 
2015-2016 Eh Team Candidates Information Package
National Junior Representative
Santana Briggs What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? Village 2008 – Mexico Interchange 2010-11 – Italy Step Up 2012 – Sweden Kitchen Staff at Village 2013 – Fredericton Junior Counsellor 2014 – Netherlands National Camp 2015 – Fredericton What positions have you held in CISV? JB Fredericton Jr. LJR 2010-11 JB Fredericton LJR 2011-12 JB Fredericton Past LJR 2012-13 JB Fredericton Secretary 2013-14 JB Fredericton Local National Camp Coordinator 2013-14 JB Fredericton Acting LJR 2014 JB Canada National Camp Coordinator 2014-15 JB Canada Regional Liaison: Montreal – Ottawa 2014-15 JB Canada Acting Regional Liaison: Fredericton – Halifax 2015
What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? Acadia Band Camp Counsellor, July 2015 Resident Assistant, Acadia University 2015-16 Why do you want to be NJR? I have wanted to be NJR since the last NBM in Halifax. I got to see first hand how the NJRs were able to connect all the local Junior Branches in Canada and I want to be a part of that. Working on the Eh Team has given me a wider view of JB Canada and seeing it grow has been amazing. When I was thirteen I joined the local board in Fredericton, and I want to make being involved on a local and national level as great as my NJRs made it for me.
What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? I think that my enthusiasm and passion for CISV would contribute to my work on the Eh Team. I love everything CISV, and after working this past year as Nat Camp Coordinator, my enthusiasm has just grown. It has even become an issue in my personal life. Whenever I mention CISV, my friends roll their eyes and start to ignore me because I talk about it so often (Which does nothing to actually deter me from talking about it).
What would you improve in the current JB Canada structure? Please be specific. To improve JB Canada, I want to work with the Development Committee Coordinators (DCCs) to create projects focused on the local chapters. Every year, the DCCs come up with these amazing projects that have a huge reach, so I would love to use that to come up with projects that involve and improve the JB on a local level. I would also like to create a survey for the local chapters to figure out what they want from the Eh Team and the best ways we can work with them.
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? Although I’m bad for procrastination, the thing I procrastinate most is schoolwork. I actually do CISV work to put it off. I’ve been juggling school, life, and CISV since I was thirteen, and I would really like to keep doing it!
What is your vision for JB Canada over the next two years? Please be specific. I really want to put the focus back on the local chapters. I think they are a huge part of the success of CISV Canada and I want to figure out more ways to support them. I want to work with the Eh Team (especially the DCCs) to develop projects that work for the JB on both the local and national level. I am so proud of what we have accomplished this past year and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
If you were a marine animal, what animal would you be? Why? I would be a manatee, because they are laid back and chill, but also know how to feed themselves and function as mammals. They also look like they just float through the water all day, which is something I would be down to do. They are basically the dogs of the sea. I mean, look at this!
Internal Communications Coordinator (ICC)
Troy Martin What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? 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, NBMs, What positions have you held in CISV? I was the Risk Manager for Ottawa for one year, the LJR for two years, and currently I am a member-at-large/partial risk manager/past chair. What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? I love communicating with others and making sure everyone is okay, so I think I'd work really well on the EhTeam. As well, I am organized in the sense that I like to make sure 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.
What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? I have had loads of leadership experiences out of CISV. I am taking my school's leadership program for the third year (Gr. 10-12) and play a large role in school leadership. I have also run two conferences for my school board with a focus of using your voice to convey messages to actively improve your school and community.
Why do you want to be elected for this position? I would love to be voted into this position because I love communication and keeping Canada in contact with one another. I think it's super important to have all of the chapters knowing what's happening in the other chapters to better build up the community of JB Canada. There's so much that can be done when everyone communicates and that is one of the
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? I see room for some improvement in the upkeep of JB Canada's blog, The Canuck. I think it would be really cool to have constant update from the chapters continuing throughout the whole year. Also, seeing every chapter send out and receive postcards successfully would be like getting a puppy for Christmas.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? 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! I really do feel that Canada would be even stronger if things like fundraising ideas, cool activities, and just awesome stories could be shared better. I think that the majority of the chapters' populations who don't know much about other chapters should know just how great the rest of the country is. People like new members should immediately feel welcomed on both a local and national scale. I would address these by sending out cool (at least I hope they'd be cool) newsletters and national updates from the chapters to allow others to know what the rest of the country is up to. Also I'd love to help facilitate discussions between chapters in concern to what they can help each other with. If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? COFFEE CRISP. First off it's my favourite chocolate bar, so that's a biggie. Secondly, it's important to know that I actually don't drink coffee. I am, however, usually very energetic and outgoing, two attributes that I believe people desire when they drink coffee. So basically I'm a Coffee Crisp because I usually have the personality of an energetic coffee drinker.
