Adam & Doris

Reflection #5: Progressive

2007-08-04T13:48:00.001-07:00

Is it fair, or correct even, to place CISVers on an imaginary line from conservative to progressive in their views on how to further develop CISV? Probably not since it is oversimplifying things. Non the less, people who know me in CISV usually put me at the end of progressive on this line. And it’s probably correct. My primary strive in CISV is not the cute kids, nor the peace education, nor our history – my primary focus is upon how the organisation can develop (including change) so that we even better can meet the current needs in the communities that we act within.

New notebooks

2007-07-30T04:29:00.000-07:00

Reflection #4: Zero revolution, one target group and three suggestions

2007-07-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

The great thing about CISV is that the vision, goals and values of our organisation are shared between all thinking citizens of this world. However, even greater than this is the width of the organisation. Width in the sense that we have seven different programmes, that the organisation is open to all ages irrespective of background, that the level of volunteer hours committed can vary to suit each members opportunities and interest and that we make a difference in 200 cities globally. But, the greatest thing about CISV, and what makes us unique, is that the methods (our programmes, activities and projects) we use to strive for our vision are as concrete and real as they are easy to access, fun and personally rewarding.

I’ve been asked to write this article on the topic How can CISV increase its contribution towards a more peaceful society?. After many years in the core of a large CISV national association, hard at work during many international CISV meetings and in never ending discussion on the development of CISV with friends, my perspective right now is that too much focus in the management of CISV is put on the national associations. It is this perspective that I will develop here.

CISV does not need a revolution
As a candidate for a leadership position in CISV I was asked the question What is your long term vision for CISV?. And my answer was That we preserve our educational and volunteer core while continuously refining our programmes; that we develop CISV into an even more effective organisation in terms of training, administration, finance and communication, honour our history and tradition by keeping the organisation focused on the present challenges of the global society and clarify to CISVers and society the skills, knowledge and awareness that CISVers develop in CISV. This is the perspective I use in my CISV commitment and what gives me motivation to continue doing so from year to year.

As in the quote above and in the start of this article, from my perspective, we surely have the vision and the methods, the fantastic volunteers and a strong structure for continuing to be a great organisation. From my perspective, the increase in our contribution to society should be that we continue to do what we already do but by doing it even better by being more open and more effective.

The ideas that I play with in this article are far away from a revolution, they are fun and concrete ideas for further development. At the same time we should not shy away from trying new things since sometimes it’s part of development.

But let’s get concrete
So far I’ve written here that I think we have a great and unique organisation, that we don’t need a revolution but at the same time should not shy away from trying new thing and that we have too much of a focus on the level of national associations. So, what is my suggestion?

I give you … [drum-roll] …”Grassroot 2000”. By grassroot I here mean the local CISV chapters in 200 cities all over the world. ”Grassroot 2000” defines a narrow and prioritised target group in CISV, namely, the key organisational leaders in each of the 200 chapters. No chapters are the same and among other things they vary in the number of key organisational leaders, some might have five and others might have fifteen. But good enough for right now is that we estimate an average of ten key organisational leaders per local chapter.

This gives us a defined key target group of 2000 CISVers. These 2000 CISVers are what keeps our organisation going. This is the human resource base from where the strength of our organisation is built. The opportunities and challenges of these 2000 are what should be the concern of all CISVers active on a national or international level.

”Grassroot 2000” aims to define a prioritised target group, create a more open organisation, focus on organisational development, create an organisation that encourages personal development and an organisation where democracy is fun. So, how can we do this?

I’ll give you three more concrete suggestions
1) When a person shows interest in CISV, i.e. by clicking a ”I’m interested”-button on our webbpage, we should send him/her a letter and a small and easy to read broschure that welcomes him/her to CISV, that explains the vision, values, structures and methods of CISV and lists the opportunities that he/she will have in CISV. This will make interested persons feel warmly welcome, give them the fuller picture of CISV and encourage them not only to be a limited or passive members but to engage in the development of CISV and one’s self.

