Steel City News May

Steel City News Strictly Volunteering

The view from a volunteer at Not So Strictly Come Dancing

by SAFE@LAST!

Steven Wilson Excutive Vice President We talk Istanbul and his JCI Journey!

Henry Ruddock

The story of European Conference 1985!

May 2015

Contents Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 - 5 Page 6 - 7 Page 8 - 9 Page 10 - 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16

Welcome from 2015 President LEAP Steven Wilson - EVP 100 Years The Team: Ryan Pilkington Community Events Diary The Benefits Extempore Highland Fling JCI Yorkshire

Hello there

be the CHANGE

Its been another action packed month for JCI Sheffield and it’s difficult to know just where to start! I am delighted that our bid to host the JCI UK National Council Meeting and National Annual General Meeting in Sheffield has been successful. This will be held on 12th September and I am excited to say we will also be hosting our Annual Dinner at The Cutlers Hall in Sheffield. I’m sure you will all agree that this will be a most fitting grand venue just perfect to celebrate the 100 years since the JCI movement began. Our theme for the event will be ‘Through the Decades’ and more information and bookings will be released shortly.

We’ve been busy with our Community program, with members volunteering at the Yorkshire Half Marathon on behalf of SAFE@LAST as well as helping at the charity’s recent ‘Not So Strictly Come Dancing’ event. We are very grateful for members from other JCI Yorkshire Chambers who also lent a hand at both these events. We’ve been talking to another one of our charity partners, RSCPA Sheffield about how we can support them this year and looking at a spot of volunteering towards the end of June when our twins from JCI Mayo come and visit Sheffield. Our Communications Director Ryan has already started to lend the charity a hand with his graphic design skills.

In terms of Business we had another well attended Networking Wednesday at our new home of Bloo88 on West Street and were grateful with the free pizzas they kindly sorted us out with. Katie our Business & Partnerships Director is making great progress with organizing our business bootcamp weekend on 24th and 25th October so be sure to get the date in your diary.

Our Training session in April on improvisation was very popular and was a bit of a different way of looking at ‘extempore’ (off the cuff) public speaking that JCI is well known for!

Speaking of which, I was delighted to have won the extempore competition at the JCI Scotland National Conference held in Aberdeen and it really is one of my favourite parts of JCI. We are looking forward to the International European Conference in Istanbul, Turkey early next month and have submitted 3 award entries for JCI Sheffield so lets keep our fingers crossed: Most outstanding member: Ryan Pilkington; Best Local Personal Skills Development Program – Be Better: Be The CHANGE; Best Local Economic Development Program – Time to RISE.

And finally, you will no doubt be aware of the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal recently, resulting in thousands of people losing their lives and thousands more becoming injured with homes and businesses destroyed. In response, the JCI Executive Committee has resolved to activate JCI Operation Hope to support JCI Nepal.

Operation Hope was officially launched on 1st January 2005 to empower JCI members to take action in the face of natural disasters and has most recently helped with the humanitarian efforts required to re-build Haiti following its own devastating earthquake in 2010.

More information on Operation Hope and other ways to support the huge humanitarian efforts required in Nepal can be found on the www.jci.cc website. Please do see what you can do to be the CHANGE and support the response.

Mark Smith 2015 President JCI Sheffield mark.smith@jcisheffield.org.uk

Steven Wilson. EVP. (Executive Vice President)

We had a chat with Steven, who is the EVP assigned to Europe. We talked about his journey and Istanul!

Please tell us about your current role with JCI. My current role is JCI Executive Vice President assigned to Europe. This is a role which was elected by members at the JCI World Congress in Leipzig in November 2014.

I lead a team of five Vice Presidents, including Nikola Cvetkovic from JCI Serbia who is the JCI Vice President assigned to your members within JCI UK. In essence I lead JCI in Europe and work closely with JCI staff at the HQ in St Louis and Area Director Sara based in Berlin. I ensure the events JCI operates on a Europe wide basis are delivered in line with member expectations.

