jbnews Volume 2, Issue 2 1 usa˝ building global friendship˝ junior branch Volume 2, Issue 2 Imagine a world without energizers. We would have more time for debriefs. We wouldn’t start every activity out of breath. We wouldn’t lose our voices at every minicamp. But there are so many amazing things energizers bring to CISV that are not worth giving up. Energizers bring us together. When everyone makes themselves vulnerable and acts equally ridiculous, a community of fun and trust is created. But there’s more to it. Getting excited over sharks and purple soup helps us get excited about other elements of CISV – impending activities and debriefs, long planning sessions, and CISV as a whole. After reading your submissions, it’s clear to us that you feel the same way we do. Energizers are an integral part of CISV. With love, NJBoT [email protected]; [email protected]Letter from the NJBoT jbnews JC's are some of the most energetic people in CISV! Above is Ben Kessler, left, from Philadelphia, with his fellow Village JC's *
Transcript
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 21
usa˝building global friendship˝
junior branch
Volume 2, Issue 2
Imagine a world without energizers.
We would have more time for debriefs. We wouldn’t start every activity out of breath. We wouldn’t lose our voices at every minicamp. But there are so many amazing things energizers bring to CISV that are not worth giving up.
Energizers bring us together. When everyone makes themselves vulnerable and acts equally ridiculous, a community of fun and trust is created. But there’s more to it. Getting excited over sharks and purple soup helps us
get excited about other elements of CISV – impending activities and debriefs, long planning sessions, and CISV as a whole.
After reading your submissions, it’s clear to us that you feel the same way we do. Energizers are an integral part of CISV.
Hugs?” to the new and unknown like “The Goats Energizer” and
and why do we love them so much?
“Camouflage (Niki Minaj),” energizers are an integral part of CISV. Everyone has a favorite and most people
agree CISV wouldn't be CISV without them. But what are energizers really
ENERGIZERS“CISVers do energizers to shed any sort of social stigma by making everyone be silly and have fun together as equals, also because they're fun” —Austin, CISV Smoky Mountain
“Energizers get the crowd pumped for CISV! They are a way for people to open up before we begin doing serious activities, and of course they give everybody the opportunity to get loose.” — Gabby, CISV Jacksonville
“Energizers bring out our inner crazy!” — Nancy, CISV Pittsburgh
“They're important to get people excited to do activities. Also, it makes everyone participate and just have some fun.” — Katie, CISV Michigan City
ALL ABOUT
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 23
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 24
How can JB energize our communities?
“Get involved more! We always want to see new and old faces! If everyone really wants to be there and involved, JB is exciting, even if we're having a meeting or watching a movie.” -Lauren Craig, Chattanooga
“Youth leadership can build communities! JBers can be role models for community youth and proof that youth can build/effect communities.” -Nancy Golio, Pittsburg
“JB can branch out to youths of all backgrounds to involve and excite people about our principles and create productive members of a conscientious society.” -Austin Graham, Smoky Mountain
“JB can energize our communities by doing projects to improve them. Whether it's cleaning up the beach or baking cookies for a homeless shelter, our communities greatly appreciate it.” -Katie Bildhauser, Michigan City
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 24
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 25
The first time I walked into one of my chapter’s JB meeting, I was an awkward ten-year-old acting as the shadow of my twelve-year-old brother. I was terrified of all of the JBers who seemed twice my size and three times as intelligent as me. It wasn’t until the energizers began that this completely changed. The first energizer I ever did was “Brown Squirrel” and after enthusiastically shoving peanuts up my nose I found myself laughing out loud with the people I had found intimidating only a few minutes before. The first few days of my village were filled with the same spirit of energizers. On the third day when my homesickness started to set in, I remember standing in a circle with my fellow delegates and singing “Na Na Na” and realizing that that was where I was meant to be. These “energizer moments” are exactly why a group on the NJBoT decided to start the Energizer Project (TEP). The importance of energizers varies from person to person and from event to event, but almost all CISVers can’t help but feel the energy pulsing through their body and the connection and joy between all of those taking part. Energizers allow people from all ages and all levels of experience to take on leadership and to share in the same experience. By creating a Youtube Channel for The Energizer Project, JB USA’s NJBoT hopes to compile video submissions from across the world to learn and connect JBers over such a treasured part of what makes CISV CISV. Get excited and energized about more in Infopack on The Energizer Project coming your way soon!
— Ellie, CISV Brandywine Valley
THE ENERGIZER PROJECTNJBoT Presents:
“I found myself laughing out loud with the people I had found intimidating only a few minutes before”
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 26
The JB Family Bryan Boro, Brandywine Valley/NYC
What gets me energized about the JB specifically is the community it creates. As many CISVers can attest to, it can be extremely difficult and near impossible to put into words how much one feels about the experiences they have at their international programs in a way that helps someone who has not experienced one of these programs understand what it is and the magnitude of the impact it creates. It’s frustrating having to come back to “real life” full of individuals who can not share the feelings you do about the world, peace, and the community you created while on a program. The JB offers a community of people back home who understand in many ways how you feel and share the same, possibly more open-minded, thoughts you do about creating a more just and peaceful world. Whether you are getting together for an educational activity in your JB to even further discuss ideas about an overall better planet, or joining in laughter and fun at a movie night or group trip to the ice rink, the people you are with share common worldly goals and opinions. The JB is a community, or better yet, a family invested in a world filled with peace and not hatred.
