IJB Thinks #23 - The Time Machine [2014/2015]

2009

2014/15

!Do you remember 2009? Slumdog Millionaire took theaters by storm across the Welcome, welcome!

world and “Poker Face” was stuck in everyone's heads. What was your year like in 2009?

!Right at the start of 2015, we all have the pleasure of opening up a Time

Machine. Back in 2009, an edition of IJB Thinks was released with the intention of being re-released in five years. The Time Machine edition aimed at covering Junior Branch as it stood in 2009 and at exploring visions for Junior Branch in 2014. Here you are, here we are.

!You can find the 2009 Time Machine edition of IJB Thinks right here.

Take some time to explore it and then dive into this edition of IJB Thinks – the Time Machine Re-release.

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!How have we changed? How have we stayed the same? CISV International has

gone through great changes with a lengthy process that started in 2010. The role that Junior Branch now plays – and could play – within our organization is currently under review.

!As a youth-led movement, longer-term planning is certainly a challenge Junior Branch faces. How many of us who are currently engaged JBers were also active in 2009? How many of us will be around for Junior Branch in 2020?

!We tracked down and emailed all contributors from the 2009 Time Machine edition of IJB Thinks, asking them questions following up on their 2009 articles.

You can find their reflections here, in IJB Thinks #23: The Time Machine ReRelease. We urge you to read the original 2009 edition, take a look at the authors’ follow-up pieces and reach out to JBers past and present to explore their JB experiences.

!As we were putting together this re-release, we were struck by how much happens in five years within Junior Branch. Projects are invented and reinvented – ideas are generated, shared, implemented and evaluated. Our goal for this edition is to spark a wider discussion and introspection to help Junior Branch further examine and define its place in CISV International’s structure.

!So put on a pair of Crocs and some Lady Gaga. We hope you enjoy this blast from the past – Away we go!

!

Table of Contents Editorial – Hana Strickland & Anjo Peez-Zvetina

Follow-up – Maru Ayam

Follow-up – Carlos Anliker

Follow-up – Cande Lucero Dente

Follow-up – Offline is the new online by Rowan El Shimi Follow-up – Zé Viana Baptista

Call for Articles – IJB in 2020!

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Username: ijb.guest // Password: cisv4all

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Hana Strickland & Anjo Peez-Zvetina

Editorial !

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In 2009, what was one idea or project that captured the essence of Junior Branch?

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You Are Here. We were there… 5 years ago already! Perspective is the craziest thing. Back in 2009, when I was IJR and edited this publication, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Plain and simple. I was YOLOing before that acronym was even invented.

!

In 2014, I am now living in a completely different continent together with my boyfriend Marcos, who has been an IJR too. Back then, my mission in CISV was to build global friendship. Today, I work at Facebook, a company whose mission is to ‘make the world more open and connected.’ Things fall into place after all.

Maru Ayam

In her editorial to open IJB Thinks #12, Maru talked about “traveller’s syndrome” – the tendency to hold on to small things from the past.

Furthermore, she stated that “nothing is indispensable really, other than our essences.”

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And I stand by a phrase I wrote in my editorial, five years ago: ‘Nothing is indispensable really, other than our essences’. Today, as I type up my thoughts for the ‘reopening’ of the Time Machine, my boyfriend works right next to me on the JB Review. We both haven’t been directly involved in CISV for years – but it’s somehow a part of our essence, we keep returning to it.

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Caring is important. This is what makes us focus on what really matters to us, on our goals and passions in life, on staying true to ourselves… and making sure that our essences survive the passage of time when we open the time machine.

This one, but also the ones to come.

!

What did we do in 2009 that captured the essence of Junior Branch? Hopefully everything: the big plans and the tiny details. It might look like we’re in the eye of a storm or in the center of the world, but with some time we realize that the only things that actually stick are those that are true to our essences.

Thank you for a truly amazing ride.

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Mexico City

In 2009, International Junior Branch organized “Human Arrows,” an initiative to point towards homophobic laws in Lithuania on Peace Day, September 21st.

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Looking at this years’ elections, did the atmosphere change compared to 2009? If so, how? If not, why?

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Five years have passed since I first wrote my article for IJB Thinks #12. Within those five years important changes have taken place and current changes are being made at this moment in my country, El Salvador. First of all I am proud to say that CISV El Salvador has grown exponentially since 2009 and we have become a stronger chapter within the CISV organization and in our local community in San Salvador. In order to accomplish its tolerance it has played a vital role for growth. Based on the 2014 presidential elections, I can tell you that our society has become more tolerant and open-minded to new ideas and new political parties handling the executive and legislative power. In other words, we have a much more mature society. Within CISV El Salvador we can perceive this due to our constant growth and need to involve more leaders, JBers, and families who make us more diverse in terms of having more individuality and, families with different points of view regarding the Civil War in the 1980s. With different backgrounds and ideologies, we can make a change. We have managed to be respectful and at peace with each other, constantly reminding ourselves more importantly that at the end of the day we are all Salvadorians, Central Americans, and citizens of one world.