These events include the JCI European Conference, JCI EU Know-How Transfer event and the JCI European Academy. I also work closely with the JCI European Development Council whose primary role is to develop JCI in countries where we are currently either experiencing limited presence or no presence at all.

When and what inspired you to become a JCI member?

This is a true story – in April 2008 a friend told me about this event she was going to at a local TV station in Aberdeen and I thought how cool, I get to pretend I present the news!! Little did I know what I was letting myself in for!! I progressed through JCI at a local level and it really was attending the JCI European Academy in 2010 that the spark was lit. I was amongst over 80 delegates, and for the first time ever in the history of the event they awarded an Outstanding Delegate Award.

This award really did provide me with the motivation to proceed in JCI – the award was to travel to Osaka for the JCI World Congress that year. From then on there was simply no holding me back!!

As part of your EVP role responsible for Europe, you are the Chair person of this years European Conference in Turkey. Please tell us what members can expect if they attend Conference.

This event which is held early in June will be a great event for all members to attend. This is held in Istanbul, a city which crossed Europe and Asia so represents a unique culture to enjoy. The main themes of training, speakers and development sessions will be around youth unemployment, sustainability and corporate social responsibility. There will be many sessions and I encourage all members to embrace these and learn from them. There will also be all the JCI official courses for you to attend and learn how to develop yourself and your local JCI Organisation further. Of course there will be the fabulous conference opening ceremony and awards and farewell ball for you to enjoy. The party nights will also be incredible, where you will really get to know many other JCI members from across Europe and further.

All in all I would encourage all members to attend, to truly understand the size of JCI and the international side of this great organisation that we are all members of.

What are the top 3 things you would recommend to do at the Conference?

• Party, enjoy the social side of things, building relationships with members from across the JCI world.

• Develop – all of the sessions being held at the conference centre will help you develop personally, and also your JCI local organisation further.

• Experience – Istanbul, a unique city in Europe and there are events planned to help you enjoy Istanbul at its best.

What do you love most about JCI? The international element of JCI is amazing. It truly is the Unique Selling Point of JCI. Very few organsiations really do give you the oppoetunity to mix easily with other young people from over 120 countries. The cultural learning from this is incredible, and the more you embrace it the more you develop.

What are you doing in your role to Commit, Connect and Care, the theme this year from our JCI World President.

I commit to JCI in Europe to be there for each and every member. I commit to work my hardest to deliver to them an organisation they are proud to be a member of.

Connect is vital. This is about communication. I firmly believe in the use of Social Media and all forms of communication to spread the word about JCI. Please, if you are reading this and you wish to connect with me, do so through Facebook – I will always welcome any JCI member as a friend. I will also attempt to connect JCI with governmental and commercial organisations that will be of mutual benefit.

Care – of course I care. I care about members and I care about the communities they live in.

Through developing members we encourage them to develop their communities further. It is a simple win win situation.

Have you visited Sheffield before? If so what did you like best about it? (If not, tell us what you like about Yorkshire!

I was in Sheffield for the JCI National Conference a few years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Simply put what made it so special was the welcome I received. The friendship and heartfelt warm wishes will forever be in my mind when I think of Sheffield. I enjoyed the gala dinner which I recall was set in a unique museum.

What has been your greatest JCI moment so far and why?

This is a very very tough question to answer as there have been so many. I have to say my mind works like doing a great community project, where I encourage members to always do a root cause analysis. If I do a root cause analysis on this question it is undoubtedly the JCI European Academy. It was at this event that the spark was lit, the realization in my mind that I could do it, I could believe in myself and that nothing was impossible if you just put your mind to it.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

Well I would just like to say thank you. Thank you for reading this article, but most of all thank you for all your hard work within JCI. You give up your own time and I know a lot of time for many of you, for which I am extremely grateful. You will all develop so much, and at the same time develop your own communities further. Keep working hard, having fun and you will reap the rewards.

