and seeing them evolve as well as the results both short term and long term. This is what the Development Committee Chair's position is all about! I have so many ideas for projects that could be great for CISV Canada, and would love to work with the other Development Committee Chair and Local Development Committee Coordinators and evolve ideas that each person presents as well as brainstorm as a team. Although I have never been a part of the Executive team I think that that would not affect the work that I contribute to the team. I also understand the commitment of the role and feel that I am in a point in my life where I am able to commit to the role. I am ready to go above and beyond the role description and what is asked. Although this role is just for one year I am going to be committed to this projects until they are completely finished and going to be following them in the future as well! I also understand that not only am I going to be working on projects as a Development Committee Chair, but I will also be responsible for being a regional liaison for one of the regions here in Canada as well as contributing to Executive meetings!
JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? In my opinion I think that JB Canada has A LOT of strengths but also some weaknesses. A strength that I believe JB Canada posses is that we have such passionate CISVers. JBers in Canada are what keep the organization running and it is very important to acknowledge all the hard working youth and chapters in Canada. A weakness that JB Canada has is that, geographically, everyone is very far away from one another and this can lead to a disconnect between chapters. Although I cannot physically pull Halifax closer to Victoria, we can through social media and technology! We are in a new and great age where we have the world at our fingertips and we need to make use of it more than we already are. An example of something that we can do is update and maintain a Facebook group for all JBers in Canada. This gives us the opportunity to connect with people that are not from our chapter or region. It creates a forum for passionate JBers to get even more involved and have an active JB Canada that aren’t only at times of the National Junior Branch Meeting or the Spring Board Training Forum. Another weakness then JB Canada has is that our regional connections are weak. Regional liaisons are an amazing idea however they need to do more than just relay information that’s come from the Executive Board. We need to create a way to connect regions more efficiently and have a database of ideas that will help us accomplish that. It could be from a regional minicamp to even a regional skype meeting with the Junior Boards from each chapter. There is an endless amount of solutions for these problems and I look forward to working with others to implement some of them!
Tahara Continued Improvement in your position? I love the role of the Development Committee Chairs because it is a position that implements projects that you can see the effects of. It is a position that you not only talk the talk but you also walk the walk. Over the past couple years I’ve noticed a lack of follow through with the projects. In no way is this the fault of the former Development Committee Chairs! If I am elected as a Development Committee Chair I would like to work more with the Local Development Committee Coordinators and try and get the chapters in Canada more involved with the projects that are being done. If everyone worked together this would eliminate the Development Committee Chairs being overworked and overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done. This could lead to having more extravagant projects and maybe even having more throughout the year!
Your fictional character? This is such a difficult question because there is an number of fictional characters that I would want to be if given the chance, SO I decided to leave it up to Buzzfeed. I took a quiz called “Which Strong Female Character Are You?” After some time of self reflection, weighing pros and cons and decision making, I was given my result. I got that I am most like Olivia Pope from Scandal. Being given qualities that Olivia Pope possesses I do find that I identify with her and wouldn’t mind being her. Although she faces a lot of obstacles, she always overcomes them and becomes stronger because of them and that is a quality that I would like to experience on such a regular basis. Plus she is pretty awesome and strong female lead.
DCC Candidate Evelyn Hein Involvement in CISV: Eastbound Peacebus 2012 National Camp 2013 and 2014 CanExUs 2014 JC in Toronto (holla) 2015 Seminar in Budapest, Hungary 2016 I’ve also went to SBTF 2015 and a few NBMs
Positions held in CISV: JB Halifax Mosaic Coordinator 2013/2014 JB Halifax Jr. LJR 2014/2015 JB Canada Junior Branch Peacebus Representative 2014/2015 JB Canada External Communications Coordinator 2015/2016 CISV Halifax Local Peacebus Coordinator 2015/2016, 2016/2017
Relevant experience outside of CISV: I’m a newly elected member of my house council at Acadia University (Go ECR!!), and I help plan activities to bring house members together and to raise their house spirit/pride Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I’m very good at gathering ideas and coming up with compromises. This would help my work on the National JB Executive because as DCC, you work with the Junior Branch Development Committee to come up with projects and to execute the projects. Not everyone has the same vision for projects or the same goals so it’s important to be able to problemsolve and come up with a compromise that pleases everyone! Why DCC? I want to be elected for DCC because I want to continue to help JB Canada along the path that its been heading recently. Over the years, I’ve seen the DCCs do some pretty amazing things in this position. Development Committee projects are aimed to help Canada better itself, and this means everything from raising funds to uniting the chapters. We’re lucky to have such amazingly diverse chapters all over our country, but this can make it difficult for us to work together. Unlike many CISV countries, our chapters aren’t always a couple hours drive away from each other. I want to be a DCC because I would love to help to further connect and strengthen chapters, as a whole unit and as individuals.
