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City Zenes Focus July 2016 | Issue 14

TABLE OF CONTENTS City Zenes Focus The Official Newsletter of Junior Chamber International City Plus

Messages: Editor in Chief...........................................................................ii Local President........................................................................iii National President....................................................................iv JCI City Plus at a glance..........................................................2

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Ashish Padaruth 2016 Local Secretary Editorial Team Vanisha Rajaysur Member Zeinah Zeadally Member Asha Kheejoo Aspiring Member

Interview of Senator Bruneau Woomed....................................7 Aspiring Members’ Corner.......................................................9 Internationalism : 18th JCI Active Citizenship Academy........11 2016 JCI Africa and Middle East Area Conference...............14 JCI City Plus Fundraising.......................................................16 Modernize Your Business.......................................................20 Inspire and Connect Session.................................................22 Experts Corner: Why Public Speaking matters......................24 Emotional Management..........................................................25

Ashuina Sambiah Aspiring Member

Baby’s corner..........................................................................27 Save the dates........................................................................28

Jevina Coomaren Aspiring Member

Our Sponsors and Partners....................................................29

Editorial Advisors Chimène Dacruz-Valery 2016 Local President Tasweena Girdhari 2016 Local Vice-President

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S MESSAGE Dear Readers, Welcome to the Second Edition of City Zenes Focus for the year 2016. This edition shall showcase the activities and projects done by our organization JCI City Plus in the months of April to June 2016. We organized a series of activities namely • the fundraising at 55 Lounge, Grand Bay • the Modernize your business training performed in partnership with Microsoft • Inspire and Connect Session at Flying Dodo, Bagatelle.

Our members have been very active and who could have imagined having two teams of JCI City Plus in the final of the 2016 JCI Mauritius Debate Championship. It must be noted that Aspiring Member Jevina deservingly won the best speaker award. Also, we won the 2nd Runner up prize at the 2016 JCI Mauritius Public Speaking Championship. This shows the passion and the enthusiasm of our members. I would like to thank Local Vice President Tasweena for her guidance and my amazing Editorial board members Vanisha,Zeinah, Asha, Ashuina and Jevina for their support through those three months. Have a pleasant reading ! Peace begins with a smile

Ashish Padaruth !

Editor-in-Chief

LOCAL PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE As we move forward to the 2nd Semester of 2016, we continue our work as set out in our plan of action to Impact to Inspire others to join us in our quest to become the leading organization that unites all sectors of society to create sustainable impact. We shall promote peace through the “Peace Is Possible” C a m p a i g n t o c r e a t e a w a r e n e s s ,  advocate, take action and commit to an everlasting world peace.

Dear Readers, Greeting from the office of the 2016 JCI City Plus President! It is an immense pleasure for me to write to you these few words for the 2nd Edition of the 2016 City Zenes Focus newsletter.

First and foremost, I seize this opportunity to thank all those without whom this 2nd edition would not have been possible. Thank you to the Editor-In-Chief Ashish Padaruth for the wonderful job done together with the editorial team and thank you to Local Vice President Tasweena Girdhari for her guidance to the Editorial team. Thank you to all those who have some way or another contributed to the successful issuance of our second Edition of 2016 City Zenes Focus newsletter and for having helped us met the objectives set.

With the use of the JCI Active Citizen Framework and the Project Management tool made available by JCI, we shall be able to create more sustainable impact by engaging all the stakeholders of Mauritius and worldwide. We look forward to your continued support and insights as we embark on the last semester of 2016 in JCI City Plus’ history. I shall end up by quoting Nelson Mandela

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Wish you a pleasant reading and immersion in the world of JCI City Plus.

Chimène Dacruz Valery Local President iii

NATIONAL PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Give also some time to think on the way we are providing development opportunities and how far are we giving the chance to people to acquire skills, improve themselves and Be Better. Dear JCI City Plus Members, Senators and Aspiring Members, as an organization rich in membership together with a pool of dynamic aspiring members, as we step into the second half of the year, let’s be clear on the remaining objectives we have to achieve. Dear Members, Senators and Aspiring Members Warm Greetings. It is an honour to write a few lines for the 2nd edition of this year’s newsletter for JCI City Plus. We are already in July which is a peak moment in the Mauritian calendar year. Some are eagerly counting the days to Christmas or the New Year. And others are looking for eagerly for the remaining public holidays that we are left with. It has been a very challenging 6 months in terms of understanding and setting up the pace in implementing projects, and in order for us to be proactive we have been highly recommended to Just Act. Moreover, we have also been asked to evaluate our organization in terms of the impact we are creating and mechanism we have set up to provide development opportunities. At a moment where we are geared fully in the execution of our action plan, let’s get into the pit stop, sit down and reflect if whether we are creating an impact, what type of impact we have created and is it measurable?