Hope to see you all really soon, Best Wishes, Steven

@SWilsonjci

swilson@jci.cc

Did you know we hosted the European Conference in 1985?

By Henry Ruddock President 1983 - 1984

IMPACT

MOTIVATE

Sheffield was being heavily encouraged to go for the Bid by Neil Kaiper-Holmes and Mike McKnight, National Presidents of the British Junior Chamber around that time.

The bid had to be made two years in advance, at the European Conference, which in 1983 was at Aberdeen. We decided to go for it, and around 20 people signed up for the conference. Most stayed at the (cheaper) Northern Hotel, and Colin (who was to be conference director) and I (Administration Director) stayed at the Skein Dhu. Before all this, we got the rules from Coral Gables, and had prepared a bid document to circulate to the voting European Presidents. Remember this was in 1983, before social media, so cut and paste was the order of the day. Even then, the conference had to provide rooms and limos for the top brass, which concerned us slightly in terms of covering all the costs involved. I think now that has got to the point where I would seriously question whether the thing is worth it.

CONNECT

Well 1985 seems a long time ago! Before organising anything as big as a European Conference, doing there is always an element of doubt. For a start, it’s a risk. And a lot of work. With lots of worrying questions…will we get the support from the members?

And what about sponsorship? There’s all sorts of proverbs associated with this, one being ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’.

Part of our bid was hosting an evening in Aberdeen, so Nick Williams arranged a party. He found a baked potato seller, bought 500 potatoes, and the last one was taken just at the end of the party.

We won the bid unopposed, mainly because Neil and Mike had done their political stuff, but there was always a chance that someone would come in. The first thing that went wrong was when I approached the main hotels to book them, Finland had already taken all the rooms. They usually came with about 400 delegates, probably because alcohol was a lot cheaper here! That got sorted with a bit of goodwill all round. I also arranged that room booking would be done through us, with commission of, I think, about 10%. That brought in about £6,000.

I approached David Blunkett, the then Leader of Sheffield City Council, to ask him if he would give a civic reception. Being in his office with just his guide dog under the desk, and nothing on the walls or anything else was a bit disconcerting, but being blind he didn’t need it. He readily agreed – Junior Chamber then was a big part of the City – partly because a big conference brought money to the City.

COLLABORATE

INVEST

An office was organised, on the third floor of the Royal Victoria Hotel. Stand at the front door, and it’s on the right side of the building, at the back. The manager then let us have that for two years free of charge. A telex machine was installed (no email…).

During the conference the office acted as the secretariat with four secretaries, including French speaking. The French always insisted on simultaneous translation during the conference, which is really expensive, but then only six turned up. Actually it was seven, but we were sure the seventh gatecrashed!

The opening ceremony was organised by Richard Grindrod among others, and each speaker was strictly limited to 7 minutes max. If you have ever been to a Junior Chamber opening ceremony you will know how welcome that was for the delegates.

IMPACT

MOTIVATE

Another problem we faced was when a chap from Nigeria turned up with virtually nothing. I could have handled that better. Another was we turfed a chap out of his room because of a slight mess up with the room bookings. The agent quite reasonably said he had booked and paid for 15 rooms so why did it matter that the person in the room was not the one named? Settled with a bottle of champagne.

Karen Marsden was brilliant on the room allocation, and could just about remember where every one of the 1,000 delegates was staying! Incidentally, the conference price was fixed by taking the Aberdeen price and adding a small amount. We thought if it worked for them it will probably work for us. It was very difficult to cost this conference as there were so many unknowns. As it was, we made £20,000, mostly as a saving on the Administration budget. Not that I am a tight or anything!

CONNECT

John Martin organised the events, including the final dinner dance with the Northern Dance Orchestra. There were a few challenges…’mistakes’. One was an agent phoned to ask for preferential rates blah blah, which I refused. Maybe I should have done, but what he didn’t say was that he was representing Zutphen, then our twin Chamber in the Netherlands. I didn’t hear from him again and they didn’t come. Had I known, it would have made sense for them to come for nothing, as organising a twinning visit was time consuming and expensive, and it would have been much easier to include them in the conference.