“The JB is a community, or better yet, a family invested in a world filled with peace
and not hatred.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Dylan Emerick, Jacksonville Chapter, Jacksonville Harry Potter Mini-Camp, 2016
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 27
Santana’s Multiverse Theory Santana Briggs, CISV Canada
In an interview right after Zayn left One Direction, Stephen Hawking consoled young girls by describing a universe in which Zayn was still in the band. He was talking about the multiverse theory. I’m no physicist, but from what I understand, the multiverse theory says that there are parallel universes to the one we live in, created by our choices. Every choice I’ve made (or not made) has led me to this exact moment in my life - 1 am, sitting in front of my computer, sipping a juice box. There are so many “what ifs” in life that have made me who I am. The people I’ve met, the things I’ve accomplished, have all been products of “what ifs.” But what strikes me most about parallel universes, is that every time I look at camp photo, I wonder: “What if that had been me?”
I got to be a Junior Counsellor because of a fluke. I applied for a female JC spot my chapter didn’t have, in the off chance that something would come up. At the beginning of July 2014, a Village in the Netherlands was looking for another female JC as their Turkish JC backed out. Because of a million other reasons I’ll never know, it was decided that Canada would receive the invitation to their camp. My chapter was first on the waiting list and I was the only one who applied. When I got the call from my mom that they were offering me a chance to JC, I almost didn’t take it. I was all set to leave on the Peace Bus in two weeks time (which was incidentally the first day of Village) and I was unsure about joining a program so late. In the end, I ignored my doubts and accepted the spot.
There were so many things that had stood between me and that spot, so many things that, had something else gone differently, that opportunity would not have existed. When I scroll through Facebook and see photos of JCs, I always wonder what the camp would have been like if I had been there. Would I have connected with the people or enjoyed the site? Would the kids have had a different experience if I had been their JC? And most importantly, if I was there, who would have filled my spot in the Netherlands?
All of these little “what ifs” are so important to me because while JC, I met my best friends. I can’t image a world in which I don’t know them. Since camp, I’ve gone to visit them and we still talk all the time. But what if that Turkish JC hadn’t backed out? Where would my life be now? At the end of camp, someone wrote in my book: “I don’t know how the Turkish girl would have been, but she can’t have been better than you.” Nothing else in my life has had me more convinced that I had been exactly where I needed to be. All of these seemingly minuscule situations that led to this camp happened for a reason, and I can honestly say that I think all of those other parallel universes aren’t as good as the one I’m living in now.
The choices we make, make us who we are and who we aren’t. If my neighbor hadn’t told my mom about CISV, I probably wouldn’t be studying politics. If I had continued playing soccer, I would probably be a soccer pro right now (actually, definitely not). And if plethora of other things hadn’t happened in my life, I wouldn’t be the person I am.
“CISV has been the perfect storm and I will be forever grateful.”
“Nothing else in my life has had
me more convinced that I had been exactly where I needed
to be”
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 28
Create a list of ‘community norms’ for
Jeers and adults to follow whenever there
are non-CISVers or new CISVers around.
Assign each new family JB and adult
“buddies.”
Create a 5-10 minute presentation to give
before events clarifying what CISV is
and describing the things we will do that
day.
Don’t bring new friends to meetings-
just fun events.
Some ideas for retaining more
families
The Retention Issue Are we scaring ‘outsiders’ away?
Kat Holleran, CISV North-East Ohio
This past weekend, CISV Northeast Ohio (NEO) held its annual chapter retreat. At the retreat, we discussed t-shirt designs, fundraiser ideas, our yearly calendar, and, most importantly, recruitment and retention. These two ‘r words’ are daunting ones to CISV chapters across the country in a myriad of ways - whether we are trying to distinguish ourselves from travel organizations or just get new members, it seems most of us struggling to reach out and latch on.
Recently, NEO has been reaching out to families that didn’t or couldn’t commit to our chapter, asking why they decided not to stay. The responses were sadly not surprising: most of the families said they felt unwelcome because they felt out of the loop. At our retreat we discussed what we could be doing to cause these problems, as well as how we can fix them. We listed some central issues… • too much acronym use (RMC, NMC, NBM, JB, JC) • coming on too strong (“Hi welcome to CISV we are going to do a really fun energizer about pooping
mangos and then one about hugging! Please pay your chapter initiation fee!”) • being cliquey • not explaining ourselves
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 29
Winter Planning Snapshot
National Mini-Camp Committee
The NMCC worked really hard all weekend to plan for an awesome National Mini-Camp in May.