2) We should develop two new guides. Not guides like we know them in CISV today; with long difficult texts and no pictures or illustrations. Both new guides should have the 2000 as target group, be colorful, easy and fun to read, and contain checklists with concrete tips. The first guide could be called ”Organisation for Global Friendship” and contain content on how democracy, economy, diversity and equality, training, the programmes, hosting, sending, information, recruitment and structures could and should work in CISV. The second guide could be called ”Education for Global Friendship” and should focus on the educational content of CISV and the structures surrounding arranging or hosting a camp or a project and sending delegations and delegates. This guide should also identify CISVs global methods and standards for local training – including programme and organisational-leadership training.

3) We should rewrite the statues of CISV International so that we will only have Annual International Meeting (AIM) every second year. The year in between we should have a ”CISV Congress”. In the ”CISV Congress” the organisation should be represented by the 200 local chapters instead of the 60 national associations. The ”CISV Congress” aims to broaden the democratic practices of CISV and would develop the organisation further with a focus on the local level. Practically it could develop working groups, cooperations, sharing of best practice and strategic papers. If the Congress, through its working groups, develops strategic papers these could be voted upon at AIM the following year.

Food for thought
Thank you! …for using CISV as your platform for personal development and for reading my article. The content is not a critique of anyone or anything, it is food for thought trying to say that we are great, can be even greater, that things can be done in different ways and that democracy is fun.

New T's.

2007-06-18T02:28:00.001-07:00

Today the new t-shirts of CISV Sweden arrived. With the new logo (in the neck), the new tagline and fair trade produced by Dem Collective (http://www.demcollective.com/).

Reflection #3: Sharp or broad

2007-04-09T03:53:00.000-07:00

Picture CISV as a pyramid. I usually say that the development of CISV is not pending on the sharpness of the few at the top but on how high and open the lowest level of knowledge is. Surely it's great if the EEC, the committees, the national boards, etc are competent and good leaders. However, in line with my reasoning here, the development of the organisation is more pending on how open the organisation is to new individuals, how quick they can take on roles of responsibility and how much support they get for doing that. Meaning, the organisation is not built from the top but from the wide (app. 200 chapters) bottom and up.

Secondly, I sometimes talk about "the positive spiral". When one has a leadership position in CISV one are often faced with the fortunate challenge that the financial resources are less than what are needed. Fortunate since if it was the other way around one should question the combined will of the organisation. The positive spiral is prioritising among available resources in a way so that you build the organisation in an order that feeds it self; one thing leads to more members, which leads to more human resources, that leads to more camp, that leads to more money, etc...

We can all agree on this and should ask ourselves why I spend your time giving my point of view on something so obvious.

Well, the reason is that I think this is obvious for us in theory but not yet in practice. When someone finds CISV and shows interest to join he or she is usually bombarded with acronyms and the answers to his or her questions is to often "since that's the way it's always been done". To my knowledge that person does not get a full and easy accessible explanation on how CISV works as an organisation (he or she is put into a box and trained within that box, i.e. programme leader)

When someone joins CISV as a child in an activity, parent to a child or as a programme-leader he or she takes his first step in CISV. After that one can take many steps – do more programmes, take on roles of responsibility, and engage in the chapter/national/international level. During a few years I've taken these steps, both in number of programmes and with different responsibilities at different levels.

It's a bit hard to follow the red-line in this reflection and I'm sorry for this. But here comes a shot at a summary. When we need to prioritise among available resources, in order to build a positive spiral one has to look at the organisation as it is today and ask what we need to do first to make a lasting positive development.

I think that we need to put a full focus on chapter development. We should support the chapter by making easily available guidebooks on best practice for how to build a local chapter. The guide should include concrete tips and checklists. The parts in the guide should be i.e. democracy, economy, diversity, training, the programmes, hosting, sending, information, recruitment, structures, etc. And the target groups for this should be 14-18 year olds and my mom (who is not active in CISV).

