Governing Board Candidate Information Form_karo.docx

Volunteer at a Community Garden in Berlin running the DIY bike workshop 2013-2016Guest TTT trainer for EEE/YFU 2015Volunteer for Pedal Power Vancouver in 2012 (DIY bike workshop)With reference to the CISV International Governing Board Terms of Reference in mind, briefly describe why you are applying for this position.First of all I am applying because I think I would be very good in the position.I have experience on all levels of CISV since being a teenager. I grew up with CISV. I participated in 15 programmes, from delegate, to leader, to staff. I have been very active in JB as a teenager and young adult, I was an NJR and part of the board in Germany. I have worked in CISV International in different positions since 2006, and i am an international programme and TTT trainer since 2010. Theexperiences I got in CISV have shaped me as a person and have made me who I am today. Many of my skills like leadership, that I also use in my professional life now, come from working with and for CISV. I consider CISV my most important school and it is crucial to who I am and what I do now.I believe strongly that we, as CISV, do a good job in inspiring people to take an active role in making the world a better and more sustainable place, by giving people a space to develop an open and constructive attitude to the challenges this world poses on us, learn leadership skills and try them out in a safe environment. I would love to take the new challenge to be part of the governing organ in CISV, give my input in direction, strategy and organisation to help provide an effective structure to all chapters and members, and make it as easy as possible for all NAs and Junior Branch to provide this very important space for learning and growing, that was given to me.

I have felt that the goal to put our chapters at the centre of the organisation hasn’t played out too well yet. I feel that there is still a hierarchy structure that creates gaps between the national/regional and the international level. I would want to see a change in the Governing Board being more inclusive towards the regional and local entities of our organization, resulting in a higher motivation in our volunteers. I feel that doing that every three years at the Global Conferenceis not enough, but should have a stronger focus throughout every year, to create a strong, active and healthy CISV community. To make all our NAs be heard and be more included, and to feel more connected to “the top”, to make it easier to raise a voice and share opinions. Also assessing the needs of our three very diverse regions, and involving these in the strategic direction of the organisation is very close to my heart.I love CISV, that is why I have devoted so much time of my life to this organisation, and I would love to see us become even stronger and better in reaching our goals and fulfilling our mission.

And here I believe I can be a valuable addition to the Governing Board. I am a person who is not afraid to ask questions and challenge what is given. I strive for improvement, personally and in my work. My work life as an artist has helped me to be able to see different perspectives and see the things that nobody else does, to look beyond the obvious, cast a different light on things.

One thing that I experience in all my trainings in the last years, is that when asking our volunteers what peace education is, we struggle with explaining it, not just to people outside the organisation but also within our organisation. I believe that we need to put more focus on making sure that we asan organisation understand what we are doing and why and how we are doing it, to be able to reflect and evaluate our educational content and our strategies in education. I would like to see CISV create a culture of learning and understanding ourselves and improving what we do.I think this will help us to take appropriate changes within our organisation and market ourselvesbetter. Our strategy and direction should not just be about growth but have a stronger focus onquality in our educational content and our educational programmes.

CISV International LtdOfficial Form

(Valid from 2019) Page 2 of 6

 

 

Endorsement Form for Governing Board Candidate 

 This endorsement form must be completed and signed by a CISV member and sent directly                             

to the Election Committee at election@cisv.org no later than 15 May (23.59 UTC) in the year of                                 the election. Close family cannot be used as references (i.e. parent, children, sibling, or                           spouse/partner). 

 Full name of candidate:  Karolina Serafin  How long have you known the candidate? I first got to know Karo in 2010 at a local CISV weekend in Germany and regularly met her within CISV. Since I joined CISV International in 2015 as Regional Coordinator for Training and Quality Assurance in EMEA, Karo is an active part of the Delivery Team and we are very regularly in touch. In what capacity do you know the candidate? Please describe your personal/professional/working relationship with the candidate. In our roles within CISV International, I worked with Karo on several CISV international projects and we regularly collaborated within the TQA EMEA Regional Delivery Team. Karo has a lot of long-term experience not only on local but also in various regional and international roles. Karo is one of the most experienced (TTT) trainers in EMEA and it is always a pleasure co-training with her. With her high flexibility she also constantly contributes to all kind of tasks and is also a highly appreciated team member in the Educational Programmes Delivery team. She reliably supports other team member e.g. TTT Trainer Induction and completes her task with a very high level of passion.  Personally, I highly appreciate Karo’s creative mindset and solution-oriented approaches while constantly challenging the status quo. Also beyond CISV, it is always a pleasure to spend time with her or work on other projects.   With her attitude to take on additional responsibilities, seeing CISV from different perspectives and also taking the “history” of the organization into account, her profound experience with all educational programmes and as a highly appreciated trainer, I am confident that she would be a great addition to the Governing Board.    Yes/No I have informed myself of the role and responsibility of the CISV International Governing Board 

Yes 

I recommend the candidate for the position of Trustee of the CISV International Governing Board 

Yes 

 Endorsement provided by: Full name of endorser:  Christina Frohn Date of birth (yyyy/mm/dd):   Member of which CISV National Association:  Germany Current CISV role (if any):  TQA ReCo EMEA E-mail address:   Signature:   

  

Date of signature:  8th May 2019  

 CISV International Official Form 

(Valid from 2019)  Page 1 of 2 

 

 Endorsement Form for Governing Board Candidate 

 Note that this form is not valid without a signature and that the complete candidate 

application package will be deemed invalid if a signature is missing. 

 CISV International Ltd Official Form 

(Valid from 2014)  Page 2 of 2