IJB Thinks #12: The Time Machine
Planet Earth, July 2009. [to be re-released in 2014]
The Editor Notes:
You Are Here. by Maru Ayam
As my final opus as IJB Thinks Editor gets its finishing touches, I get this urge to go back to the beginning. What did I write in the previous editorials? First it was Finding the Balance, then came Opposites Attract, continuing on to Shuffle Lifestyle. And now, now You Are Here. Welcome. In this Edition you will find articles about change, about history, about passions and about expectations. Almost a year ago, before moving from Buenos Aires to Madrid, a good friend told me that I was suffering from the traveller's syndrome. A not-so-rare disease, he defined it as that tendency we humans show to hold on to small things from our past, right before making drastic changes in our lives. We refuse to let go of details and we make them indispensable: because life apparently couldn't keep on functioning without that dear cafe where we read and had infinite capuccinos, without that old lover, without that childhood friend, without that favourite restaurant... and it can. Nothing is indispensable really, other than our essences. We unconsciously fall on the treacherous traps of the traveller's syndrome and suddenly we're convinced that it's the end of the world. Good news: it's not. At least for now. But naturally, even if this is the last number of IJB Thinks that I edit as the year comes to an end, I behave like the syndrome dictates and I go back to my old editorial pieces. What has changed in me throughout these months? What has changed in IJB Thinks' readers? What has changed in our global movement? The answers to these questions would be endless... and things do come to an end. Today, I shall get rid of this syndrome – just watch me go! Finding the Balance, first editorial stage-fright. Work and play, action and rest, envisioning and acting – it's essential that we can balance the elements in our lives. When it comes to JB, I consider this equilibrium to be indispensable: to what extent are we willing to look into the past and ignore our present's challenges, opportunities and peculiarities? And are we willing to give in to idealistic dreams and drown in their inmensity, forgetting to take things one step at a time and actually performing some concrete actions? There's a midpoint for everything, and I think that balancing how much we peer over our shoulder or how much try to catch the horizon on our tiptoes is no exception. I've been a JBer since 2003. Thinking about the crazy and creative changes IJB has gone through, how it has been clarified and presented to its members and to the rest of the organisation, how dynamic it has become in the last six years... I'm tempted to predict that these transformations will increase exponentially in the 5 years to come. This makes me excited, anxious and a bit of a traveller given that I know I won't be there to witness it.
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JBers of 2009, JBers of 2014, I guess the question is: are we letting go enough, or are we being travellers? Are we helping bridge generations, or are we drifting them apart? Do we know what's indispensable and what constitutes our essences? This is it, IJB Thinks #12: The Time Machine – an excuse to go back to our pasts, presents and futures. An attempt to "immortalise" our purpose and make sure people still work for it with the same passion as we do. A collection of reflections on what these indispensable essences are. I hope in 2014 JB is a thriving global, engaged, youthled movement. I’ll be looking forward to go to a 2014-JBer’s house with my current local JB friends, meet some inspiring JBers, open a Time Machine and share stories, dreams and cake. Chocolate and dulce de leche cake, do you reckon it will be their favourite too? You Are Here. We are here. And we don't need those big signs to tell us this, do we?