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Five years later the new generations, the one that didn't fully live the Civil War in the 1980s, it is playing a main role in the new elections. The new voters are tired of polarization and not accepting others based on their political philosophy. They are tired of talking about events that happened 20- 30 years ago and not coming to any conclusion. Plus the new reality and environment of a third world country like El Salvador is facing, it is not the same as it was in the 1970s and 1980s. The new generations are taking the lead and exciting times are ahead! Changes might be scary but they are always necessary in order to adapt to the constant changing world that we live in.

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Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 2009 !

1 Boom Boom Pow The Black Eyed Peas 2 Poker Face

Lady Gaga

3 Just Dance

Lady Gaga

4 I Gotta Feeling

The Black Eyed Peas

!! 5

Love Story

Taylor Swift

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Carlos Anliker

In an article called “The Importance of Tolerance”, Carlos discussed the polarization and violence surrounding the presidential elections in El Salvador in 2009. He described what CISV has to offer in situations such as these. Earlier this year, in 2014, presidential elections were held once again in El Salvador.

In an article called “Be Creative, Seek the Change”, Cande discussed the value of moving from “must do” tasks to “want to do” tasks in Junior Branch work and beyond.

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Looking back at the past five years in Junior Branch, how did you (do you?) try to find the balance between the two?

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Wow, five years have already past and never would I have imagined I was going to spend them as I did. When I wrote my piece back in 2009 I had just been incorporated into Junior Branch a year before and had already been to my first IJBC. Five years later, I’ve been part of regional and international committees, worked two years as IJR and finally “retired” from Junior Branch. Also, as Maru Ayam (IJR and IJB Thinks editor at the time) perfectly pointed out, I am writing you now as a Social Educator (yep, career changed).

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Indeed, IJB in 2009 was all about battling our fears, seeking the change and being creative. It was a lot about balancing the “must do’s” with the “want to do’s” but it was a lot about creating and innovating while maintaining our essence, that indispensable element Junior Branch cannot dare to loose. All of that wasn’t an easy task.

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I’ve worked throughout these past five years to accomplish everything that I was supposed to do and what I really wanted to accomplish. I think the balance went well even though there were some rough moments I could tell you about. The learning experience throughout the years is to work hard to be able to turn the “must do’s” into “want to do’s”. For example, a “must do” I had in the last two years as International Junior Representative was planning two International Junior Branch Conferences. Huge “must do”, however, I made sure to choose excellent planners every year and enjoyed the whole ride. My last IJBC couldn’t have been a better way to end my IJB journey. Another “must do” I can think of was leading the IJB Team. Frightening yet so much worth it when the team is composed by excellent CISVers, great minds and hard-working people. While I was leading them and ticking all the responsibilities as Chair, I made sure to learn from them as well and looked forward to our online meetings.

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All in all, I’m proud because I see many spaces where we are doing what we want. In 2009, I talked about the members of Junior Branch as “juniors”, now we refer to ourselves as “JBers”. In 2009, the IJB Team was working (mostly) solely for Junior Branch, in 2014 we have representatives on the International Committees ensuring connection and collaboration. Looking back on my work, I realize there might have been a few times where obligations took most of my time and I couldn’t innovate, but at least I’m satisfied to see the people coming after me are bringing the creativity that IJB needs to move forward with excellency for another five years. I think that’s possible because we found the balance.

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Cande Lucero Dente

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2009

2014

If I was writing something for 2019 I would tell the future JBers to make sure they balance between what we want Junior Branch to be and what we think Junior Branch should be. However, I also want to tell something the coming JBers of 2015 and beyond. As an ending note I want to share my recent thoughts about the JB Review Team which fall quite good with this topic. One of the hardest questions when I was part of the team was How do we innovate in Junior Branch while keeping its essence alive? How do we keep the “must’s” while brining the new “want’s”. I’m confident the people working on the review will make sure to find the balance and blow our minds.

Bonus track! The lovely IJRs asked me “Have you used titles that cheesy for papers at university as well?” I DID! My professors have evaluated papers such as From Theory to Practice: An Educational Cocktail to Enjoy.

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Pulitzer Prize Winners 2009 (selected)2 !

Investigative David Barstow, “for his tenacious reporting that revealed Reporting The New York Times how some retired generals, working as radio and television analysts, had been coopted by the Pentagon to make its case for the war in Iraq (…).”

General Nonfiction

Slavery by Another Name, Douglas A. Blackmon

“(…) a precise and eloquent work that examines a deliberate system of racial suppression and that rescues a multitude of atrocities from virtual obscurity.”

Drama

Ruined, Lynn Nottage

“(…) a searing drama set in chaotic Congo that compels audiences to face the horror of wartime rape and brutality while still finding affirmation of life and hope amid hopelessness.”

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http://www.pulitzer.org/awards/2009

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!Even now, when there are so many types of communication, JBers are still trying to figure out how to work together globally. What advice do you have for JBers to really work together and make a difference?

