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

JCI Scours Ireland for Young Angels in the Community

JCI Ireland is currently seeking nominations for our annual Outstanding Young Person of the Year (TOYP) Awards. These Awards recognise outstanding endeavour and achievement by young people locally, nationally and internationally. This programme has been in existence for more than fifty years internationally, and for almost thirty years in Ireland. By recognising these young people, JCI encourages them and others to seek excellence and serve others.

“The search is on to find nominees for this year’s competition so that their accomplishments can be acknowledged and recognised’. Simply send us their name and contact details and a paragraph as to why they would be a perfect candidate for the Most Outstanding Young Person of the Year 2010,” said Michelle Daly, Community Director, JCI Ireland at the launch of the 2010 competition in Dublin.  

“Perhaps there is someone in your community who stands out, who gives their time, their energy and themselves to the pursuit of excellence. We are looking for young leaders in the areas of academics, sport, community or business. Nominations are accepted in chapters across Ireland or directly to JCI Ireland,” she continued.

Nominees must be between the ages of 18 to 40 years and should have excelled in their field whether it’s working in the community, research or education; cultural achievement; contribution to politics; or excelling in sport. Candidates may be nominated in any one of ten categories, which include personal accomplishment; cultural achievement; political, legal and/or governmental achievement; and voluntary leadership. Nominations should be received no later than Friday 25th April.

Previous recipients in Ireland are Caroline Casey, Charity Fundraiser; Mark Pollack, Adventurer; Hector Ó’hEochagáin, TV Personality and Julie Feeney, Composer and Performer.

JCI Dublin is planning to nomunate three young successful and remarkable people from Dublin city. Emma Hickey ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ) is coordinating the nominations. If you want to help out with filling out th eforms or have a suggestion, don't hesitate to contact her.

Up to ten nominees will be honoured at an Award Ceremony to take place in May and recipients at a National level will be entered into the International TOYP Programme and may even go on to the world finals, to be held at JCI World Congress in Japan in November. Further details, nomination categories, previous winners and the 2010 Nomination Form are available from the JCI Ireland website www.jci-ireland.org.

The JCI Ireland Public Speaking and Debating Competition 2010 will take place on Sunday 11th April as part of Spring Conference.

The event begins at 10.30am with the Public Speaking Competition for both Novice and Advanced. The Winner of the Advanced Competition will go on to represent JCI Ireland at European Conference in Aarhus in June of this year.

Novice Speaking Competition
Time for Speech is: 3-5 minutes

Topics:
So what’s so good about JCI?
If Michael O’Leary was Taoiseach of Ireland……..?
Public Transport is the way to go
Is there anything good about living in Ireland?
Recession is the best thing that has ever happened to Ireland?
Television – drug of a Nation
The 80s was the best decade EVER!
The 90s was the best decade EVER!
The benefits and pitfalls of Social Networking
 
Advanced Public Speaking Competition
 Time: 5-7 minutes
 Topic:
Let us be the Change

Members who wish to enter the public speaking competition should email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it with their name, local branch and chosen title. Registration for both competitions closes on Friday, 2nd April 2010.

DEBATING COMPETITION

In preparation for Spring Conference JCI Dublin is hosting the local Debating competition on 8th April at 8pm, after the monthly meeting. Please contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it to register as part of a team of three in both local and national debating. One team is already formed. We are looking for a second one!

Closing date for national registration is Friday, 2nd April 2010.

The speaking order is as follows:
Captain FOR: (2 minutes)
Captain AGAINST: (2 minutes)
1st Speaker FOR: (3 minutes)
1st Speaker AGAINST: (3 minutes)
2nd Speaker FOR: (3 minutes)
2nd Speaker AGAINST: (3 minutes)
Captain FOR: (2 minutes)
Captain AGAINST: (2 minutes)

For further information and tips on debating please refer to the attached booklet on debating within JCI.

We are delighted to announce a new partnership with McGrattans Cafe and Bar, who will kindly offer JCI Dublin a private room for their project meetings once a week.
McGrattans are situated close to Merrion Square at 76 Fitzwilliam Lane, Lower Baggot St, Dublin 2. More details about the veue can be found on McGrattans website www.mcgrattans.ie .

We look forward to hosting meetings and future events at this location.

The New Year is always a period for new beginnings and resolution.
In JCI every year brings in a new council and creates opportunities for all members to develop in their area of choice. 

At the first meeting of the year Immediate Past President Michelle Daly presented a report of 2009 activities and handed over to the new president elect Laura Borlea.

Laura was inaugurated by JCI Dublin past presidents Michelle Daly and Mark Kelly (currenlty national President) and former JCI national president Suzanne Corcoran.