What’s inside? The Editor Notes: Opposites Attract, by Maru Ayam
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on stories and experiences Be Creative, Seek the Change, by Cande Lucero The Importance of Tolerance, by Carlos Anliker
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on advice and envisioning In the Year 2000, by Martin Rottler No Possible Advice, by José Viana Baptista What if we really work together?, by Rowan El Shimi Active Influences, by Kate Smith Bridging the Gap, by Quinn Porter
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on theories Just a Theory, by Katrina Baraquiel Ideas that Never Die, by Daniel Nunes The Idea of Alter(natives), by Kelly Lynn Bowden
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Blast from the Past, submitted by IJB IJB Thinks & Thanks
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Be Creative, Seek the Change by Cande Lucero Imagine doing the same things over and over again. Gets kind of boring, right? Especially if you are not enjoying it 100%. Something of the sort happened in JB Buenos Aires. (We call it JB Argentina right now but who knows... maybe in five years from now we have more than one chapter! Future readers, you tell me.) As I was saying, JB Buenos Aires was going through one of those moments. We needed to change our image. We needed to go for what we wanted to and not for what we had to. We saw ourselves doing something over and over again that wasn't enriching our lives. Every year the same story, but it wasn't fulfilling our inner-most desires. It's not that we didn't enjoy what we did or that it didn't help CISV as an organization, but we weren't exploring our potential. We weren't realizing that we had the capacity to do much more, to aim higher. We stayed in the "must do" zone and we turned our backs to what we really wanted to do. But the worst of all was that we always talked about this itchy feeling but never actually did something about it. We complained and complained when, finally, it looked as if would give up. It was not until the current JB Board met in Mc Donalds (of course, food is always present in our meetings) and flew. Yes, we flew. We let our imagination go, to reach its highest point and beyond. People could have thought we were hallucinating but no, we were just letting our imagination go, our brains work. What the f*** happened? We needed a change. Ladies and Gentleman, the before and after. So basically what the Junior Branch was doing was organizing activities for children. Our meetings were about planning (let me say that we are experts on that one), and our years were surrounded by the Pony Song, estimating how many pizzas we would need to order for 30 children and fighting with our NA Board (yes, but our relationship is improving lately). We had to plan the Farewell party for the kids and prepare the Selection Day. We had to do what they were not doing, activities that maybe your Junior Branch is currently organizing... but for us there was something wrong. Clearly, we didn't want that for 2009. So we started getting excited doing some visioning for the upcoming year: ideas, changes, possibilities – everything counted. We wanted a JB who would not repair other people's mistakes. We wanted a JB who would start exploiting its potential and being creative. We wanted more. Planning was only the first step. Maybe the most difficult part would be putting this into practice. That would mean facing the NA Board, getting into unknown fields, and so on. But that was the most interesting part of all this change. Thank God the rest of the juniors reacted very positively to our proposal, they were happy someone had finally put our problem into words. They were eager to see the change, to be the change. We started planning activities for ourselves, for the people on the Junior Branch and whoever wanted to join. We brainstormed on possible alternatives different to the typical CISV activities and many ideas came up: a city tour, cooking, building, acting, going to
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the theater, a treasure hunt, watching movies. And themes, many themes: aids, racism, drugs, family, "if I was President...", global warming, immigration, and many many more! We were now acquiring a huge quantity of knowledge, learning about so many different topics, opening our minds. Because although we make a change, we never stop working towards our goals, towards educational activities. And at the same time, the same juniors were the ones planning these activities. Grouped in pairs, our juniors were allowed to do whatever was in their imagination (within what could be done, of course). The way we organized it is that these activities take place once every two Sundays, and in between these we have the “regular” JB meetings. Now we are gradually increasing the number of participants, and each couple is planning once every two months or so! Creativity is allowing ourselves to make mistakes my dear friends, and that was something we were afraid of. Creativity is affirming you are exploring new lands, looking at new angles, searching new horizons. Innovation. Originality. Imagination. All this process made me realize that we couldn't change our reality because we weren't working hard on it. I realized the power the Junior Branch has. We, as a group of people with ideas, values and goals, can make GREAT things. Things you had never imagined. It’s about wanting it and working hard on it, believe me. We changed from being one NJR with no elections to having two elected NJRs. We changed from being 5 active juniors to creating a whole group of 15. We changed from organizing activities for children to learning and exploring new themes each meeting. It was all about battling our fears. About seeking change. About being creative.
Cande Lucero is hard to describe. Luckily enough, she contributes to IJB Thinks regularly, so the Editor has many opportunities to try and share all the wonderful things about her! A new addition to the list: she was just elected the new ARM Facilitator at ARMM in Guatemala, and she will start her degree in International Relations in a couple of weeks when she comes back to Argentina. When this gets republished, she will probably have graduated! from Antigua, Guatemala.
ijbclive’09 presents
go to the JBPedia page. http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/IJBC_Live
coming on july 31st. follow us on twitter. http://twitter.com/ijbc09live
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The Importance of Tolerance by Carlos Anliker
Hi everyone, I’m Carlos from CISV El Salvador in Central America. I wanted to share to you the importance of being tolerant with others, something we can get out of our CISV experiences. In March 2009, my country was undergoing big tensions due to the upcoming and historical presidential elections. Our community started to divide in two political parties, and it’s important to mention that after our civil war, El Salvador has lived a big polarization between the left and right sides in the political Salvadorian world. Massive campaigns took place and many people started to be segregated based on their ideology. That’s why my JB started to have big discussions of how valuable tolerance is. Because tolerance is not just a word, it is stability, friendship, and peace. If we like to live in a successful world, we have to be tolerant to what other people might think is the best thing to do. Nevertheless, I am bringing to the table my personal opinion: I think that people in general understand tolerance as being something modern and a synonym for progress, but that is a big misunderstanding. When looking for tolerance, we have to see if the principles of each country are not being violated or offending someone else. The race to the presidency became so intense that San Salvador, my hometown and capital city of the country, became a complete circus. Thousands of propaganda were displayed in the streets, even airplanes were throwing papers full of propaganda, full of colors, and at the end… full of violence, a violence caused by the polarization of two extremely opposite ideas. That’s why I think that CISV has a very important role not only in El Salvador but in the rest of the world: when we see little kids, we are dealing with the future and it is our responsibility to share with them the magic inside CISV. CISV prepares us to be good citizens, to help our communities and countries to grow in peace and respect, because tolerance is more than stability.