One other thing, the World President was Argentinian, and you may remember that we had a little bother with them around that time. Obviously Argentinians trying to access the UK were having difficulty at immigration control. One of the Secretaries picked up on this, turned to me and said she knew someone in immigration, and had previously had dealings with them, and would I like her to contact them and smooth his path? For some reason I didn’t snatch her hands off, but I did reluctantly agree, not least because I couldn’t come up with a better idea. A couple of days later she told me it had been sorted. Never underestimate the connections you build up.

The conference was remembered for years. It was a good experience. My mother used to say “Nothing happens unless you make it”, and we certainly did.

@henryruddock

COLLABORATE

INVEST

The Team Each edition will give you the chance to meet a member of the 2015 council team for JCI Sheffield. You can learn all about thier passions, thoughts and more! In this issue it’s Communications Director Ryan Pilkington!

Name: Ryan Pilkington How long have you been a member of JCI? Since 2013 How long have you been on council team?

Since January 2015 Current role: I'm currently the Communications Director for JCI Sheffield What are your hobbies?

My hobbies include writing blogs and I like to read.

Why JCI for you?

JCI for me is about development. It’s taking the opportunity to learn what you can, connect with new people and being better. Creating that change in yourself for the better.

Tell us about your role: My role as Communications Director for 2015 is to create the marketing media for the chamber. It’s lots of creating banners for various social media platforms, making publications, blog writing, sharing news, events and more through the platforms to motivate members and non members to attend our events and if they haven’t already, join JCI. What is your ambition within JCI? My ambition with JCI is to build my network, build confidence, personally and professionally develop and to make the most of every opportunity that comes my way. 20 years to become JCI world president!

Proudest moment at JCI (so far!)

My proudest moment in JCI so far is winning Most Outstanding Member UK. A feeling of pure shock, emotions all over the place (which I’m sure many people will tell you the same!) and a feeling of growth. Gaining that little bit more confidence. A sense of being proud of myself.

Most embarrassing moment: I think so far my most embarrassing moment was doing extempore (off the cuff public speaking) for the first time and my mind completely going blank. Fun though!

What is your occupation?

I am a fashion designer and fashion blogger. I own a fashion brand under my name and I write freelance for my own blog, Meadowhall and do guest posts for various websites and magazines. I am currently in my 3rd year at Huddersfield University.

Claim to Fame?

I have met fashion designer Betty Jackson and she had a talk with me about a garment i was making at the time and she said she like the neckpiece of the garment. I was very happy for the rest of that day!

What advice would you give to someone thinking of joining their local JCI council team?

Take a chance. You never know how much you’ll grow, how many new skills you’ll learn and don’t be shy!

@_RyanPilkington

ryan.pilkington@jcisheffield.org.uk

Community

https://scontent-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/13779_928922010492547_2083293172397391163_n.jpg?oh=9573e63b04215298c3c690564bf99afd&oe=55C602EE

We’ve been busy volunteering for SAFE@LAST our charity partner this month.

As well as helping the charity by stewarding at the Yorkshire Half Marathon on 12th April, an army of JCI volunteers from Doncaster and Rotherham joined us to volunteer at Not So Strictly Come Dancing at Magna on 25th April.

What better way can you think of spending your Saturday night than making a difference to someone's life? That's what volunteering means, your time helps raise vital funds to keep the good work of charities going, I volunteered at the Not so Strictly Come Dancing for SAFE@LAST, I was collector, going round the room collecting donations for people's favourite couples, as the more donations each couple got, added to their votes to decide who gets through to the next round and overall who wins. I had a great time talking to the guests and fellow volunteers and watching the amazing dancing, people who had dedicated their time to learning two routines! A huge congratulations to Tom and Emily who won and everyone who took part, very jealous of their skills! A glitzy night of glam and great entertainment lead to raising nearly ÂŁ20,000! A massive amount that will help run a charity that deserves every penny, helping young people and making a difference to their lives. Without volunteers this could never happen and that's why it's so important but it was such fun, had a great time with everyone and can't wait to do it again next year, see you there?