President Laura proudly introduce the 2010 council, a strong team that will support members across all the four areas of opportunity in JCI: Community, Business, Individual Development and International. 
Moreover this year there will be an extra effort taken in promotion and membership recruitment, as the main aim for the year is to raise the profile of JCI Dublin and grow membership.
Laura Borlea also welcomed the nomination of Deputy President  Ken McIntyre-Barn which will to ensure succession as well as the very important support from JCI Dublin past president in the council.
Immediate Past President – Michelle Daly
Deputy President – Ken McIntyre-Barn
Membership
Officer/treasurer – Christophe Lascore

Communications Officer – Agnieszka Legowik

Individual Development Officer – Tudor Borlea

Community Officer – Emma Hickey

Business Officer – Rahel Araia

International Officer – Julian Gay-de-Montella
The new president thank them all for the enthusiasm already shown in the first weeks of January. We are all looking forward to a busy year, full of new ideas and opportunities.

 JCI Dublin organised on the 10th November the first of a series of entrepreneurs dinners. The event was called Successful Practices for Entrepreneurs - Listen, Learn & Network - and gave participants the opportunity to meet a successful and inspiring entrepreneur while networking, sharing ideas and enjoying dinner.
The speaker was Patrick O'Sullivan, who started as an entrepreneur at the age of 23. In 2000 he launched the “Storm Cinemas” brand and developed the Group into Ireland’s fastest growing cinema chain, strategically targeting provincial locations.  When he sold the business in 2008 at the age of 39, Storm Cinemas had 6 modern multiplex locations, 42 screens, over 8,000 seats,  2 million customers per annum and an annual turnover in excess of €20m.
Patrick was a great inspiration for everybody present. He touched on very important topics related to entrepreneurship, he was very open and eager to talk to his audience.
Almost 20 young entrepreneurs were present on the night, getting involved in conversations and interacting with the speaker. They left inspired and full of new ideas.
Participants also enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere and a three course delicious dinner, while networking.
The entrepreneurs dinner was a successful blend of business, inspiration and pleasure. After the positive feedback, the organising team is already preparing the next event, which will take place at the beginning of 2010.

Every year JCI Irelad is celebrating the hard work, the success and the great learning achievements within the Irish JCI branches in a weekend long National Convention. This year the convention was held in Moyvalley on the weekend of 16th-18th October. Four first timers to this event were asked to write down their experience and their impressions.

For 3 days in October of 2009 (16-18th), JCI chapters across Ireland gathered in Moyvalley (Co. Kildare) to participate in their National Convention. This annual event was attended by nearly 100 members in the scenic settings of the Moyvalley Hotel and featured unique training sessions, teambuilding opportunities, discussions and of course- energetic social gatherings. Aside of interesting and enthusiastic activities, the convention was an opportunity for both new and long-serving members to discuss current campaigns to stay active in their communities and promote JCI. Most of all, it offered a forum to discuss activities taking place across Ireland and for all to contribute in shaping the future of JCI in this country.
Members attended special presentations on the benefits of being green for businesses and the planet, as well as an analysis of leadership styles by the reputed GRID organization. The information learned was both useful in practice as well as motivating on a personal level. With personal development being an obvious part of JCI, the convention was also successful in providing interesting networking and social opportunities. Group sessions such as Samba Drumming or Belly Dancing brought members together while learning new skills. Debates and a gala dinner, along with memorable social evenings complemented a weekend that was inspiring and fun for all who attended.
Dublin had a good representation at this event and much to be proud of looking forward to the upcoming year. Pledges were made by all delegates to remain active citizens as a close to the Convention. It is expected that promises will be kept and that motivation will remain high where next year’s theme is aimed at growth.

By: Julian Gay-de-Montella (Dublin)

After hearing about JCI through friends for some time now I decided to join about 2 weeks before the weekend of the convention. I had just got involved in the Dinner with an Entrepreneur and Friendly Business Award projects.  I got there on Saturday morning, ready for a full day of training and team building.  The morning kicked off by Adam Woodhall, MD of PeopleProfitPlanet training on how being green can benefit your environment. The training involved a presentation on the damaged to environment actions that we have take and ways to change our behaviour so we can reduce the harm it causes on the environment while saving costs. The training drove home the fact that the harmful effects on the earth would be felt in our lifetime and if we did not change our habits that contribute to the problem, it would unfold before our eyes in the not too distant future.  It was not all doom and gloom, through team activities we learned many ways to reduce our use of valuable resources in addition to recycling what we use.  It opened up my eyes, that the little things that I do such walking to work, recycling paper and use of less water made a big difference.  After the seminar I was able to add a few more to my day to day routine that can reduce the overall use of resources.
This was followed by the Leadership Grid training. I was familiar with some of the concepts before but it was good to hear a fresh perspective on things. I was able to relate to some of the situations that it resolves in the work place. It was good approach to leadership and created a positive working environment.
In the afternoon we learned some belly dancing which I have never tried but got an opportunity to do so. It was a lot of fun learning the moves and to top it all we got to perform in front of everyone. Strangely enough we did not have any guys in our belly dancing class.  I enjoyed the performance of the drums by the guys and some women. It was a great way to get to know people and connect in such a relaxed and fun environment.
      In the evening we had dinner, awards and dancing.  It was great to hear about the many contributions made by the JCI members throughout Ireland. It was inspirational to see how enthusiastic people were in the different projects that they were involved in.  It was a truly great introduction to JCI. I look forward to many more weekends and opportunities to make contributions to JCI in the coming year. 