Carlos Anliker is a Salvadorian JBer who loves to wear matching outfits with his JB-friends. Last week he was a participant at ARMM 2009 in Atitlán, Guatemala –!and in this picture you can probably notice how much he hearts IJB Thinks. The first article from a Salvadorian JBer ever, hooray!
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In the Year 2000 by Martin Rottler
Those in Junior Branch who keep abreast of American pop culture, specifically recent developments in late night television, might find that the IJB Thinks #12 theme of “Time Machine” is incredibly fitting. It is fitting as we here in the United States mark the beginning of Conan O’Brien’s reign over the Tonight Show on NBC. Conan is not new to the airwaves of the USA — he has been the host of the Late Night talk show for over a decade. One of the regular fixtures of Late Night with Conan O’Brien has been carried through to the Tonight Show: “In the Year 2000.” For those unfamiliar with the sketch, it goes something like this: Conan: “It’s that time again…time where we look into the future.” Famous Celebrity: “The future, Conan?” Conan: “That’s right, [Famous Celebrity]! Let’s all look to the future…all the way TO THE YEAR 2000!” Following this conversation are a series of humorous predictions from Conan and the celebrity about things that might occur at some point in the future — all to the falsetto tone of a band member saying “IN THE YEAR 2000”. The sketch, originally created in the late 1990s, has continued on into more recent times with a somewhat ironic twist looking into the future — at the year 2000. While intended to be humorous, this look forward/backward at the world is the one idea I, Martin Rottler, would like to communicate with Junior Branch in the year 2014: While looking toward the future, don’t forget the past. Junior Branch is destined to grow, both in number of participants and in quality of our programmes. It is important that this growth be accomplished with an eye on the actions and mistakes of the past. Here are a few of my own “In the Year 2000” predictions for JB in 2014: In the Year 2000… JBers will have access to a vast variety of historical resources to better help their programs, activities and chapters today. During high school, I had the opportunity to serve in a leadership capacity in both the Rocky Mountain/Denver Junior Branch as well as my synagogue’s high school youth group. The JB was still in its infancy during that time… only a few years old, no real participant base, and with members of varying ages and a wide range of CISV experiences. When I took the reigns as President of the synagogue’s youth group, I had over 50 years of history, stories, experiences and paperwork to help facilitate and guide the 60+ member youth group in planning events and activities.
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Having that much information at one’s fingertips is an incredible gift. When a new or unique activity was needed, all it often took was a spin through the cabinet to find a write-up and reflection carefully type written from the 1970s that could be recycled and adapted to the year 2003. As a leader in a newly developing JB, I didn’t have that large base of history and past resources to look back on. With tools like JBPedia and the JB Library, Junior Branch leaders now have a wealth of historical information at their fingertips. Using these resources will help provide our future generations of leaders with a base of knowledge and experience by which to look forward. In the Year 2000…former Junior Branchers will continue to enjoy drinking beer with current JBers, telling them about their experiences in JB. After two years of attending ARMMs, IJBCs, and AIMs as a National Junior Representative for the USA, I learned that beer (or soda, if so inclined) was the gasoline that fueled the real discussions in CISV. So much of our time at these meetings is spent in plenary sessions and trainings that, while important, don’t do much toward furthering the organization and its goals. I’d venture a guess and say the most important (and thought provoking) discussions occurred after meetings were adjourned and frosty beverages were being consumed. These conversations happen in hotel rooms, banquet rooms, in piazzas, at the AIM Bar, or any number of other locations and cover anything from the day’s motions to the effectiveness of Seminar Camp as a programme. One of the most valuable aspects of these after-business meetings was the fact that there is often a wide array of participants in the discussion, lending their own experiences and ideas to what was being discussed. Even more valuable, I find, is when the “older” crowd joins in on these dialogues, giving insights and ideas from their past to better help the future. In many cases, these “old people” of Marcos Tourinho vintage or later have been there and faced similar decisions, hopes and dreams that we JBers encounter in our daily CISV lives. One of the most valuable leadership lessons I have learned occurred as President of my synagogue’s youth group when I sat down and asked Uncle Max, a pillar of the Denver Jewish