National Junior Board of
Trustees
The NJBoT discussed motions and
how they wanted to tackle their
awesome new project. Dan, the
chair, also led several activities to
promote critical thinking about the
future of the Junior Branch. National Youth Committee
The NYC planned all of the Chapter
Development weekends, which
are designed to help train future
JB leadership.
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 210
In our arduous work in JB and our volunteering with the organization we sometimes feel like an almost empty battery, still working yet exhausted and in need of a break. It’s not strange for sometimes to see a JB’er or any other CISV’er simply stop their involvement either in JB or the rest of the organization because they’ve burnt out, not because they stopped liking the organization but because sometimes being a fully involved CISV’er is incredibly exhausting, and the rewards for our involvement aren’t easily tangible or recognized.
In my term as Mexico’s NJR I remember spending sometimes up to 2 hours of my time daily for a complete month, sometimes even more and at the end of that hard work just feel fatigue creeping on my bones, my self-satisfaction of a work well done simply wasn’t enough to keep me going. While it was always amazing and refreshing to see all of JB Mexico doing wonderful activities and for new ideas to spark up my energy was slowly leaving. Adding on top of that my responsibilities in my local chapter, the international projects I was involved with, school and everything else that life entails my involvement in CISV was becoming work instead of that wonderful, new experience that was when I joined a long time ago. Three months before my term as NJR ended I was really happy with the fact that I was finishing, I longed for the weight to lift of my shoulders and finally be able to take a very large step back. I was so close to burning out, so close to simply saying goodbye for a little while and stop my involvement in CISV and in JB. I just wanted to breathe a little bit, to stop just for a very long second and live CISV again instead of working for its growth and development. I wanted to go back to my JC years and re-live that magical feeling of village, to not worry if CISV is sustainable or not or of JB Mexico had the tools needed for its continued growth.
Thankfully there were moments that people helped me to keep going, who motivated me to continue working and reminding me why I loved and did what I did. A few words of encouragement is all that is needed. My goodbye video as an NJR was perhaps the most motivating thing I’ve had in my life. Seeing all these people I care about thanking me and giving me words of encouragement for the future gave me a sort of energy I hadn’t had in a long while. Suddenly I wanted to continue changing the world, plan and create new projects, continue my involvement in CISV and JB. Just a few words from a few someones inspired me into continue my volunteering. Ever since then I remember to give such words of encouragement and thanks to all of
those who are constantly pouring lots and lots of energy and pieces of their own selves into their work, and I think that this is something that CISV sometimes lack. We are so focused on all the bad things in our local communities that when we are being active
members of the organization we only focus in all the wrongs of the different parts of the organization. No activity is too perfect, the staff of the mini-camp could have been more organized, my LJR could have done this thing instead, this project could have been better. And while these thoughts are important for the constant improvement and development of the organization, it is very important to take a step back and acknowledge all the hard work that our volunteers and our participants are constantly investing. We are people and we need the encouragement.
A thank you and a few words of acknowledgement is the best energizer that anyone could ever have.
Recharge Gonzi Leon, CISV Mexico
! jbnews Volume 2, Issue 211
"Hello JB USA! This is Bryan Christopher Boro. I’m the former JB President of the Brandywine Valley chapter, and current active volunteer with the New York chapter. I’m writing to you to tell you about the International Junior Branch’s (IJB) yearly educational content project: Dig In.
Some of you may recall previous years’ projects, Right On, Branch Out, and Stand Up. If you are not familiar with past years’ projects, let me offer you a small description of what specifically Dig In is all about:
Dig In aims to illustrate the facets of Sustainable Development through educational activities that connect participants worldwide. We aim to foster active global citizenship by developing individuals’ attitudes, skills, and knowledge on the area.
Our team is comprised of ten amazing JBers from all three regions of the IJB (the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific): Sophie (Germany), Agustin (Spain), Maria (Finland), Sebastian (Colombia), Oliver (Great Britain), Emi (Norway/Belgium), Agustin (Costa Rica), Natashia (Indonesia), me (USA), and the
IJB team Education Content Specialist/ Dig In project leader, Anton (Sweden).
So how can you get involved? Run and participate in our activities!
Our goal is to release six activities throughout this calendar year. We just released our first activity: Let’s Get Digging! You can access this activity, all other future activities, by joining us and the rest of the International Junior Branch in this project via our social media platforms: Facebook (http://facebook.com/diginijb), Instagram (http://instagram.com/diginijb), and Issuu (http://issuu.com/cisvjuniorbranch).
If you participate in our activity, be sure to send us photos of you and those of you partaking in the activity at [email protected].
We really hope you’ll join us and the rest of the IJB in uniting in Dig In!
*CISV cycles annually through four Educational Content areas: Sustainable Development, Diversity, Conflict and Resolution, and Human Rights. This year’s theme is Sustainable Development. Every year, an international team of JBers creates a series of activities that explicitly focus on the current content area.
