On 17th September 2011, JCI Dublin and the Finglas Youth Resource Centre organised “Young people and business” seminar

Over the week of the 11th to the 18th of September Junior Chamber International (JCI) members from around Ireland have been rolling up their sleeves and getting involved in their local communities.
After giving blood on Thursday 15th September, JCI Dublin members provided business minded young people the basics required to start a business during a 1 day seminar as part of Active Citizenship Week.
Laurynas Binderis, who sits in the Board of the Finglas Youth Resource Centre and has recently be named most active JCI Dublin member, said “Young people hold the key of the economic future of this country.
As a budding entrepreneur myself, I want to see more young people equipped with the knowledge and network and feeling confident to start a business. This is why I wanted to carry out this project”.
On the day, participants received information on how to start a business, get insight on finance, marketing, human resource management among others, and will benefit from JCI Dublin’s assistance if they want to develop an idea and create a business plan.
A few minutes after the seminar, Chris Lascor, President of JCI Dublin added “The Dublin branch of Junior Chamber International is full of talented and skillful members who are eager to share their knowledge and create a positive impact in their community. Thanks to the Finglas Youth Resource Centre support, our volunteers’ presentations and the energy of each participant, the seminar exceeded my expectations. Everyone learnt something today and one participant even left the seminar with a job!”

The Bald Barista received the 2011 JCI Dublin Friendly Business Awards at the Mansion House.

The JCI Friendly Business Awards recognizes the important role that local industry plays in the continuous development and improvement of our country.
The project aims to award friendly businesses, which go that extra mile and provide an outstanding customer service for their clients and their community.

It is particularly important in this economic environment to highlight businesses that don't allow their standards to slip and continue to provide quality services.
Chris Lascor, President of JCI Dublin said : “With the current pinch in the economy it is so important for businesses to be able to set themselves apart from their competitors.
Businesses who go that little bit further will survive and thrive when the economy picks up.
The Bald Barista in Aungier Street is certainly one of them!”.

The friendliest business in Dublin was judged on the following criteria:
1. Customer Care / Friendliness
2. Eco Friendliness
3. Shop layout & design
4. Disability access.
These are key contributors to making up a customer centric business.

 Lord Mayor Cllr Andrew Montague said “It is the businesses which look after their customers that are the businesses who will be champions in their market
places and help drag Dublin and Ireland out of recession”.

The Bald Barista now enters the national Friendly Business Award competition organised by JCI Ireland.

JCI Dublin received the 2011 Best European Membership & Recruitment Program award in Tarragona on 4th June 2011.

In 2010, JCI Dublin initiated a Mentoring program allowing prospective members to meet regularly and to gradually get involved in activities.

The  sucess of the "JCI Dublin Open Day" also exceeded expectations, highly improved the profile of our oraganisation and created a positive momentum.

Anybody interested in hearing more about Junior Chamber International is welcome to attend our meetings taking place every second thursday of the month at 7pm (26 Merrion Square, Dublin 2) or contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  

Julien Gay de Montella (JCI Dublin 2011 International Officer) and the Organising Committee are preparing the upcoming international event entitled the "Green Light" weekend, which will focus on promoting Ireland and economic opportunities of the “renewable” sector.
The idea will be to raise awareness of these opportunities and how they can improve our daily lives. But there is more to green than just the environment! It also happens to be Ireland's colour, and we intend to share it with our European friends.
 
Between April 29 and May 1st, the Green Light Weekend will welcome young people from across Europe,  who will participate in training sessions related to this topic, as well as undergo fun activities to promote Dublin. The programme includes a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, a Survivor Team Building among many other fun events. If you are looking to be part of a wonderful learning experience, meet people from across Europe and enjoy a memorable time, then don't hesitate to join us!

For a detailed programme and more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

On 26th and 27th March 2011, the JCI Dublin delegation attended Spring Conference in Cork.

On Saturday afternoon, Fabio Ivasse was part of the winning "Rebel Apprentice Challenge" team after showing originality, creativity humour and superbly presenting their work.