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Offline is the new online !Funny thing happened a few weeks ago. I was looking through my old CISV

folder, for no particular reason other than procrastination, and the found IJB Thinks 12: The Time Machine. Going through it at this moment brought back so many good memories of not only JB, but of myself as a 21 year old when I wrote this piece.

!Now 5 years later, I find it quite hilarious to be sitting here writing this article for this edition of the time machine, given that I not only still believe documentation is essential in organisational and work processes, but because it's what I do for a living now – part-time anyway.

!The IJRs asked me this: Even now, with so many means of communication, JBers

are still trying to figure out how to work together globally. What advice do you have for JBers to really work together and make a difference?

!Get yourself offline. This probably sounds a bit ridiculous since my 2009 piece was

pushing for furthering online communication. But seriously, I feel like we've gotten to a point where we are perhaps too connected as a global society.

!I still think JBs should work together, share their processes and evaluations, and of

course online communication is vital to that. But what I really mean by “Go Offline” is to immerse yourself – as a Junior Branch – in your society. Use CISV's methodologies and principles to create activities that engage with your local communities and create networks of like minded organisations you can cooperate with.

!My ideal vision for JB in 5 more years would be to see each JB working on

fantastic, unique projects that address local needs; while utilising a limited yet effective number of online tools to share the documentation of these projects.

!We tend to ignore, or pay less attention to documentation when we volunteer (who has the time anyway...), whereas, the truth is, eventually we will all move on from JB (or even CISV altogether) and these videos, meeting minutes, action plans and reports, will be what's left of our processes for other generations of JB to build on.

!So yeah, document in action. Document for your local community so like-minded

organisations can learn from our processes. Document for CISV so we can be a sustainable self-learning organisation.

!Let's work, document, and disseminate through proper channeling (like the IJB Library, is that still around?) and ask ourselves why we should be better connected rather than how can we be better connected.

The JB Librar y and all of its contents was moved to a new, update d online system in 2014 .

You can find all conten t, new and old, right he re .

User name: ijb.guest // Password: cisv4all

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Rowan El Shimi

In an article called “What if We Really Work Together”, Rou talked about how if we truly work together as an organization, that we can make a real impact on the world. She also mentioned JBPedia as a tool to do this.

!Five years later, how do you view this lack of clarity in some aspects of Junior Branch? !Hey everyone, !This is present-Zé speaking. I really was not expecting to read an article from 19-

year-old me, so I thank your IJRs for sending it over to me and giving me the opportunity to reflect on what I was writing at the time!

!Today, I am faced with the question “How do I view the lack of clarity in some aspects of Junior Branch five years later?” !When I started being involved in JB back in 2006-2007, its role within CISV was rather vague and despite the fact that Junior Branch did its job of pushing the organization and its members to bigger and better things, no one had really made an effort to unite Junior Branch's work. As I mentioned in my article back in 2009, it was hard not knowing what to do or where to go, but it was one of the things that made JB brilliant.

Zé Viana Baptista

In the edition, Zé wrote a piece called “No Possible Advice.” In the article, he talked about the difficulties you had starting out as NJR due to a lack of guidance. Later on, he described how this freedom actually defined Junior Branch for him in 2009.

!Five years on, I see that JB has clearly made a step forward in terms of re-thinking

its identity, as has CISV as a whole. In this 5-year span, JB has redefined its guiding principles and has promoted lots of discussions on the topic. This has made its members (me included) more aware of JB's mission to impact individuals, our organization and society, which in turn enables us JBers to better work towards our goals. In parallel, the digital revolution has enabled better, more frequent collaboration between different JBs, so hopefully you are now even more connected than we were in 2009 and have opportunities to leverage JB's scale to improve the impact we are having as a global movement. So clearly these 5 years have been good in providing guidance and unity to JB. Well done, us!

!And what has not changed? Well, while JB is indeed more self-aware and has more

tools to make an impact, it is still a huge “playground” where you are invited to try new things, bring new ideas to the table and challenge the status quo. Most importantly, JB's role in shaping leaders of a more just and peaceful society is the same: by enabling you to try new things, succeed, fail and learn from it, JB is developing us as individuals in a way that few other organizations can. Tying it back to the “lack of clarity” I spoke about in my article, it is definitely still the most beautiful aspect of JB. As it was put by one wise CISVer in a video we made for EJBM 2011, “don't be afraid to try new things, because they cannot fire you.” The lack of clarity or rather the search for clarity is still one of the key principles of JB's existence and one of the greatest learning experiences I bring with me in my current life.

!So, updating my 5-year-old piece of advice: listen to yourself, look to the future, embrace this challenge and “change things yourself.” You will either succeed or learn a lot from your failure. And either way, you'll become much more likely to succeed and make others succeed later on.

!Cheers from your past and present friend, Zé ! ! !

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, Before IJBC 2009 ked to as participants were rs for design album cove s Zé’s! themselves. Here’

! u can find some more Yo pedia. right here, on JB

IJB2020 Where do you see IJB in 2020? !

Contribute to the Time Machine – 2020 Vision Edition of IJB Thinks.

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Send your articles to ijbthinks@ijb.cisv.org by February 28th, 2015.

To be re-opened in 2020!

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