Evelyn Continued JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? I think one of JB Canada’s strengths is the amazing training we receive. We have a great opportunity to learn from each other, in person, at SBTF every spring. This is amazing because it allows chapters give others chapters advice on what works well for them, and to learn from other chapters as well. I think one of our biggest weaknesses is communication in between national events, SBTF and NBM. Yes, we may communicate with the other chapter(s) in our region, but not very often does a chapter reach out to one not in their area. Canada has the potential to work together so very well, and part of that comes from good, constant communication. I would address this in my role as DCC by helping to foster open communication through the Development Committee project. I would really like to work with the JBDC to find a way to help JB Canada open the lines of communication more, whether that be through virtual meetings, working documents or something else. Improvement in your position? For as long as I can remember, DCC projects have always been something that magically show up at NBM, like the song book or the cookbook. Every few months you might get an update from your LDCC, or get asked to submit something, but from my experience, that’s it. I want to try to include as many people from JB Canada in the creation and execution of development projects as possible, through the LDCCs especially, but also through other methods. I believe that the continued development of JB Canada will come from collaborating with people from all levels and backgrounds of CISV, not just Junior Board executives, but chapter members as well.
Your fictional character? If I could be a fictional character, I would want to be Olivia Pope because 1) she kills it in Scandal and 2) I took a Buzzfeed quiz before I watched Scandal, a way long time ago, and it told me I would be her and it’s been my dream ever since is started the show.
DCC Candidate Troy Martin Involvement in CISV: I have done a Village to Sweden in 2010, a StepUp to Norway in 2013, National Camps in Victoria, Waterloo, and Toronto in 2011-2013 respectively, as well as multiple SBTFs, 3 NBMs, and many many regional/ local Minicamps.
Positions held in CISV: I was the Risk Manager for Ottawa for one year, the LJR for two years, and then the RM again. I am currently the Internal Communications Coordinator (ICC) on the Eh Team!
Relevant experience outside of CISV: I have had loads of leadership experiences out of CISV. I played a big role in student leadership when I was in high school, and during that time I ran two conferences for the school board with a focus of using your voice to convey messages to actively improve your school and community. Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I am an effective communicator who like to ask questions and make sure that everyone is doing all okay. As well, I am organized in the sense that I am top of my work and ensuring that I'm always offering to help others if they need it. I'm really good at keeping myself on task and I am also very dedicated and focused when it comes to important tasks. As well, I love teamwork and I know from being on the Eh Team this past year that the Eh Team is the best team out there! Why DCC? I want to be elected for this position because being DCC allows for great connections to be made through all the different chapters. Having contributions made from chapters all across Canada builds a sense of community and working for a common project can help bond our NA better! Good DCC projects can be fun to participate in, be very educational, and sometimes allows for change and I want to help put these kinds of projects into action.
Troy Continued JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? I think one of our strengths as a national JB is how good we are at continuing the learning and connection on a local scale. From what I see, all of the amazing folks across the country have so much to share locally! We take the ideas we learn from things like Nat Camp, NBM, and SBTFs back to our chapters and continually build off that knowledge. What I think could be improved upon is our involvement in things like international projects and activities, or even just activities on the local and national scale and finishing/really finding ways to continue with and implement the things we learn at national events.. I would address these by finding ways to create and share/promote activities and projects that JB Canada is interested in and is passionate about. When chapters are passionate about a certain subject, they are more likely to follow it through to its finish, something I think that Canada could easily do.
Improvement in your position? I think that more people should know about the COOL things that the DCCs and LDCCs are up to. One way of doing this would be to create a platform that allows JB Canada to see what we are up to. Whether that be more activity on the Facebook page, a new site, or something else, I think there could be more involvement from a variety of chapters. As well, making sure that the projects are diverse; not just a year long project but maybe a project that spans a few generations of DCCs!