Internal Communications Coordinator (ICC) What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? 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
Theo Giesen Why do you want to be elected for this position? 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.
What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? Worked in parliamentary government (leadership skills) What positions have you held? LDCC, LJR, member on the Pathways working group.
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? 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.
What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? 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.
If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? I think that if I were a chocolate bar, I would be a Snickers bar. I'm a laugher; it's who I am. I laugh at just about everything, even my own jokes. It's kind of a loud, annoying laugh that doesn't exactly fit in, but it's what I got. In terms of what the bar actually is, a Snickers looks pretty average on the outside. That's not to say it doesn't look appetizing, but it's not something that blows you away. Once you break through the surface, you're taken back by the addicting combination of sweet, soft caramel and the crunchy peanuts that make the bar memorable. This question really makes me sound over-confident, I'm sorry.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? 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 Eh-Team 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.
External Communications Coordinator (ECC) What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? I h ave p a r t i c i p a te d i n Peacebus, two National Camps, was a JC at a Village, Attended CanExUs, SBTF and NBM as well as local and national training.
What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? Outside of CISV, I am the NSSSA (Nova Scotia Secondary School Students Association) representative for my school, and am in charge of keeping the students in my school informed about the goings on of the NSSSA and coordinating participants for the various conferences the NSSSA holds.
What positions have you held? In the past, I have held the position of Halifax’s Mosaic Coordinator. Presently, I am the Junior Peacebus Representative, CISV Halifax’s Peacebus Coordinator and JB Halifax’s Jr. LJR.
Why do you want to be elected for this position? I want to be elected for the position of ECC because I believe I can help JB Canada connect with LMOs/other JBs and form better relationships than we have ever had before. This is the perfect position to do that because it is all about communicating with people who are not involved in our Junior Board.
Evelyn Hein Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? I see room for improvement in the Canuck. I believe that with the right exposure, more traffic and content going up regularly, the Canuck could become even greater than it is right now. It could become a tool for JB Canada to use to connect with each other and to keep everyone informed about what’s going on in Canada.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role?
What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive?
I think one of JB Canada’s strengths are communicating within ourselves. Personally, I find that as local JBs, we communicate with each other very well. My chapter does so much within our region and we work very well with Fredericton and I have heard that many regions are in similar circumstances. One of our weaknesses is communicating with external organizations/ JBs/ people. I would address this in my role as ECC by helping our local JBs connect with people outside of our organization. I would achieve this by contacting LMOs and giving local JBs the tools to get in contact with LMOs and getting the word about CISV out to more people. Hopefully, this will create opportunities for Mosaics or partnerships across the country.
I am a very organized person. I always have an agenda with me to help me plan and stay on track. This would help my work on the National JB executive because it is very important to have relevant information at hand, all the time. Specifically related to the position of ECC, organizational skills are very important because you need to have structure in the way you store information for the Canuck and you need to be able to respond to emails in a timely manner. I am also a good communicator. This helps because you do not have the luxury of seeing the other members of the JB Executive or people you are working with in person very often. This can lead to confusion and misunderstandings if you do not communicate ideas and responsibilities well.
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? I see room for improvement in the Canuck. I believe that with the right exposure, more traffic and content going up regularly, the Canuck could become even greater than it is right now. It could become a tool for JB Canada to use to connect with each other and to keep everyone informed about what’s going on in Canada.
If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? I would be M&Ms because they come in all sorts of different forms. You can have classic M&Ms, peanut or almond M&Ms, an M&M chocolate bar and M&M ice cream. There’s an M&M for every mood!
Development Committee Chair (DCC)
Cameron Moffatt What positions have you held? LJR, 2013-15 Treasure 2015- present LDCC, 2013-2014 DCC, 2014-15
What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? Environment Steward
What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? Why do you want to be elected for this position? I have enjoyed being DCC for the past year the experience has been incredible. As DCC you collaborate with JBers all across Canada to create an amazing projects. The process of making the cookbook has been amazing, and working on the Eh Team has been too. I would like to be DCC as although there a lot of work, it is extremely rewarding.