Reflection #2: Get The Point

2007-04-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

All 3 NGO's that I'm involved with are right now working with their brand and communication strategies. All 3 with the same goals - wider and deeper recognition within the target group and society at large. This is of course not by coincidence, all NGO strife for wider and deeper recognition within almost the same target groups. NGOs and LMOs competing for the attention with each other and all other actors/events/interest in society. I actually think this is good, I believe that competition betwen NGOs make the NGO sector more professional, sharper and more relevant. However, the competition needs to be balanced with a cooperation between LMOs.

There are truly many initiatives out there that tries to get NGOs to work more closely together. And there is a new one coming out soon. The reflection here is weather CISV should get involved in this one or not. CISV today lacks an international cooperational platform for its broad base of young leaders.

***

The Non-Violence Project, a successful youth project, takes the next step to engage young people in positive action. The Non-Violence Project will together with its partners, The Raoul Wallenberg Academy for Young Leaders and The Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation launch the Get the Point Initiative – a unique Internet Community and youth leadership Forum.

The main objective of GPI is to establish the GPI Internet Community, a vibrant social networking community on the web for the next generation. Ideas and experiences will be exchanged and preconceived thoughts will be challenged across all borders of the global community.

Have a look at: http://www.getthepoint.net/

***

To me it seems like this platform would be interesting to us. For a few reasons: 1) we share the values, 2) it is both internet based and in reality all over the world, 3) it targets a group that we have many fantastic members in, 4) we lack a platform like this for our young leaders, 5) the NGOs behind it are very impressive and solid, 6) it would be very good for our brand, and 7) we could join in from the start.

Expectations

2007-03-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

I have today sent the following e-mail to the following NA:s: Austria, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, Norway, Philippines, Portugal Sweden and USA. Why? ...since I plan to have a few specific goals with my potential position within the IEC. And since, I do believe in transparency.

***

Att: CISV …
From: Adam Axelsson, CISV Sweden, candidate for IEC 2008–2010
Stockholm, 2007-03-20

First of all, let me express my sincere thanks for your nomination of me to the IEC. Personally I'm very proud and enthusiastic to have been nominated.

Since I'm nominated by your NA this e-mail is about your expectations. I would love to know, if I'm elected, what are your expectations of me? Or, if you do not have specific expectations on me, what are your top expectations from the IEC or CISV International?

I would help me alot if you, i.e. within your NA board, could have a quick discussion and e-mail me a brief list with your top expectations or priorities.

Sincerely,
--
Adam Axelsson, CISV Sweden
Phone: +46 708 618151, E-mail: adam.axelsson @ se.cisv.org

***

Also, for sure, if you read this and have expectations on me, the IEC or CISV International – speak up, write a comment or send me an e-mail.

Reflection #1: 10 900 Euro

2007-03-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

CISV Sweden just held its 2007 Annual General Meeting. A great meeting, confiming the focused delvelopment of the last years and at the same time a visionary meeting, among many things adoption our national strategic goals.

But we aslo approved the budget. Doing one great thing for the first time – handing out up to 13 100 Euros from the NA finances to the chapters. Doing another thing, that we do almost every year, approvning the huge cost for CISV Swedens attendance at AIM, this year that cost is 10 900 Euro for the NA. 10 900 Euro is way to much. 10 900 Euro is almost as much as CISV Sweden spends on national programme training each year, it is more than it costs to fully cover hosting an extra Village and it is four times the cost CISV Sweden spends on it's two buddy PA:s.

And CISV Sweden is not sending a big delegation to AIM 2007, we send the minimum delegation according to our statues – President, Trustee and two NJR:s (fully) plus two observers that the NA covers ("only") the participation for.

For sure, in accordance with CISV Internationals strategic goals, the AIM structures needs to be looked over and revised with the aim of reducing the overall costs, both for CISV International, NA:s and maybe mostly PA:s.

How should we change the AIM structures to make it more time and cost effective?

Nominated for the IEC

2007-03-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

I've been nominated to be an Executive Trustee in IEC for CISV International. Below you'll find my answers to the "CANDIDATES' QUESTIONNAIRE for the 2007 CISV International Elections".