The highlight of the week end happened on Sunday morning

Fabio Ivasse continued his successful week end by winning the Novice Public Speaking competition.

"What is so good about living in Ireland" inspired Fabio and his 5 minutes performance allows JCI Dublin to bring back the Novice Public Speaking cup for a second consecutive year.

Later in the morning, the JCI Dublin Debating team could not reach the final but Fabio Ivasse, Vincent Trupin and Christophe Lascor gave their best shot for their first participation.

Every year, JCI Edinburgh organises a full week end of activities to celebrate Robert Burns’ memory.

On 22^nd January, 3 JCI Dublin members (Laura Borlea, Tudor Borlea and myself) attended the 2011 Burns Supper in Edinburgh.

Those informal gatherings are always a great way to chat with familiar faces, get introduced to new people, and start the actual event knowing more members.

The gala Dinner followed and was the highlight of the week end.

140 members and guests joined us for the Burns Supper, which included speeches, toast full of humour, haggis , ceilidh and much more

I spent a few more hours in Edinburgh on sunday to visit the city before coming back to Dublin with burn(s)ing desire to attend another edition of the Burns Supper!

2010 has been a very busy year for JCI Dublin. We organised events, promoted new initiatives, made new connections to local, national and international organisations and people.

On Friday, 3rd December JCI Dublin celebrated a great year together with partners, sponsors, members and friends in a festive atmosphere at the JCI Dublin Annual Dinner 2010.

Among the special guests was Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr. Edie Wynne, JCI National President Mark Kelly, Deputy Vice President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce John McGraine and President of JCI Glasgow Richard Kerr.

Many thanks to all the members who attended and to the orgnising committee Eva Eckert, Louise Walsh and Christophe Lascor.

It was great to see everyone on the night and celebrate a great JCI year.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you and working with you next year!

On Halloween Weekend ten JCI members gathered in city centre to participate in the bucket collection event for UNICEF. 
Half or the proceeds went to 'Believe in 0' campaign and half went towards the joint UNICEF/JCI Dublin campaign 'Give 100%'.
It was an enjoyable Sunday as well as a very good learning experience.

Have a look at what members say:

I can't express how fantastic it was to be a part of todays event and to see us all together fighting for one cause - Aga

I had a great time today and it was a very useful learning experience as well. This also made me realize how tough and valuable work all the fundraisers are doing out there. - Jani

Yes it was great to be a part of today's event and thank you all for coming along.  It is great to see that we have contributed not onlyto Haiti but also to the Believe in 0 Campaign. - Emma

It was great to see so many of us especially around Halloween weekend.  These few hours spent in the cold will make a big difference in a few children's lives...thanks again, and special mention to Aga for setting it up!! - Julien

It was a great response from JCI members and it shows people are willing to help and to make a difference. Well done to everyone involved! - Laura

 Active Alfie, the mascot of JCI Ireland's Active Citizenship Week was very busy!

 Actice Alfie and Active ALice, along with JCI Dublin members went out to City Centre Wednesday night and promoted active citizenship.
It was a very positive response. Active Alfie raised awareness among passers by, including  Garda representatives.

He also showed his commitment to a healthier and environmental friendlier Dublin city by supporting the Dublin City Bike scheme, which was one of the most successful programes of it's kind.

The best way to become an active citizen is to start by making a pledge on www.fifty-ways.com.

Encourage more people to pledge! 

A big THANK YOU to everyone involved in the JCI Dublin Open Day!
It was a great event and was an amazing team effort.
Many thanks to the Organizing Committee: Chris(who put together the recruitment project in the first place!), Jani, Lorena, Judit as well as
people who supported them Rahel, Anita & Tudor.

It was amazing to have JCI members speak about their experience and I thank all of them for the inspirational speeches - they really inspired the audience and I will attach two of the feedbacks!!
Thanks to Aga, Eva, Chris, Tudor, Anthony and Ray.

Special thanks to MC Michelle, who is always very adaptable and jumps in whenever needed! 