Your fictional character? Probably Mushu from Mulan. One, because he is my fav Disney character from my fav Disney movie. But he can also breathe fire and his best friend is a lucky cricket, and considering I’m a clumsy person I could use a little more luck now and then. Lastly and, maybe most importantly, I would get to say, “ DISHONOUR ON YOU, DISHONOUR ON YOUR COW”
DCC Candidate Sam Sosnowski Involvement in CISV: Village 2008, Interchange 2009, SBTF 2013, JC 2014, Seminar Camp 2015, NBM 2013-2014
Positions held in CISV: Publicity&Communications (JB), Treasurer (JB), Jr.&Sr. LJR
Relevant experience outside of CISV: Tech Direction in theatre environments – experience in initiating and leading projects to be carried out as a team
Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I feel as if over the years I’ve honed my organizational, and time management skills – something that every leadership role can benefit from. I have successfully been able to lead teams in several environments – both CISV and outside of CISV. With that experience I think I could build an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone while pushing the boundaries of what we’re capable of. (I’d also like to note that I think I’m funny and that’s a huge addition but my friends say I’m lame so I guess we’ll find out).
Why DCC? First of all, I have been disconnected from CISV for the past year or so after I moved to go to University, so I felt that applying to the Eh Team would be a great way to get involved! Of all the positions on the Eh Team I really like DCC because I always believe it’s important to improve when moving forward. DCC offers CISV Canada an opportunity to do just that by uniting the chapters together in a common goal. A national project can be so much more than something that we work on together, but something that challenges CISV’s weaknesses and improves on them.
Sam Continued
JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? I think CISV is one of the greatest organizations out there (a little biased I know), because some of it’s biggest strengths are bringing people together in comradery in a time of conflict. I don’t think I can stress enough to my friends who don’t know CISV how important it is especially in our time for everyone to be more united than divided. That being said, CISV has often operated as an opportunity for mostly higher class people of the world, and doesn’t have a lot of programs that offer direct action. Although that is part of the philosophy of CISV, that doesn’t mean it always has to be. We must continue to challenge the norms of the organization and maybe make some different decisions based around the organizations core values.
Improvement in your position? As I said, I think there’s always room for improvement. Perhaps we could launch projects for more than just Canadian chapters as well. Some CISV countries are still very different – would all countries participate in an LGBTQA+ activity? Perhaps our projects could generate discussion among the international community. I think if elected into the position I would be able to help brainstorm some excellent ideas for the Development Committee to spearhead.
Your fictional character? Uh, Genie from Aladdin because DUH. First of all who wouldn’t want to be a Genie, but also you get to be best friends with a rug so… YOU AIN’T NEVA HAD A FRIEND LIKE MEEE! :3
Jr. Risk Manager Candidate Cameron Moffat Involvement in CISV: Countless Minicamps, and activities Halifax National Camp 2013- 2014 – Toronto, Victoria Junior Councillor 2014-15 - Brazil SBTF 2013 – Calgary NBM 2013, 2014, 2015 – Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto
Positions held in CISV: Halifax LJR 2013-2015 Halifax Treasurer 2015-2016 Halifax LDCC 2013-2015 DCC 2014-2017 (14 month terms)
Skills that would contribute to National JB Exec: I am dedicated to CISV and care a lot about risk management, I also am good at time management and I am familiar with the Eh team and the NJRM Position.
Why National Jr. Risk Manager? I have enjoyed the last two years as DCC, but I have always looked at the NJRM position as something I would like to do. As LJR and as a part of the Halifax chapter, I found that at times not everyone was up to date with the risk management, or understood the new protocols so I would like to be elected as I would improve this, because Risk is something that everyone should have knowledge on not just a few Jbers in each chapter.
Cam Continued JB Canada strengths and weaknesses? JB Canada is quite strong in national events such as NBM, SBTF, and National Camp. The programs are really well planned and effective in reaching their goals. On the other hand, JB Canada can improve on local training as it is hard for local risk managers, and other JBers who have not travelled to SBTF or NBM to be trained, and be up to date on risk management policies. So I will make sure as NJRM to put an update at the end of my monthly Eh team update.
Improvement in your position? I see room for improvement as NJRM in communication, between the NJRM and Chapters, as well as LJRs. Although the NJRM meets with local risk managers, risk management is something that everyone should have training in. I would as NJRM make sure there is more resources available for chapters, as well I would have a Town Hall meeting for all JBers so that if there are any topics or questions that need to be discussed, and answered they can be.
Your fictional character? If I could be a fictional character I would be the Flash, as I could be really productive during the day, and traveling would be easy as I could just run to each location.