By: Rahel Araia (JCI Dublin)

After the morning's "food for thought" participants headed for lunch and were given a chance to join one of the two afternoon workshops (Brazilian samba drumming or belly dancing) or to go for a round of golf.
This member's choice was for samba drumming - a most energetic and fun way of doing team-building! Drums in all shapes and sizes were made available to the participants by Team Samba, and with the help of the instructor everybody learned how a team of drummers can create together something more complex and better sounding than the sum of the individual drum sounds. The afternoon ended with each team performing for the other (drummers for belly dancers and belly dancers for drummers)  It was a great way to lift everybody's spirits up and get in shape for the highlight of the event, the gala dinner on Saturday night.
The Awards Dinner was nothing short of the usual JCI high standard of professionalism - a well organized, well run event, with just the right mix of speeches, food and drink. JCI Dublin took home the Best Member award, Best National Council Member award and Best Business Project award.
The night ended with dancing.
Sunday saw the Open Forum discussion and the launch of the Active Citizenship Week, after which participants headed back to their home chapters filled with renewed ambition, clearer goals and with great memories of yet another successful JCI event.

By: Tudor Borlea (JCI Dublin)

 
JCI Dublin prepared intensively for the event. We submitted entries for JCI Projects Awards, did up a great branch presentation and encouraged a high attendance by offering subsidies for participating members.

Ten JCI Dublin members participated in the convention and enjoyed the meetings, the talks, the training and the parties. A nice mix that brings members together, inspires them and creates a great atmosphere.
The weekend started Friday afternoon with the meeting of the National Council and I was given the chance to participate and represent Dublin in the discussions and the elections for 2010 national board. Three members form Dublin where put forward and got elected on next year's board including Mark Kelly, the National President 2010.
It followed an interview for best JCI branch. We presented a busy year with projects covering all four JCI areas: community, business, individual and international.
A personal highlight of the weekend was the drumming training on Saturday afternoon. Besides having an amazing time with the drumming group I discovered a real passion that I might follow in the future.
The gala dinner on Saturday was a much expected event as it showed and recongnised the great contribution of members and branches alike. JCI Dublin proudly walked away with three awards: Best Member, Best Member of The National Council and Best Business Project.
The weekend ended with an open discussion forum on Sunday. Everybody was invited to participate in the strategy discussion for next year. Some really good idea arouse from the forum and we all got clearer views on what  members are interested in and where to set the focus for next year.
For the Active Citizenship Week launch all participants were actively involved by taking a pledge and creatively signing on a huge Active Citizenship banner.

By: Laura Borlea (JCI Dublin)

At the end of July JCI Inernational organised the 2009 Summit at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The summit focused on addressing the global problem of climate change. Representatives of many National Organisations  and key partners from UN gathered to explore, propose and take action on climate change as well as to issue a Commitment to Action with the support of the UN Global Compact and the International Chamber of Commerce. Visit www.jci.cc/summit for more details.

Three JCI Dublin members represented Ireland at this event: Louise Walsh, Laura Borlea and Tudor Borlea. After hearing the presentations of UN representatives and specialists on climate change, they participated in workshops on establishing JCI's global commitments to take action on this issue.

An important part of the event was the promotion of  'Seal the Deal'. The UN campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of political will and public support for reaching a comprehensive global climate agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Part of the JCI commitment is to promote this campaign through all means. Please take action by going on the website www.sealthedeal2009.org and signing the petition!

September started off with a fun table quiz to raise money for future JCI Dublin projects.
'Welcome Back The Recession'  - the '80s Table Quiz gathered 12 enthusiastic teams. The quiz was spiced up with many spot prizes, all reminding of the wonderful 80's; 'Ghostbusters', 'Garfield' and 'Cocktail' DVDs, pink accessories and a singing doll where the highlights. Participants put their memory to work in domains like music, movies, TV, politics and history and brands that no longer exist while chewing childhood sweets.
It was a fun night and we thank the organising team: Emma, Louise, Aga, Chris, Anthony, Laura, Michelle and Mark and other JCI Dublin members who helped out for the great work!
Also thanks to everybody who participated and joined us for this event!

This years’ JCI Presidents Day celebrations were hosted by the Dublin chapter of JCI, which indeed did a great job at providing a varied and interesting agenda. The meeting on 18th July 2009 gathered over 40 attendees in the lovely location of London College Dublin on Merrion Square. While the National Council had its meeting, all other attendees were guided through chosen pathways of Dublin by Laura Borlea, the Vice President of JCI Dublin, who impressed everybody with a concept of seeing ‘Dublin thru the eyes of an artist’. All present had an opportunity to improve their sketching skills which were later judged and recognized by Laura.