community (and advisor to the youth group in the 1950s and 1960s) what his views on leadership were. In a few short minutes, he shared with me a lifetime of experience and philosophy in youth and Judaic education. I continue to take the insights he shared with me that afternoon into my life, five years after the fact. It’s a testament to the idea that as leaders, we must continue to pass on insight, wisdom and passion to those that follow in our footsteps. It is my hope that these CISV discussions and the sharing of insights and ideas from generation to generation will continue, as I’d love to have someone else buy me a beer. In the Year 2000… JBers will remember our CISV roots. One of my greatest CISV memories involves sitting on a couch in CISV USA President Mary Brophy’s living room, listening to excerpts of a diary from a camper at the first Village. It provided a unique view into the history of the organization and what it stands for. While it is important to have an organization that is dynamic and changes for the needs of its participants, we come from an organization with a nearly 60 year history. If it wasn’t for the beliefs and passion of Doris Allen, hundreds of thousands of lives, including my own, would not have been changed by the programmes of CISV. By moving forward and developing as a local, national, regional and international organization we can achieve the dream of finding out “how alike I am to you.” Note: For an example of a real Conan In the Year 2000, watch this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87soTsQjf5Y
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Say hello to Martin Rottler, an airplane pilot who surely appreciates the beauty of golden, crunchy latkes. He has occupied a bunch of leadership positions in JB USA and in the Americas Region. Martin is a karaoke enthusiast, perhaps one of his most brilliant interpretations was "Dancing Queen", in ARMM 2007. I wonder if such characters are still hanging out at ARMM in 2014? What kind of afterbusiness recreation do you think are they engaging in, Martin? We shall know... in the year 2000!
ummm... and on that topic of time machines: In her first go at putting together IJB Thinks a few months ago, the Editor had designed a JB Community ad in which Michael Jackson looked happy to be a member of the online group. Future JBers, you should know that in the current times the world is still talking about the king of pop’s death. Some funny facts are that the Editor had mysteriously done two things on the week before he died: she had set her ringtone as Rockin’ Robin, and she had realised that Susan Mayer’s guys on the latest Desperate Housewives season were called Michael and Jackson. And not only that, the writers also named her son MJ! (Out of all names, really?) Some people never got over Thriller, it seems. Anyway, the Editor decided to bring back the ad on this edition, for the sake of it:
originally published in IJB Thinks #09, December 2008
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No Possible Advice by José Viana Baptista Dear JBers of 2014, My name is Zé, I am a junior from Portugal, and I'm 19 (writing this letter) or 24 years old (as you read it). I am/was quite an involved junior in IJB back in 2009: I was NJR of my country and a member of the European Junior Branch Team, and I'm here to share some thoughts with you. You may know me from before 2009, from after 2009 or maybe just heard of me (yeah, right!), but if you want to get better and wiser thoughts, please contact future-me, I'm sure he'll be better at this. Well, how should I begin? I guess I should start by asking how are you doing... How is CISV in 2014? Bigger and even more awesome? How is planet Earth? Global Warming still there? Did Portugal win any football World Cup? ...no? What can you learn from a letter written 5 years ago? I'm sure a lot of things changed in the way, and none of us are the same people we were back in 2009. What I can say didn't change is our role as juniors, which as of 2014 is more your role than mine! What are we supposed to do as juniors? I remember being NJR and nearly freaking out because there was no plan, no blueprint, no detailed information or guide on how to do what a junior is supposed to do... Maybe you, in 2014 feel the same way... (hopefully not). With time (!), I began to understand that out role is to have no role at all! It's our ideas, our projects, our dreams, hopes and expectations that define what we are, where we want to go and what do we want to acheive as Junior Branch. That means that, while we have great freedom and dare to think beyond what has been thought before, we have the possibility to take things to a different level. And that my friends, is the biggest piece of advice I can give you in 2009 and probably in 2014: Screw the past, don't listen to "me from 2009", listen to yourself and look to the future. Because that's the biggest challenge you'll ever face. Or, as Andy Warhol put it: "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." Cheers from your past and present friend, Zé PS: Send this letter to future-me, he'll like to see this!