 We put together a short video to give you an overview of the event:

 Look at the feedback we got so far:

Well done on organising such an enjoyable and well attended meeting with Colin Lewis. He was excellent. - Joyce 

I expected to find friendly, pro-active and engaging people and that’s exactly how I would describe the members and the atmosphere there. In addition to that, big congratz for the way in which the event was organized. It was nice that we received all the information needed on time before the event by e-mail. There is no need to mention that the training and content was exceptionally good. - Alex 

That was a fantastic event! Thanks so much and well done to you guys! I work in marketing myself and we also organise a lot of events with speakers and I must say Colin was very professional and interesting. Will order books he has recommended. - Sylwia

Colin Lewis presentation ( How to be a marketing guru) was absolutely brilliant ...straitgh to the point,  no jargon,  relevant to any type of business and well targeted to small business owner who were in the room. The overall event was well timed and did go over time or start to late  as most event of theses types .So prefessionnaly managed ! - Agnes

Yesterday's evening was really good and a great chance for me to know JCI Dublin and your projects.I want to change, challenge myself, find ways to contribute for my individual and the community development and progress, outside my technology area. I thought that my presence at the event was MEANT to be. I took already a membership form and I'll go to the next meeting to hand it to you. Thanks a lot Laura. I congratulate you and all JCI members for this great event. I definitely left the Chamber different. - Fabio

Thanks for the great event..Really appreciate the feedback I got from Colin and the audience about our t-shirt site - Rob 

The Junior Chamber International Dublin (JCI Dublin) today launched its “GIVE 100% Project” in aid of UNICEF Ireland’s ongoing work for the children of Haiti. The project was launched on June 1st 2010, International Children’s Day and will run throughout the second half of the year with the aim of raising € 20.000

JCI EC 2010 - through the eyes of a first timer

by Christophe Lascor

 I flew to Denmark on Monday 7th June for my first European Conference, eager to “explore, learn and share”.
It did not take me a lot of time to literally share something, as I quickly discovered my hostel roommates were JCI members from Sweden and Catalonia! We had dinner in one of the few restaurants serving food after 9pm
On the second day, instead of visiting the city, I decided to check whether JCI Trainer was fully booked. As some participants dropped out, I grabbed the opportunity and was allowed to attend the training.
I am now looking forward to delivering some training in Ireland and improve the skills gained in this “last minute” course attended by JCI members from all over Europe, but also the USA!
It was then time to drop my bag in the apartment JCI Ireland booked, and join the Irish delegation for the Opening ceremony.
The noise, mix of colours and energy in the audience looked closer from the Opening Ceremony of a sporting event than a typical conference, and set the tone for Danish party and the following 4 days.
Despite the nice music (and free beer!), I left the parties early enough in order to make the most of the high quality training available in the morning.
I attended JCI Networking, but also training around Sales, Project Management and Negociation.
I gathered as much information and knowledge as possible in Sales and Negociation as I had no experience in those topics.
Whenever I felt I knew the content of a course, I focused on its structure, the way it was delivered and related it to what we learnt during JCI Trainer.
Day after day, lunch after lunch, night after night, the amount of likeminded people I met grew very fast and I really felt comfortable in the middle of 1200 JCI members attending the conference.
When the training were full, or if I arrived late I would visit some business exhibitions, watch the Debating competition, listen to keynote speakers... no time to get bored
 The last afternoon was an opportunity to celebrate outstanding members and organisations before the formal Gala dinner.
No trophy for JCI Ireland this year but 7 winners, as we all got something from the conference!
I flew back from Denmark very early on Sunday morning, willing to apply what I learnt in Aarhus as soon as possible, run JCI projects better and grow personally.
I strongly encourage every member to attend a European conference. Why not next year in Tarragona?

JCI Ireland at the German Party

JCI Ireland with UK, Scotland & Malta

JCI Ireland delegation

JCI Dublin

JUNIOR CHAMBER AND LORD MAYOR AWARD FRIENDLINESS OF DUBLIN BUSINESSES

’In business, I’ve discovered that my purpose is to do my best to my utmost ability every day. That’s my standard. I learned early in my life that I had high standards’ said Donald Trump when asked about philosophy behind his success. The same philosophy drives Friendly Business Awards- a project launched in March by a successful youth organization call Junior Chamber International Dublin.

