Blog

Outside the UN, New York when I was there at the JCI Partership Summit in June 2010.

Dear JCI UK Members and Friends, 

Welcome to 2011. This year JCI UK is going Back to Basic. 

I am so excited to be your National president 2011, and I know that with your help we are going to have a fantastic time. 

If you want to really kick start your JCI year, it will be great to see you in Reading for Inspiration Day. The event is open for all members. 

I would like to wish you all a great year of engagement, growth and development. I hope that you take advantage of all the opportunities that will come your way, and most of all, you have fun! 

I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Warm regards

Allison Cowell

JCI UK National President 2011 

allison.cowell@jciuk.org.uk 

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You were awarded the most outstanding senator in JCI UK 2010. That's a great honour!

How have you been active in JCI Cambridge this year? 
I started meeting up with Jen Little, Cambridge Local President and potential council members. I facilitated an induction session to what JCI is, areas of opportunities, how you can get involved and what JCI means to me. Over the last ten months I've been supporting Jen Little in her role as president whenever she has had any questions.

Later in the year I spoke at a workshop about "Dealing with Difficult People" as part of JCI Cambridge training programme. And to help the Cambridge council I connected them with several potential trainers.

When I meet new people I always mention JCI, this has resulted in new members.

What do you think lies behind the success in JCI Cambridge? What's the secret making them so successful? 
To start with getting a group of six young, enthusiastic people in a room, with food (!) to discuss JCI released a lot of energy!

The council (or committee as they call themselves in Cambridge) learned what the organisation has to offer; they learned that JCI is not just another networking club, not just a way of self-development, but a way of making lasting friendships while having FUN. That got the team off to a great start.

JCI Cambridge has done an amazing job with their marketing and PR. The members involved have continued to be enthusiastic, enjoy each other's company and have fun - with strong leadership from Jen.

Can you tell us about one of you best JCI experiences? 
There are many... to pick one is sooo hard.

• Presenting at my first national council in Kirklees and promoting the Find A Donor project to raise awareness and number of donors on the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Register... and subsequently hearing of other chambers who took up the project.
• Attending my first World Congress in Nov 1995 in Glasgow.  An amazing cultural experience. Listening to Jack Black, one of the keynote speakers, and deciding to do his "Mindstore for Life" programme the following year.  I also received a complimentary copy of Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and influence People, a book I still have on my shelves and have enjoyed reading many times.
• Receiving my senatorship from my dad at the Regional Conference in Ipswich, when I was outgoing RGC. A complete surprise and very well staged (a memory which still fills me with great emotion).
• Winning the World Debating championship in Barcelona in 2001.
• The trials, tribulations and ultimately success of organising the training programme for European Conference in Birmingham in 2003 with Helen Giblin.
• And many more...!

If you could invite any trainer or speaker in the world to speak at the next JCI conference, who would that be? 
I would love to hear the Dali Lama speak.

Is there anything that JCI can help you with? Contacts? Ideas? Connections?
Over the years I have received great support from JCI members. I learnt my training skills, honed them with Barclays and then took them freelance in September 2000. Since then many JCI members have asked me to talk at their chambers and also to their companies, which I have enjoyed greatly. I'm keen to take my messages on management and confidence to a wider audience so wrote The Confident Manager two years ago. Any ideas on how to take that publication to JCI, or other young managers worldwide gratefully received. 

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Dear Members and JCI Friends, 

It's hard to believe that 2010 is drawing to a close and I would like to take this opportunity to say what a fantastic year it has been for JCI UK and to thank each and every one of you who have contributed to our successes.

Recognition at our Awards Ceremony took place at the National Convention Gala Dinner on 27 November in London. Details of all winners can be found at the website. The new website will improve JCI UK's communication a lot and our new newsletter will follow the same design and style, hope you'll find it useful. 
 
As National President, this year has been one of the most challenging and yet most rewarding of my life and certainly has cemented my commitment to this amazing organisation.

Thanks to all those members I've spoken to this year who have shared inspirational stories of their passion and desire to be active citizens - our future is in your hands and it has been an honour to serve you this year.
 