Zé Viana is an Economist-to-be from Lisbon, Portugal. A big Neighbourhood-lover (I wonder if these are still around in 2014?), Zé will leave his soul and passion on the football field when it comes to proving his hood's skills! He is quite an awesome JBer, and surely practices what he preaches: we keep hearing about all the cool and innovative things he and his JB do. Can't wait to hear about all the changes he must have triggered by 2014...
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What if we really work together? by Rowan El Shimi What if… A phrase we hear often in JB. With the amount of ideas and creativity constantly pouring out of JBers someone always has an idea that seems new and fresh. “What if we change this structure?” “What if we focus on reflecting before we act?” “What if we do this outrageous activity?” “What if we host an international workshop?” What if, What if… Since JB provides a space for individuals and groups to be critical thinkers, to think outside the box and never be afraid of voicing an idea that might even seem silly inside our own heads, we tend to repeat this phrase around the world many times in dozens of languages. Being creative and thinking of new ideas is great and has gotten IJB very far in the past years. However, it got me thinking of all these ideas floating around the world. If all JBs are different yet somehow the same –since we all share a set of goals that we work on achieving, in sometimes similar and sometimes diverse ways–, then how can we unite all these floating ideas? We do not necessarily have to unite the ideas to do something joint. If another JB has had a brilliant “What if we do…” moment, and we have the same moment later, we can build on their experience instead of re-doing their process along with the mistakes they made and challenges they faced. Otherwise, as an international organisation we would just be repeating ourselves over and over again. JBs, even though they function and work separately, are still working in a parallel way under the same umbrella and following the same goals. If we work together, share our experiences with each other then our capacity to achieve our goals becomes stronger. So even if it means creating a new task for a person within each JB to document these outrageous ideas and how they were done, and be able to share them with the rest of the JB world, isn’t that in the end satisfying our goals as an international organisation?
Talkin’ bout what if... At IJBC 2008, there was one of these “what if” moments Rou describes. Check out the IJBC 2008 documents to read about the crazy outcome of this massive brainstorm: http://bit.ly/19zokt (user ijb.guest, pass: cisv4all)
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Since we already have a space that is ours, where anyone can add information about what they work on, we need to use JBPedia to its full advantage to connect with each other, learn from each other, build on each others’ experiences and move forward as one huge group. When we start not only seeing but being a part of the bigger picture of our work as a network of dedicated volunteers, who work on peace education on a global level, will we then be able to have new resources to use and bigger projects that would truly make an impact on the “real” world.
Watch out, because Rou El Shimi doesn’t only write for “amateur” publications such as this one – she’s a professional journalist too! She is currently carrying out the second year of her NJR term, and she’s one of this year’s IJR Candidates. If you want to make her happy, good old boy bands and some nice chocolate will do the trick! The Editor promises these are infallible.
Get to know our Webtool Triad. You know what they say: all for one and one for all. All the JB-related cosmos in these three precious corners:
www.ijb.cisv.org www.ijb.cisv.org/jbpedia www.ijb.cisv.org/library JBPedia
JB Library
IJB Website
(user ijb.guest, pass cisv4all)
JBPedia a world under construction www.ijb.cisv.org/jbpedia JBPedia is JB’s own virtual and dynamic encyclopaedia. It is the home of articles about concepts, resources and experience sharing. And it’s also where you can get to meet the other JBers who work in our movement, like the authors of this publication’s articles!
http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Maru_Ayam http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Cande_Lucero http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Carlos_Anliker http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Martin_Rottler http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Ze_Baptista http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Rowan_El_Shimi http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Kate_Smith http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Quinn_Porter http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Katrina_Baraquiel http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Daniel Nunes http://www.ijb.cisv.org/mwiki/index.php/Kelly_Bowden ...make your own JBPedia space and share your thoughts and experiences!
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Active Influences by Kate Smith Hmm... this is a hard one. I think the main idea I’d convey to future JBers is that one young person or a group of young people can make a difference in the modern world. Everyone is so caught up in their daily lives that sometimes we forget how much out actions can change the lives of those around us. I don't think these actions have to neccessarily cause a huge change but they could contribute to someone’s life without even knowing what it is they have done. These actions can be acts of kindness to those who may not usually get it or just prehaps talking to someone who is usually an outcast in the group. These acts can have a major impact on that person who may then pass it on to another. If everyone realised they can have a good influence on those around them then I think the world would be a better place.