Charlotte Scothern - 2015 JCI Rotherham President

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Safeatlast100

@safeatlast

#IMPACTJCI

JCI Operation Hope The 7.8 magnitude earthquke that has hit Nepal has claimed 4600 lives with 9000 being injured.

The death toll continues to rise.

In repsonse to this devestating event JCI has activated JCI Operation Hope. Through JCI Operation Hope, JCI members unite to take targeted action in the aftermath of tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. JCI Operation Hope initiatives span the globe to sustain recovery efforts and rebuild communities. JCI officially launched JCI Operation Hope on January 1, 2005 to empower members to take action in the face of natural disasters.

There are various ways that you can get involved to help maximise the impact.

• Donate to JCI Operation Hope. All proceeds in the short term will go to support immediate relief efforts and will be done in collaboration with UNICEF via the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. We are also working with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF on the possibility of connecting JCI Nepal members with UNICEF Nepal’s efforts to support the distribution of supplies to the affected people.

• Donate blood. There is an unprecedented need for blood in Nepal to support the injured victims of the earthquake. JCI members are encouraged to contact their Local or National Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) organization to see if your blood donation can support the victims of the Nepal earthquake and donate today.

• Engage your local stakeholders. Local and National Organizations should engage their city and national governments, business and other civic groups, urging them to join in supporting the relief and reconstructions efforts in Nepal.

#IMPACTJCI

Events Diary Here you can check out all of the fantastic events that are lined up for JCI Sheffield and even other chambers around the UK! Filled with business talks, training workshops, networking and socials your diary is about to get a lot more exciting! Be sure to book on Eventbrite to save your spot!

18 May

First Aid Training 2

Event Type: Training Venue: Holiday inn Express Date: 18th May, 2015 Price: Free

27 May Networking Wednesday Event Type: Business Venue: Bloo88 West Street Date: 27th May, 2015 Price: JCI Member: Free Non-Member: Free

3-6 Jun

JCI European Conference 2015

23 Jun

Project 100 Meeting

Event Type: International Venue: Istanbul Congress Centre (ICC), Taşkışla Caddesi Harbiye 34367 İstanbul/ Turkey Date: 3rd Jun, 2015 Price: EUR 350

Event Type: Community Venue: Benjamin Huntsman Date: 23 June, 2015

27 June Networking Training Event Type: Training Venue: TBC Date: 27th June, 2015 Price: TBC

Extempore Competition

26 May

Event Type: Venue: Holiday Inn, Royal Vic Date: 26th May, 2015 Price: Audience Member: Free Competitor: Free

28 May JCI Leeds Quiz in aid of MS Trust-

Be Bold in Blue

Event Type: Community Venue: The Adelphi Date: 28th May, 2015 Price: £30 for a team of 6 or £5 per person

16 June

An Introduction to Event Management Event Type: Training Venue: Holiday inn Express Date: 16th June, 2015 Price: Free

27 - 29 Twinning Weekend Jun Event Type: International Venue: Hosted by JCI Sheffield Venue TBC Date: 27th - 29th Jun, 2015 Price: Free 28 June

Effective Communications Training Event Type: Training Venue: TBC Date: 28th June, 2015 Price: TBC

For more information head to our website http://www.jcisheffield.org.uk/events

Membership Benefits Junior Chamber International (JCI) is the global not for profit organisation that will help you meet new people, learn new skills and grow both personally and professionally.

With JCI you can: 1. Meet top business people, share best practice and visit leading companies 2. Build self confidence in your own abilities by practising skills. JCI is a 'learning by doing' organisation 3. Network locally, nationally and internationally 4. Develop public speaking skills 5. Have the opportunity to try and do things that you don't get to do at work 6. Attend seminars and listen to the world's most inspiring key note speakers 7. Make positive changes to your community 8. Attend national and international conferences and parties 9. Utilise practical leadership opportunities such as project management and being part of the council team 10. Have fun and make friends!