I'd also like to say thank you to the 2010 National Board. Their hard work and efforts have been key in delivering the achievements of JCI UK this year.

I'm also delighted to be handing over the reigns to such a capable and talented leader for 2011, Allison Cowell - I've no doubts whatsoever that she will lead us from strength to strength.
 
Wishing you all the best for the festive period and an amazing New Year!
 
Warmest regards
 
Lesley
 
Lesley Young
National President 2010
JCI UK

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JCI Cambridge have had a great week for press coverage following the recent wins at the awards ceremony! Two articles, one in the Cambridge News and one in Cambridge First giving more great publicity to the chamber.

It's great to see the results of the hard work by JCI Cambridge with a huge increase in membership and a raised profile across the region. Officially, and thanks to the work of the committee/council, the group now consists of the "movers and shakers" of the Cambridge business world!

Well done to the whole JCI Cambridge committee on all the awards won. They've all worked very hard, but had a lot of fun with it too!

Below is the press release sent out to the press. 

JCI Cambridge scoop five national awards 

Business networking group for young professionals and entrepreneurs, JCI Cambridge have scooped five prestigious awards at the recent JCI UK National Convention.

The awards, including Best Membership Recruitment, Best Programme, Best Newcomer, Best PR and Marketing and Best Overall Leader, were presented to JCI Cambridge at the national gala dinner in London.

JCI (Junior Chamber International) Cambridge delivers training and special interest group seminars, networking and social opportunities for business professionals under 40 years old. The national awards recognise JCI Cambridge's rapidly expanding membership base in 2010 and outstanding programme of speakers from the local business community.

"We are thrilled that the hard work of the JCI Cambridge committee and members has been recognised at a national level. The Chamber has gone from strength to strength in 2010 and become the most vibrant and fast growing networking group for young professionals", says Jen Little, JCI Cambridge President and winner of the coveted Best Overall Leader award.

Allison Cowell, JCI UK National President elect 2011 says, "JCI Cambridge is made up of a fantastic group of individuals, who have great ambition, and determination to succeed. They have worked together to develop and grow. Not only are they making an impact within their local communities, but they are also making an impact within JCI UK".

For more information on JCI Cambridge business training and networking opportunities in 2011, visit www.jcicambridge.com. First time visitors are welcome to come along for free, full JCI membership is only £8 a month.

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You are the International Director for JCI UK next year, congratulations on your new role.

What does this role involve?
In my role as International Director for JCI UK, I’m aiming to help all members become more aware of all the wonderful international opportunities that are available within JCI and to help them gain the most out of the events attended. This includes amongst many things the coordination of delegate bookings for the European Conference in Tarragona in June and the World Congress in Brussels in November. Watch this space for more information coming very soon!

What was the best part of your trip in November to the World Congress in Japan?
Promoting JCI UK at the Global Village event was the best bit. The Global Village event at the 2010 World Congress in Osaka was awesome. GV gives many countries the opportunity to promote their country, which in turn helps attract international delegates to events they may be running.

We served Pimm’s as our beverage of choice (the search for strawberries and enough lemonade was interesting). Every one of the delegates and many UK senators lent a hand and boy did the UK delegation get seen.

Have you met any interesting people? If yes, how have they made an impression on you?
I’ve meet many wonderful people and the number one thing I’ve noticed is that whatever background or country they come from JCI members all have a similar outlooks on life and they all have a huge desire to create positive change.

Have you got a deeper understanding of how JCI works? It is a big global organisation and it can take a while to get your head around it!
I was very luck to be able to help Christian Hellmund the 2010 JCI UK International Director whilst at the world Congress in Osaka so I’m going into going into 2011 very prepared. But I’ve learnt loads about the organisation in a very small amount of time. Being fully involved in all the many events going on at World Congress definitely helped and I’m also one to ask questions if I’m not sure what’s going on.