Kate is one of the current Australian NJRs in 2009. She's really good at sports (and I quite admire her for that), in fact she's doing a traineeship in sports and recreation! Extreme! Kate has been spotted in Thai beaches, singing songs about Ping Pong with the Editor of IJB Thinks... I wonder what adventures she will be up to in 5 years from now.
Bridging the Gap by Quinn Porter My idea is "Bridging the Generation Gap Through the Gift of Understanding". I think that this would be effective for JBers in 5 years, because CISV's JB relies on the Adult Commitees of each chapter. In some chapters, the communication between the Youth Board and the Adult Board is lost. We need to understand each other's points of view, without judging them. If we do an Activity where we can learn more about the generation gap, and how we can bridge it through understanding, I think not just JB would be more effective, but all of CISV in general.
Quinn is the co-president of JB Michigan City, and watch out because you might be meeting him in the upcoming Summer Camp in Lisbon this month! I have a suspicion that by 2014 Quinn will have done many amazing things within this lovely organisation of ours...
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“The things you’re scared of are usually the ones worthwhile.”
Just a Theory by Katrina Baraquiel
That was the first thing that came to my head when I thought about how I see the future of my JB. My history in CISV is not as long as anyone would think. In fact, I never got to attend any international camp at all. So when asked why I remain active, I simply say: because it scares me. It’s just like football - which is one answer most people find simply incomprehensable. When people first know about CISV, they think it’s all about fun and games. It’s not until later on that they realize it is also a lot of hard work. I have seen a lot of people disappear after their programs and I always thought I’d be one of them, so when asked why I bother planning events and trying to get old and new CISVers together, I am always at a loss for words. Me… a leader. Who would have thought?! I always thought a good leader should be flexible, resilient and inspiring. This frightened me even more because that was a far cry from what I was back then. Or so I thought. I have been a footballer ever since I was 12 years old. I was amazing! I devoted most of my free time to it – managing hours between school and everything related, sometimes even sacrificing sleep just to be absolutely free for training, tournaments and practice games. Playing football came natural to me and I stuck to it because it made me feel good about myself. When I tore my ACL due to a collision while playing in Denmark’a Tivoli Cup in 2005, I was devastated. I didn’t even get to play in Sweden at the Gothia Cup tournament which I trained two years for. But it was in getting that injury that made me realize the way I behaved in that situation made me a leader in in many ways and opened other opportunities to apply myself elsewhere. Hence, I found myself attending my first JASPARC. While in Spain, I thought about what was in store for me. Even if I got back to playing, the 2-inch platinum screw on my knee will always remind me of my restrictions. Although CISV is not as dangerous, I feel there is equal amount of passion that allows people to risk things, even deal with others who they normally would not even talk to. This is why given my limitations and newfound difficulties, I play anyway. I find the challenge, no matter how exhausting, very thrilling. With the experiences and learnings I garnered from the international conferences I have attended, not minding culture shock of course, I completely exposed myself to varying and highly competitive leadership styles. This made me realize what kind of leader I wanted to become – by taking in traits I want to live out, chucking inconsistencies and ineffiencies I want to get rid of, steering away from negativity that is counter-productive, and finally, recognizing my own behavior that is worth keeping – something a lot of athletes do as well.
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If CISV’s purpose is to educate and inspire action for a more just and peaceful world, I think it is important for CISVers to look into themselves first and figure out how they can affect change in their own circle of influence – not just in theory but through concrete examples. So hopefully in 5 years, JB Philippines will have an active pool of leaders representing all five, possibly even six chapters - planning and participating not only in local events but also those held nationally and internationally so we can all advance together, doing everything we can to make things work to our advantage in this playing field we call our world. That is why I think CISV is like football. It is addictive. It makes you feel good. It makes you feel at home. It brings out the worst, only to eventually help you become your best. And the moment you try to stay away from it with the fear of not being able to contribute as much, you realize it’s already in your system and you can’t shake it off. It makes you aware of your surroundings. It makes you care for your team mate. It trains you to make wise decisions, giving you choices that allow you to pass to someone willing once you have already reflected on your options. It makes you call for help then in turn encourage and give support to someone in need. And once you get your goal, it feels absolutely amazing – inspiring you to make more and more and more. Sometimes you lose and fall along the way, but it is how you pick yourself up from that slight hiccup and move forward that makes a difference. CISV is like football because its essence cannot be explained, only experienced. It is fun and revitalizing, and people shouldn’t have to justify why they love it. They just do. It makes you cry and even frustrated at times. It makes you scream. But in the end, you feel a sheer satisfaction that the pain is just temporary, the next time will be better, and the memories are priceless. As for the theory, even those who do not like Mandy Moore have to agree to that.