JCI Friendly Business Awards recognize the important role that local industry plays in the continuous development and improvement of Dublin city. The project aims at awarding friendly businesses, which go that extra mile and provide an outstanding customer service for their clients and for the community. It is particularly important in this economic environment to highlight businesses that don't make any concession and continue providing quality services.

JCI Dublin Friendly Business Awards gala took place on Monday, 17th May at 6.30 and was hosted by the Lord Mayor Cllr. Emer Costello and opened by JCI Dublin President Laura Borlea whose interest in the well-being of entrepreneurs has been known for years. There were five prizes awarded in four categories: customer friendliness, eco-friendliness, and disability access and shop layout. The fifth went to the business, which excels in all four categories and this year Meagher’s Pharmacy in Grand Canal Dock mastered all categories and proved to be the best. Winners of the four categories where Panem, bakery on Lower Ormond Quay for Customer service, The Physio Studio – was winner of Shop Layout/Design category, Fresh Smithfield were awarded for their Eco friendliness
 and Studio Hills won the Disability Access category.

The guest speaker on the night was Emer Jameson, Managing Director  of YourLocal.ie. Emer Jameson has been Managing Director of the Irish Independent Directory since March 2006. Prior to joining the Independent News & Media Group, Emer ran her own sales consultancy company ‘Jameson Training’ for nine years. She specialized in a number of training areas such as Train the Trainer, Sales Training, Presentation Skills, Customer Service and Motivational Training. E

The Master of Ceremonies was Michelle Daly, Communication Manager with Paddy Power. Michelle is Community Director at JCI Ireland, and sits on the board of Directors of Irish Women in Business. Michelle has often appeared as a speaker, social media consultant and journalist on International TV, and Radio. 

Among honored guests was Mark Kelly- JCI Ireland President, sponsors: Jeff Burns from FiberSeal and Kyuong from KimChi, sponsor photographer Luis Faustino as well as past winners and members of JCI.

More information about the project can be found on www.friendlybusinessawards.com.

Photographs by Luis Faustino - www.luis-faustino.com

JCI Dublin with Lord Mayor Emer Costello

JCI Dublin had the privilege to organise the second JCI national event of this year – Spring Conference.

Last weekend almost fifty participants from around the country as well as international guests gathered in Clarion Hotel, Dublin city centre for the conference on the topic ‘Change’.
 
The morning kicked off with action in the IMPACT Team building around city centre. Two teams had to create an artwork to represent JCI in two of the busiest places in Dublin city: Trinity College and Saint Stephens Green.

The two training sessions were centred on the topic of change and adapting to change.
Ken McIntyre-Barn was the first trainer. He focused on personal factors: attitude, becoming aware of your own personality, inner ability to adapt to change.
In the second part of the afternoon Peter Lawless discussed external factors and how can we benefit of external changes in order to succeed in work and life.
He demonstrated that all external factors are controllable and it is only up to you to take the right decisions.
Saturday night ended with a lovely three course diner in the Italian restaurant Il Vignardo just ten minutes away from Clarion.
Sunday was dedicated to the national Public Speaking and Debating competitions.
JCI Dublin had four participants in the Novice Public Speaking competition. All judges agreed it was a very high level and candidates were extremely skilled. Julien, Tudor, Judit and Janice showed great talent. Janice Phillips got to take home the first prize.
Winner of the Advanced Public Speaking was Annemarie Shanahan from JCi Galway.

The debating competition started with JCI Dublin’s victory against JCI Dun Laoghaire on the motion ‘That the leaders have failed us’. The final was very tight; however JCI Fingal persuaded the jury that Irish men should not show more emotions and kept their current title of national champions in debating.

The whole weekend was very enjoyable and JCI Dublin got only positive feedback for organising a great event. We thank everyone involved for their help and great work!



‘Well Done! All of us in Fingal really enjoyed Spring Conference,
it was very well organised, had great training and most importantly was fun! Good work’. - Brian J Smyth, President JCI Fingal