Can you give us an example of stuff you do during a "normal" day at a JCI World Congress?
My day will start with a breakfast meeting with the JCI UK leadership team and the leadership team of one of the countries the UK has a special agreement with. Then it’s off to the Morning Show which was presented by Patrick Knight a JCI member and Senator from Florida and recently appointed Training Director for the Americas, this is a great opportunity to get going and motivated for a full and busy day. Then depending on the day I usually spend some time in General Assembly (GA) which is very much like our council meetings (but a bit more formal) with all the National Presidents, of which there are now 110 timing can get tight..

After lunch I try and catch a training session or if we have delegates in the Public Speaking or Debating competitions I attend with all the other UK delegates to show our support. Before dinner I send out a text message to all delegates reminding them of all the important events happening the following day. To finish the day off I attend the evening event which could be the Awards ceremony or a party. So as you can see it’s work hard, play hard and sleeping is for after the congress…

In a broad context, why do you think it is important that JCI exists?
Life isn’t just about the daily grind, there’s more to life and those who realise this aim to do something more with their lives and that’s why JCI exists, it’s important to give people the opportunity to make a difference however big or small that difference is.

Is there anything that JCI can do for you? Help? Connections?
JCI can continue to connect me with wonderful people who want to create positive change.

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JCI UK met Eyad Hamouieh from JCI London.

You are the International Director in JCI London next year? What's your plans for next year?
My plan next year is to add an element of business to the international events.  I have realised that a large number of JCI members are interested in business and would therefore like to attract them to the International team as well.

I am planning on running several events which would provide insight on the business culture within 5 different regions: China, India, US and Canada, Latin America and the Middle East
 
In addition to understanding the business culture of the above areas, I would like to run 1 or 2 sessions regarding the rules of Import and Export to the UK as well as between other countries.

Nevertheless, I still plan on running other non-business related events next year. This will be based on the members that approach the team and suggest these events (e.g. dancing from different countries, different foods... etc)

How have being a JCI member influenced your career? 
JCI has influenced my career tremendously! In fact, I was offered my current job after attending the JCI Annual Dinner in 2010.

Furthermore, the soft skills that I was exposed too and the training sessions that ran within JCI London events helped me tremendously in my current job. Especially being originally an Engineer with little contact with clients!
 
Can you give some top tips to new members? 
I would recommend new members to take on the challenge of being active within JCI not only attending events, but by running them.  This will provide a new challenging experience, a great networking opportunity and is always attractive to put on your CV. You also never know what these events might lead to next.
 
Who is your dream speaker that you would like to invite to a JCI event? 
Warren Buffett
 
What can JCI do for you? Do you need help with anything such as connections, developing ides? 
JCI has already done a lot for me. However I believe that you can never have enough connections and therefore would love to network even more. My father always quoted the saying to me "it’s not what you know, it’s who you know".

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You are the incoming Local President of JCI Boston. Can you briefly tell us about your plans for next year?  
Yes, my plans are to increase the membership of JCI Boston. We are a small chamber and have limited resources. I wish to spread the JCI word around Boston, develop key relationships and take advantage of the fact we have the National President Allison Cowell in our chamber.

I would like to see a programme in Boston that offers all areas of opportunity, though our strength is our social programme. JCI Boston will support national JCI events such as The Global Malaria Day. I am also going to attend my first European Conference in Tarragona next year which I am very excited about!

We are going to be launching a new website early next year which will help us to attract new members. 

Five of your members climbed the Mount Snowdon as a teambuilding weekend earlier this year! How was it?
Hard work, especially the climb up but lots of fun. I personally struggled, if it hadn’t have been for the encouragement from my fellow members I don’t think I would have made it. The bad blisters didn’t help either! Even though the members who did the climb have known each other for a couple of years now, it was like getting to know them all over again, as we also stayed in a very minimal bunkhouse for the weekend.

I’m very proud that are efforts have been recognised regionally by receiving the most outstanding social project and nationally by receiving a certificate of merit. 

What are the learning’s for you and the team from the climbing project?  
I think we learnt a lot about each other and in particular what the individual’s team member’s strengths are, and how to respect those strengths, whether it was map reading or motivational encouragement. It has improved skills such as organisation, co-ordination and planning. The team has a re-energised bond which I hopes lasts throughout 2011 and beyond.