For those who have had the pleasure to meet Kat Baraquiel, you probably think of her and remember her awesome smile! This super energetic girl from the Philippines is one of the current NJRs of this wacky JB. She was born on the same day as the Editor, and both of them like to refer to each other as birthday-twins. Challenge her to a match of football if you see her!
CISV From the Balcony a world under construction http://www.absolutpicknick.de/mt/ cisv_from_the_balcony/
Some people say this page is sweeter than eating chicken with your hands. The Editor suggests you check out this blog, where CISV Devil’s Nick Trautmann publishes some thought-provoking posts. page 14
Ideas that Never Die by Daniel Nunes
What should Junior Branch keep in five years? Maybe JB should find a way to keep so many active members, maybe JB should find a way to help the new members be as active as we ‘old’ members, or maybe JB should simply keep what JB is about: we have to keep our ‘rebel’ way of thinking and our will to change. JB should remember that we are here for something more than what CISV is about, we are here because we understand our NGO is not perfect and because we want to change it and keep making it better and better and be able to always reach a bigger part of the society. And we have to keep in mind that, even though CISV is our main focus, it is not the only way or place where we can do that. We have to remember that it’s a big world out there, and that CISV is only one of the many NGOs that exist. We should try and start working better with LMOs, and keep developing projects that will have a direct impact on the society. We should remember that we want to change the world, and even though it sounds too big and too much to do in one lifetime, it has to start sometime, and it has to start somewhere. Because people are the only ones who can change the world, and we have everything we need to do that in JB and CISV as a whole. So we should start being the example, being engaged, reaching out for more people, being always active. We have to live what we are doing, not just to think about it: it should happen in a way that we do our best to change the world, unconsciously. We shouldn’t be afraid of showing the world that we are here for something, and that we are going to make it become a reality. JB should remember that our ideas are something very powerful, and that ideas are the only thing in the world that do not perish. Our ideas are the basis for a better world that we want to build, and we have to be active in showing these to the world; through a project where you put them into practice or a magazine like this – the important thing is to make it reach everyone!
Daniel Nunes is from Belo Horizonte, a city that's famous for its butecos (or small bars)! However, he just spent a year abroad in Austria, and at the moment is getting settled back home. Daniel is working on the edition of a really cool magazine called Libertas, published by a Macedonian NGO (www.cre-act-ive.org) – check it out, and contribute!
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The Idea of Alter(natives) by Kelly Bowden
As someone who spent many years in university (and likely at some point will spend a few more there) I still find certain theories and “theory” in general to be quite pretentious. Because actually, theories when left un-applied are seemingly useless. So in this time-traveling issue of IJB Thinks I would like to propose a groundbreaking theory. A theory, which, even in its theoreticalness makes a mockery of theory itself. This is the idea of “alter”. Alter: To change or make different; modify. To adjust for a better fit. The theory of alter, demonstrates that instead of theories or ideas being static and linear (as the progression of theories such as structuralism, neo-structuralism and post-structuralism indicate), that theories can be ever-changing and adapting in their practice. For example, to talk about post-colonialism is widely optimistic, in any circumstance. The impacts of colonialism will never dissipate; they will with time and context, however, shift. Alter-colonialism addresses the fact that the global environment that we are living in is constantly in flux. With “alter” ideas simultaneously become fixed in their existence, and ever transient in their application. The idea of alter recognizes the constant disconnect between theory and practice and embraces it as part of the puzzle around us. Now, it should be known that I did not study philosophy and I am not an advocate of the “everything is always relative and so nothing is certain” standpoint, but what I am sure of is that everything we do exists in constant tension (and often hypocrisy) with what we want to (or think we want to) be doing. I think this is particularly interesting when considered in the context of Junior Branch and CISV. Does CISV want to be an organization that advocates for environmental sustainability or does it want to be an organization that plays lots of water games with fresh water from the taps? Does CISV want to be an organization that thinks critically about human rights or does it want to be an organization that talks about human rights without the contribution of those whose rights have been abused? Does CISV want to be an organization that fights for social justice or one that plays games about people who do? The truth is I think we think we want to be the first, but deep down we don’t. And we don’t because we know it’s not what we do. We know there is too much hypocrisy there, and so we give up. We want to talk about the environment, but not if it means flying less or throwing less water. We want to talk about human rights, but not if that means putting all our efforts into developing certain PAs and making our programs more economically accessible. We want to fight social justice, but not if it means directly speaking out against certain governments, or certain wars.