SBTF 2013 (Calgary) NBM 2013,14, 15 (Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto) National Camp 2013, 14 (Toronto, Victoria) JC, 2014-15 (Brazil) Dozens of CISV Halifax Activities, Minicamps, and Cookie-athons What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? I am dedicated, responsible, and I have good time management skills, and I am also familiar with the position, so I know the requirements.
If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? I would be Gingerbread Cookie, as I am unique, energetic and Ginger. I am also the one Gingerbread who eludes the fox.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? JB Canada has extremely strong national events and projects, such as the awesome national camp this year in Fredericton, and SBTF in Calgary; however, communication between chapters all year round is limited and can be improved. To solve this issue, as a DCC I would offer more CISV Canada wide drop-in discussion based meeting to increase communication between chapters.
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? I feel that the position of DCC is really well established; however, the position has the hard task of getting submissions that fully represent the scope of CISV Canada, and JB Canada. I think with more communication between chapters year round it would be easier to get submissions from every chapter if they are participating in regular events, not just the LDCC’s. This would improve the DCC position, as well as making the projects more diverse.
Development Committee Chair (DCC)
Maia Kachan
What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? Participated in Debate/Public Speaking/Spoken Word Competitive Badminton Player (Canada Games Alternate), volunteer coach and umpire
What positions have you held?
All positions as part of JB Halifax Activities Co-ordinator2009-2010 LJR- 2010-early 2014
What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? Village- 2008 in Denmark Step Up- 2011/2012 in New Zealand JC- 2013 in Finland NBM- 2010, 2011, 2012 SBTF- 2011
What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? Communication As a humanities/social science student, I am confidently able communicate through speaking and writing. This would be helpful in Eh Team meetings, submitting updates to the Canuck, and generally pestering JB’s with emails. Also, I’m literally on my phone/computer ALL THE TIME, so I’m really accessible and am good at getting back to people. CISV Experience As a member of the JB Halifax Board for 6 years, as well as a JC, I have lots of experience planning activities, and programs. This includes a yearly JB Board training event that happened in Halifax. I feel this would be useful in planning the DCC session for SBTF. Additionally, just sitting on a board for a long time is useful in knowing the structure of what meetings are like, balancing people’s opinions and working respectfully with a group. Teamwork Since DCC is a position which 2 people role, I feel the ability to work positively with others is a significant quality that would make me successful in this position. Playing competitive badminton, I learned how to work effectively with many different partners to strategize and play well together. Even if we didn’t get along or agree, I know I am able to work with almost anyone to achieve a common goal. I think my strong communication skills will be a big asset in working with someone, especially living elsewhere in the world.
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? Overall, it seems like the DCC’s this past year have done an awesome job at running a lot of amazing programs across Canada! I think one thing that might be effective is some sort of online forum where local chapters can submit ideas on projects they would like to see the DCC’s do, and make the priorities of the DCC’s be even more engaged with what JB’s in Canada want. Utilizing the creative minds of all the awesome people in JB Canada I think would help us come up with even more awesome projects!
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? One of the strengths that I’ve seen in CISV Canada, even like 5 years ago when I first got involved, was the amazingly smart and motivated people working to achieve a common goal. I think the tight knit and enthusiastic community that JB Canada has is really awesome. I think that communication is something that can always be improved upon, and as a DCC and someone very technologically engaged I think finding lines of communication that may be more effective than email (ie text, Facebook, etc.), and also following up if people don’t seem engaged, are ways I could help with this.
Why do you want to be elected for this position? I was part of the first JB board in Halifax, and as LJR for 4 years really got to play a big part in it’s development as a JB. I thought I would be a good fit for DCC because I’ve done a lot of local chapter development, and taking that to a larger, national scale would be really rewarding for me. I haven’t been very involved in CISV at all since I stepped down as LJR in early 2014, mainly due to the IB program in school and my commitment to high level sports. Being in university and without such a time consuming extracurricular, I really want to get If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would involved in CISV again. Finally, I feel like now as you be? Why? an 18 year old I have well developed enough communication and organizational skills to I would probably have to say kettle corn, because a) it’s literally the contribute to the Eh Team in a successful way, best food on this planet and b) I would say I am good at listening to and I think it would be super fun to work with all types of different ideas and integrating a lot of opinions into such a cool and smart group of individuals from something super awesome (like sweet and salty kettle corn) around Canada.