Don't be shy and join JCI Sheffield now!

Highland Fling Stargazing So, as most of you will know after finishing my year as local President I had a complete life overhaul including setting up a new business, relocating to Wigan and getting cats! All of which has been amazing but has meant I have not been able to be as active locally in JCI as I would like.

Luckily, the JCI Scotland national conference, hosted by JCI Aberdeen, came at just the right time to get me fully back into the swing of things.

Here are just a few of my highlights from a truly epic weekend…

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of debating (less so of those cheeky Scots who always beat us….) so I was really honoured to be asked to judge both the Members v Senators and Edinburgh v Aberdeen competitions. Both debates were of such a high quality that my job was very tough! It’s safe to say that Scotland will be going into Europe and World competitions as the ones to beat. Extempore is always a fun competition, tinged with a fair few nerves once Mr Oli Hyde gets on stage… I’m pleased to say he kept (just) on the right side of appropriate! The UK kept up their high standard with our very own President and crazy cat lady, Mark, making the winning speech. The public speaking competition was another tough call, between Elaine from Aberdeen and Katy from Edinburgh. Katy collected the trophy for a very brave and inspiring speech on mental health and a fab organisation called Time to Change. Go look them up now - or, actually, finish reading this, then look them up.

I’ll be honest. I’m pretty greedy at the best of times. And I have been known to like a drink (or four… I blame Tracy). So imagine how excited I was to learn the theme for the keynote speakers was Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink! The panel shared their stories of setting up World Whisky Day, renovating bars with snooker balls and creating a multimillion pound catering company. We certainly left feeling inspired!

The gala dinner saw awards being handed out to the Scottish chambers in recognition of their projects and members’ development. I was also thrilled to witness Leeanne and Patrick (my debating nemeses) speechless for the first time ever as they picked up senatorships for their outstanding contribution to JCI. Thoroughly well deserved. Post dinner, it was time to kick off the heels and risk my life on the dancefloor. If you’ve not been involved in a ceilidh before, let’s just say it is a VERY energetic, dizzy spell inducing, crazy form of country dancing.

Oh, and you will definitely come away with bruised arms and broken toes!

The rest of the evening was spent doing what we jaycees do best: catching up with our friends from across the country and around Europe. For me it was also my first opportunity this year to catch up with my Yorkshire buddies, something I’ll be sure to be doing more of without travelling quite so far.

All that remains to be said is… if this sounds like your kind of weekend then get yourself booked on for the JCI UK National Conference hosted by our friends at JCI Barnsley in November. I’ve been guaranteed it will be even better!!

Ilona Alcock - Immediate Past President

@alcoki

JCI Leeds are organising a fundraising quiz to raise money for JCI Yorkshire’s regional charity The MS Trust. This is also in association with Asda’s Colleagues Voice. The date is the 28th May at The Adelphi pub Leeds from 6.30PM and the cost is £30 for a team of 6 or £5 for an individual. JCI Sheffield is looking to have a team and want more members to join the team!

JCI Harrogate have Branding, Brand Values and Marketing Basics training on the 13th May with JCI Barnsley IPP Ben Hawley. This session will cover why a brand is important and how getting it wrong can cause real damage, how to find brand values and then how to implement them with an organisation, how your brand ties into your target market and more!

After relaunching last year, JCI Doncaster is going from strength to strength in 2015. Our Deputy President Gareth and Business and Partnerships Director Katie were very pleased to attend their recent beer tasting session and they managed to pass on the infamous ‘Yorkshire Chamber Pot’ which has been passed to us from Barnsley. Its tradition for it be passed between Chambers before the Yorkshire Chambers meet for their regular forum meeting.

www.runnersfriend.co.uk

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