What is your dream project that you would like your members to become involved in next year?  
I have two key projects in mind for next year, one would be a local community project, at the minute my idea of holding a five-aside football tournament is only at the ideas stage but hopefully in the coming months with my members support it will turn into a plan. I know JCI Sheffield hosted one several years ago and it was a great success for them.

The other key project next year is; I would also like to host a Boston Day so all our friends around the UK can come a visit the original Boston. I’m sure the majority of the UK membership has never been to Boston, some may not even know where we are. Therefore I am inviting members to come and see what Boston is all about. Watch this space for the date.

If you could invite any speaker/trainer to a JCI UK event who would that be?   
Peter Jones, because he is a successful business man, who has started up a portfolio of companies. He appears on the television show Dragons Den and with his experiences and contacts, advises budding entrepreneurs. Not only would his life story be interesting but his tips and advice would be worth listening too.

Is there anything that JCI can help you with? Contacts? Ideas? Connections? 
I would like the support from our fellow chambers and in return we will support them, Boston is lucky enough to be in the Yorkshire region but unfortunately with a couple of hours drive away this can make it difficult. 

I think open communication is must, it is important that we are given information from national board etc but then it also means it has to be two way communication. Chambers need to share ideas, resources and projects successes with one another.  

 

Lesley Young handing over the certificate of merit for most outstanding social project to Tracy Anderson at the National Convention 2010 in London. 

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Vicky Savage is incoming President of JCI Barnsley, we did a quick interview with her. If you haven't met Vicky yet you'll meet her at the "Barnsley Dinner" 21 January when she will be inaugurated as Local President.

How did you get involved in JCI?
I became involved with JCI through our Vice Principal here at Barnsley College, who is a member of Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce. He was very keen and eager for staff to develop their skills both internally and externally and could see the benefits of JCI. I contact the president at the time Debbie Tills who arranged for fellow members to come and talk to me about JCI Barnsley. After that fateful night I attended my first JCI Event which was the Vicious Circle Dinner and I became hooked.

What has JCI meant for you in your professional development?
Being part of JCI has enabled me to network with people outside of my profession who I usually wouldn't get the opportunity to meet. I have been able to make contacts with people who are prepared to come into college as guest speakers and mentors, which has been really useful.

Through JCI I have also attended training sessions that are bespoke and tailored to meet specific needs that you wouldn't get in the workplace or would cost. Being a member of JCI has enabled me to organise training events using the expertises of staff here at Barnsley College to benefit other JCI members. Attending training events has given me the confidence to take part in a variety of public speaking competition which lead to winning the Regional Extempore Competition this year in Leeds.

Which is the most inspiring JCI project you have been involved in?
This year JCI Barnsley took part in the Prince Trust/ JCI UK Enterprise Project, the aim of the project is to combine both business and community elements of JCI by forming small teams and creating an entrepreneurial/fundraising project over the summer to raise money for the charity.

Three Barnsley College Students and JCI members agreed to manage and run the project with myself as a mentor. The students decided to raise money by having a sweet stall at the college tutorial day. The students had to create a business plan, source materials and run the event. In total the project raised a good total of £175.

What is your travel plans with JCI 2011 when you are JCI Barnsley's Local President? Which events and conferences are you planning to go to?
I'm really excited for the forthcoming year having laid out my plans for 2011. In Barnsley we have fantastic members who are organising a variety of events which I can't wait to be involved in. I'm kicking off my year by attending JCI Edinburgh Burns Gala Dinner which sounds amazing followed quickly by going to JCI Reading for Inspiration Day 29th January.

Internationally I plan to attend European Conference in Tarragona and European Academy in Sweden.

Do you have a leadership book you can recommend other Local JCI Presidents to read?
As a work in Education I feel a great book to read is Maslow on Management by Abraham H. Maslow because it gives you an insight to the basic needs that enable staff to work effectively and how to build positive working relationships.