National Camp Coordinator (NCC)
Dimi Strathopolous What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? Village – 2009 (Norway) IYM – 2011 (Costa Rica) Step Up – 2013 (Vancouver, BC) National Camp – 2014 (Victoria, BC) What positions have you held? 2011 – Member at Large 2012 – Secretary 2013 – Risk Manager 2014 – Jr. Chair 2015 – Senior Chair What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? Competitive Soccer (7 years) (Leadership Skills)
What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? Over the 7 years I have been in CISV I have been actively involved in the London chapter I have strong leadership skills because of being on the JB Exec Board for five years now, and I know how to get others involved. I understand that a leader needs to know when to take charge and when to delegate jobs to other people. I believe I have enough background knowledge and skills to prosper in this position.
Why do you want to be elected for this position? Ever since last year, which was my first NBM, I have always looked up to the members of the Eh-Team. The Eh-Team is something I would be honoured to be on. I want to be NCC so I can help run an amazing national camp for all of the JB of Canada. Not everyone can or wants to travel international so I want to ensure they have the greatest time at our next upcoming National Camp. Plus I think it is a great way for all Canadian cisvers to connect and go to camp together.
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? I believe communication is the key to having a great national camp. My goal is to stay well connected to all the LNCC to ensure the camp is well promoted and that there is a great turn out from all chapters. Santana did an amazing job last year coordinating the camp and if elected I hope to the same.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? I believe one our weaknesses is our enthusiasm and participation throughout the year. After NBM everyone is very pumped to have a great year but I find it slowly decreases as each month goes by, For example, during the first few months after the Eh-Team decided to do make an activity where all the chapters sent postcards to one other, our chapter received quiet a lot at the beginning but slowing after time the postcards stopped coming. I think it is important for us to all maintain the enthusiasm we have after NBM throughout the whole year to ensure everything we do is completed with our 110% effort. Our greatest strength in my opinion is our national events (NBM/SBTF/National Camp) These events are a great way to educate and connect all chapters. These events are well planned and executed. I have personally been to all three of these national events and want to be part of making these events as awesome and successful as the years I went.
If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? I would be an O’Henry bar since it is has many layers which all have different flavours and textures in them. The outside of the chocolate bar is pretty average looking but once you break through the outer layer you’re overwhelmed with sweet caramel and crunchy nuts. I am very similar to an O’Henry bar I have all sorts of layers to me and I try to satisfy all the needs people have.
Peace Bus Representative
Jack Campbell What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? On the Toronto Junior Board. Programs: Village 2010, PeaceBus 2013, National Camp 2014 & 2015 What positions have you held? What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? None come to mind
Member of Toronto Junior Board
What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? I’m very organized, and I love to work on projects that interest me. I’m usually pretty good at responding/doing things in a timely fashion. I’ve been on my local JB for almost four years now so I have lots of experience.
Why do you want to be elected for this position? In 2013 I was lucky enough to be a part of the PeaceBus program and I absolutely loved every minute. The thought of being able to help put something so special together is very exciting to me. I have also been on the Toronto JB for several years and I am looking for a position on something so that I can further my involvement in CISV.
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? I don’t really know what former holders of this position have done, I don’t even know who my potential predecessor is, but from this role I hope to provide valuable knowledge about the PeaceBus trip, having been a participant myself, and complete any tasks the organizers need me to.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? I don’t know a whole lot about JB Canada since I’ve never really been a part of it or been to NBM or SBTF (although I am going to the next NBM). But from my view of JB CANADA, I think it’s biggest strength is the strong leadership and involvement of the youth. As far as weaknesses go I can’t really say that I know of very many.
If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? Probably a Kit Kat bar because they are amazing little wafers wrapped in chocolate and so delicious. I would have said Coffee Crisp because that’s my favourite chocolate bar, but that would probably infer that I like to drink Coffee, which I don’t, so I think Kit Kat is probably more representative of me.