Question 1: What you do in your life outside CISV (work, family, hobbies etc.)?
–I am an University student (soon with a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship); work part-time as Vice president for LSU (The National Council of Swedish Youth Organisations, an umbrella organisation for 92 youth-led Swedish NGO's, including CISV Sweden); spend many hours and weekends in CISV meetings, workshops and trainings; and use the rest of the time for friends, reading and sports.

Question 2: Provide some information on your CISV history (programme participation, administrative work on the different levels of CISV etc).
–Easier would probobly be to ask what I have not done but here is a short list of my CISV adventures: National executive board and Trustee (attended AIM's 2002–2006); National Information chair & National Promotion coordinator; A number of international trainings/workshops as participant or coordinator; National Summer Camp chair & National Leadership training committee; A number of Villages, Youth Meetings, Summer Camps and Mosaik activities as Leader, Staff or CD; and Local chapter boards, i.e. as Vice president and Finance.

The picture below is from when I was a leader at Greedy Summer Camp in Sweden 2005.

Question 3: What personal skills do you have that will make you a useful member of the IEC, and where do you see your position within the IEC?
–My experience is in communication and information, national and international advocacy, organisational management and development, and process oriented leadership; plus my hope for me in the IEC is to contribute with a professional, effective and out-put oriented focus on the strategic development, branding and communication, experience in NGO-relations, and a fresh perspective on the organizational structures of CISV.

Question 4: Why have you accepted this nomination for IEC?
–Four main reasons: 1) I've been asked to run by people I trust and respect; 2) I find it personally challenging; 3) I am confident that I can do a good job; and 4) I am hopeful it will futher develop my personal skills and awareness.

Question 5: If you are elected to the IEC, you may have to take time off from work to attend meetings or deal with an urgent CISV matter. You may get to work and have to decide "Do I do my normal work, for which I get paid or do I do the CISV work for which I do not get paid". How do you think you will deal with these priorities and will your home/work environment allow for this?
–It is extremely important that, and the responcibility of, all volunteers in CISV to find their own sustainable personal balance between volunteer work, family, friends and career. So, in short – yes.

Question 6: What skills do you believe are essential for the IEC to have as a group in order to best serve as the CISVinternational leaders?
–Diversity in personality, experience and interest plus having fun together while working effective, focused, transparent and strategic. The key is to get into a cycle where the IEC not only responds to the current needs of the organisation but also has a strong focus on the long term development of the organisation. The IEC should lead the vision-development-process and focus on the long term implementation, not nessesarely by asking all others to follow the vision of the IEC but by creating transparent processes including all volunteers. However, at the same time the IEC should not shy away from its position and perspective but rather use it and take a lead in these processes.

Question 7: If elected, you will be assuming some of the responsibility for managing the last 2 years of the current Strategic Planning process. Please choose one of the five priorities and describe why you chose that priority and what you could contribute to working toward the goal.
–I see a strong need in the organisation to further develop our chapters. Along the priorities "Leadership is the key to success" and "How to Consolidate (Strengthen) Existing Chapters" I think the organisation more should see these two in combination and focus on the development of streamlined and effective trainings for our organisational leaders (i.e. presidents and board/committee members, at all levels), preferably including a chapter development guide and guides/platforms for sharing of best practice. No organisation is stronger than its roots, and thus this should be a priority the coming years.

Question 8: You are committing at least 3 years to the CISV organization. What is your long term vision for CISV. In 10 or 20 years, what would CISV International and CISV National look like in your vision?
–That we preserve our educational and volunteer core while continously refining our programmes; develop CISV into an even more effective organisation in terms of training, administration, finance and communication; honour our history and tradition by keeping the organisation focused on the presentet challenges of the global society; and clearify to CISVers and society the skills, knowledege and awareness that CISVers develop in its programmes.

Question 9: Is there one memory you have from your CISV experiences that motivates you to keep working for CISV?
–No, many – but the primary aspect of CISV that keeps inspiering me is the fact that we continously develop fantastic, aware, strong, young (male and female) leaders.