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So instead of sitting in constant turmoil perhaps it is time we embrace the idea of alter and celebrate our own hypocrisy as an understanding of the complexity of the things around us. It is significantly easier to move forward from a point of understanding then from a point of frustration. There are clearly good reasons for why we don’t want to stop flying, and I don’t think this is the problem. I think the problem is that we’re too afraid to really talk about the details of what those reasons are, for fear that one day, we might decide they aren’t good enough any more, and then we really would have to stop flying. As the theory of alter states: CISV is fixed in its existence and transient in its application. Does this mean the image in the question I posed above can change? Only if as an entire organization we truly recognize the hypocrisy present in our work, and begin to sort through as much of it as we can. Will this be done in 2014? Well friends, you’ve got 5 years to take care of it... Kelly Bowden Outgoing IJR
Kelly Lynn Bowden, what to say about her? At the moment she's rocking in her last days as IJR, and in 2014 she will probably... a) be heading a wicked NGO that engages with communities, plants and arts, b) be living off the grid with her lovely Danny, in some mysterious farm in Central America, or c) all of the above. What you should know about Kelly –and I'm sure this won't change with time– is that she's a lovely friend, one of the most inspiring people I’ve met and a true tree-lover.
Don’t be like Gregor try to beat the system
Considering we’re a part of CISV, we’re probably worried about the way the world is working. CISV Sweden has coordinated a project called Mosquito Tactics –!a book on peace education. It’s a very inspiring project that you should all follow! www.cisv.se/blog/mosquito
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Time Machine: doing it at home By no means does edition of IJB Thinks end here. We will re-publish it in 5 years from now, and there’s also a side B to it: your very own Time Machines. The idea is that you build your Time Machine with your fellow JBers, keep it somewhere safe until 2014, and then get together –past and future JBers– to open it and share a good time together. What to include in it? Here are some ideas:
Write a letter to the members of your JB in 2014.
Some tips and stuff you might want to include: who are you? (how old are you, what are your interests, in which parts of town do you live) why are you in JB? how are your meetings and activities? how do they make you feel? what's the current local/world issue that you're concerned about the most? have you worked with a Like Minded Organisation recently? how was it? what's the role of your JB in your chapter or NA?
As for the evidence:
have you done an Equalizer? put it in! if you haven't, why not do one now? minutes of your latest meetings pictures! there's plenty of those going around memories of activities (invitations, cool flyers, etc) list of names, emails and phone numbers... ... so that the JBers of 2014 can call you up so that you can go open it together (and have cake)!
we’re keeping records at JBPedia, don’t miss out! · ijbthinks@ijb.cisv.org
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IJB Thinks & Thanks ...and comes back in September
Thank Yous Dear ten inspiring authors of this edtion, I think we broke a record! Thanks for the thoughts.
Kelly Bowden, for always contributing to IJB Thinks with feedback, laughs and brilliant ideas. And for having been such a great IJR partner this year! A gigantic hug to those over 50 JBers who sent letters to the Editor after the Podcast was released. I would have to publish an extra number of IJB Thinks if I had to include all of them here... Last but not least, thank you for reading. Only love will save the world!
Letters to the Editor “I heard it – and!it!is over my expectations! Easy to understand!and fun to hear different voices, music and!sound effects.”
Niklas Mangelsen (Germany/Chile)
“Big ups to Maru for really thinking outside the square with this, it was creative and fun, it made me laugh so much.”
Simon Goodwin (New Zealand)
“Not only are you a great listener –!but you proved to be a great storyteller.”
Cecilia Arbolave (Argentina)
“Wonderful work. Like others have been saying, it really breaks new ground.”
James Schaffer (United States)
“For a long time, there hadn’t been a renovation as revolutionary as this one in the JB. !It is certainly a great way to keep up to new technologies and new needs!”
Juanca Lozano (Colombia)
“You just kept me entertained through 40 mins of work.”!
Nicholas Hargreaves, employee of CISV Sweden (Great Britain)
What are the IJRs thinking? “Punctuation can do magical things to the English language”
Kelly
You can reach the Editor at ijbthinks@ijb.cisv.org (she will love to hear from you!)
“The fact that Shakira stopped being good after ¿Dónde están los ladrones? becomes more evident every day.”
Maru