Peace Bus Representative
What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? Village in Ohio 2009, Peacebus 2012, JC in Vienna 2014, Seminar in Chattanooga,USA 2015
What positions have you held? Sr LJR 2014, Jr LJR 2013, LDCC 2013, Secretary 2012 What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? I am‌ Organized, responsible, respectful, straightforward, communicative
Anna Shearing What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? N/A
Why do you want to be elected for this position? I really loved PeaceBus when I was a participant and would love to be able to partake in the planning. I would also love to speak on behalf of the JB. I have partaken in CISV for eight years and have found that I am never quite as happy as when I am working within the organization.
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? In this role I believe that as much as the planning and position is behind close doors, I would hope to create a more open door objective. Allow to have more input from chapters as well as get more information out about what’s happening.
If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? I would be all the chocolate. Because I can’t decide which chocolate bar is better. And why? Because I love chocolate, and chocolate is life.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? I think our strength is in our sense of community. Even though we are so spread out we make great efforts to stay connected and socialize on more than just a local level. I believe our weakness falls in that we do not have a union of communication. Lots of things are discussed at National Meetings that don’t make it back to a practiced level within the local community. This can include projects or teachings. So as much as we are connected socially with a community-oriented nation, we also don’t have the communication to further this nor help it (necessarily) reach from coast to coast. As the PeaceBus representative I hope to be able to engage the chapters more in the production and events that PeaceBus is offering. I also hope to get more of a survey of what peoples likes and dislikes were so that I can better approach speaking on behalf of JB Canada.
Peace Bus Representative
Mykal Bakker-Westeinde What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? Local: ~12 minicamps National: Nat Camp 2014, Peacebus 2013 International: Village 2010 (Norway), Interchange 2012 (Sweden)
What positions have you held? Member at large, CISV Ottawa chapter (2015)
What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? -I am a good speaker and have lots of ideas to contribute to discussions -I am a good worker and I get things done -I am very passionate about PeaceBus
What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? N/A
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? Although Peace bus is an amazing program, it struggles to fill its seats almost every year. There is a lot more awareness of other CISV programs (village, step-up, interchange, etc.) among JBers than of peace bus and I think that getting the word out about peace bus among the JB is an area where improvement is needed.
If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? I would be a peanut butter cup because making people happy is a good thing, and what better way is there to make people happy than with the best combination of food ever? (chocolate and peanut butter)
Why do you want to be elected for this position? I did peace bus in 2013, and it was the best experience of my life. I would like to be elected for this position to help others participate in such an amazing program, so that they too can have such a life-changing trip.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? Strengths: Strong national involvement, good communication and good organization of national programs (nat camp, Peacebus) Weaknesses: Honestly, I don’t know much about JB Canada, and I think that local members should be more informed about the amazing people that run CISV nationally.
Junior Risk Manager (JRM)
Nell Sommerville What is your involvement in CISV Programmes? As a participant: Village in Germany, Step-Up, three National Camps, and an Interchange What positions have you held? Junior and senior risk manager as well as secretary
What relevant non-CISV experience do you have? I was involved in Girl Guides for ten years, and I'm a lifeguard and swim instructor
What skills do you have that would contribute to your work on the National JB Executive? I'm friendly and easy to talk to, I'm very organized. I care a lot about CISV and about risk management. My training as a lifeguard has made me begin to look two steps ahead of every choice and every action, which can help in discussing risk management policies and how they are carried out within my chapter and other chapters in Canada.
Where do you see room for improvement in the position that you’re running for? I'd like to see entire chapters involved in seeking out more information about risk management and making suggestions as to how we can do better, not just the risk manager. Risk is everyone's business after all, and I think when communication is limited to just one person within the JB the rest will feel cut off and uninformed.
What do you think are JB Canada’s strengths and weaknesses? How would you address these in your role? Canadian junior boards are very enthusiastic about their roles, but I think that there is a lot to improve in communication. Risk managers especially should all know the policies and the reasons for these policies inside and out, and know when things are updated or added. I would work on having more informative and accessible resources, as well as changing the duties of junior risk managers.
Why do you want to be elected for this position? I've been involved in CISV for a huge chunk of my life, I know what does and does not work, and I know how it can be made better and more safe for everyone involved. I think that, if elected I will be able to keep risk managers on junior boards across Canada more informed and aware of our policies as well as sharing ideas they have with people that can change the way things are done.
If you were a chocolate bar/candy/junk food, what would you be? Why? A Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, because I'm pretty great unless you leave me in a hot car for too long. Then I'm just a big 'ol mess.