Is there anything JCI can help you with? Connections? Ideas?
I would like to see a facility like LinkedIn where JCI members from across the world can connect to share ideas, market events, work collaboratively on projects, skills directory and a discussion board.

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JCI just shared the plan of action for next year. Please share it with all JCI UK members!

JCI 2011 Plan of action 

By providing development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change, JCI is on a mission to change the world by transforming communities and changing lives. In 2011 the organization embarks on an exciting journey to position JCI as a global organization with the ability to impact the world. JCI will take action to accomplish its vision of being the leading global network of young active citizens.

A World of Citizens: JCI and Human Security

The 2011 Plan of Action is inspired by a new era - an era in which the destiny of the world is being defined by citizens rather than nations. In a past Cold War 21st century, with increasing globalization , and people exposed to threats that cannot be resolved by unilateral efforts of nations. Beyond national boundaries and government bureaucracies, young active citizens will have to take initiative to ensure progress and development of communities.

The term "Citizens Initiative" has been used to define the notion that positive change in the world will be brought about by the action of individuals rather than the action of nations or states. As a forward-thinking organization, JCI shall embrace the future in 2011 and urge members to be the true active citizens by taking initiative to lead the world to a better place.

As active citizens, we can no longer subscribe to the notion that national security shall be provided by governments, but we must ensure the security of every human being from want or fear. 

In recent years, the United Nations has begun to address the concept of human security, which, simply put, is a concept that seeks to ensure the security of every human being in terms of food, health, the environment, personal, community and politics. The perspective of human security emerged because nations no longer have the ability to deal with issues that face the security of individuals unilaterally.

Human security means protecting the vital core of human lives in a way that enhances human freedom and human fulfillment. It works to free people of their fears as they relate to conflicts, terrorism, natural disasters, environmental degradation, infectious disease and economic crisis. It relates to the ability to elevate people out of poverty, illiteracy, poor health and the lack of vital social services.

Download the 2011 JCI Plan of Action

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There is a lot of activity in JCI in December and many JCI chambers are collecting Christmas gifts for charities.

JCI Wakefield collected over 300 gifts last weekend, if you are interested in helping out before Christmas contact Local President Chris Gibson ChristopherGibson@eversheds.com

Members of JCI Doncaster once again hope to collect thousands of presents for needy children in Doncaster through their annual Secret Santa Appeal, in conjunction with sponsors including Lakeside Village, Atteys, Doncaster College and Printing.com. Contact JCI Doncaster's President Katie Ogley if you want to get involved president@jcidoncaster.org.uk

JCI London is working with Community Links, a charity working in East London, which is one of the most deprived areas in the UK. We are going to collect toys which will be given to children around London, who otherwise would not have a present on Christmas Day. Contact Carolin Voigt for more information:carolin.voigt@gmx.de. 

JCI Barnsley is once again supporting local charities in its bid to make sure that every child is remembered this Christmas. We are asking local people to donate a gift, big or small to support local charities. If you can help contact Gemma Fletcher at jcibarnsley@hotmail.co.uk

Colin and Reece bringing happiness to children's hospitals   

JCI Bradford, Manchester, Reading, Sheffield and Southampton are supporting Colin and Reece's this year.

Colin and his son Reece, 5 years old, are travelling the length and breadth of the UK (dressed as Santa) delivering presents to terminally ill children at Christmas between 12-24 December.

Reece has struggled with cancer for most of his life and this is his mission to bring happiness to kids up and down the country this year. 

JCI is supporting them collecting gifts to be delivered to Children's Hospitals around the country. If you want to donate a gift please contact the local chambers who are involved.

JCI Bradford
JCI Manchester
JCI Reading
JCI Southampton
JCI Sheffield

Let us know how your Christmas appeal projects are going!

Kay Matthews, Project Manager for JCI Doncaster's Secret Santa appeal commented: "Helping the community is a central part of being a member of JCI UK. We try to provide projects for members which teach them management skills in a safe environment whilst also underlining our organisation's beliefs about creating better societies through active participation."

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