In the endeavour to impart the fundamental tools in the transformation of a simple individual into a young active citizens and leader, let’s engage in better team up in the realisation of projects to meet community needs, better foresee sustainable development goals and advocate that Peace Is Possible. For proper guidance, seek advice from existing experience members to better understand and ease the functioning of the organisation. I believe that learning and sharing from each other are assets that will enable us to overcome challenges, strengthen bonds and empower the future leaders to sustain the JCI Mission and Vision.

Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together Paul Ryan

Yudhish Rama National President

JCI CITY PLUS AT A GLANCE (APRIL-JUNE 2016)

INTERVIEW OF SENATOR BRUNEAU WOOMED sent a letter to show my interest and I got invited to an induction training with JCI Port Louis. Just before being sworn in as a member, I was approached by Senator Josiane Bellerose who wanted me on her Board for the newly created JCI QuatreBornes. I seized the opportunity (after some convincing from her) and I was right away on a fast track. In 1988, I was LOM Secretary, then VP and in 1990 LOM President. I also attended the Training of Trainers – Level 1 (then called Prime) in my first international Senator Bruneau Woomed conference in Zambia. In 1991, I was VP International at National level heading the TOYP 1. Can you kindly introduce yourself for our project and attended the Japan Academy. I was readers? National President in 1992 and attended I have something special Zimbabwe Area Conference, about my name – it’s spelt Rio Earth Summit and World Bio-Express Bruneau instead of Bruno – Congress in Miami. There I and this is my particularity ! also did the advanced Well, one of them. ★Local President in 1990 Training of Trainers (Excel). ★ National Vice President in 1991 ★ National President in 1992 I am a Mathematician, an ★ Senator 50392 I then deliberately chose to Actuary and a certified Metafocus on training and I had Coach. I am also a Master several opportunities to train Trainer for the “Build your at an international level – in Holland for the 1994 Business” entrepreneurship course and I am Area Conference, in Kenya, Madagascar, myself an Entrepreneur. Reunion, South Africa and of course several courses in Mauritius, 2. What positions have you held in JCI till now? I had just returned to Mauritius after my University studies and read about the Area A Conference which was hosted here in 1987. I

I am particularly happy to have been in touch with several generations of JCI members and for example I facilitated recently the Strategic session for JCI Mauritius and ran a Training of

Trainers in collaboration with JCI Beau-Bassin Rose-Hill 3.What can you tell us about the evolution of the JCI Mauritius family? One of the benefits of being in an association is the networking. But in JCI, the bonding can be very strong and we become friends and it’s like having a second family. I am blessed to be part of the group of Senators and it is really a pleasure to meet some with whom I have shared very special moments. 4.What were the challenges you faced and the p o s i t i v e o u t c o m e s ?  My first 2 years in JCI were absolutely fantastic – success after success. And then I became LOM President and then at some point, I started getting feedback that some members were not happy … It took me some time to realise that the fiercest critics were 1-2 Board members and this was quite a blow. But fortunately, I had strong support from others and just kept on. And I need to give credit to my wife Helene who really gave unconditional support. In one seminar I attended, I learnt about the concept of having “an emotional shield” and this helped me tremendously, especially when I became National President. When the 1992 World President Alber t Hiribarrondo visited Mauritius, he told me “Expect the best but be prepared for the worse” and that helped me when we presented our bid

at the Area Conference in Zimbabwe and we lost. Looking back I will say that JCI gave me loads of learning and this shaped me into who I am today 5.If you were to describe yourself in the body of an animal based on your JCI path, what would it be and why? The bear !! It can be so cuddly like a teddy bear but can be strong and fierce (if you try to take away the fish it just caught …) And although it enjoys being in a herd, it is comfortable being on its won at times 6. What were the major JCI projects you have worked which created a big impact in your daily life?  As Secretary of JCI Quatre-Bornes when it was founded, I learnt a lot about Rules and Regulations and no wonder that I was involved in the creation of other LOMs such as Rodrigues, Rose-Belle and JCI City Plus When I led the TOYP project, I discovered that I was creative when the press advert I had designed was used without any change by the Advertising Agency. I was involved in several training projects - At least 3 Prime (Training of Trainers) in Mauritius and several training camps for JCI Port Louis and JCI City Plus and each time, they were out of this world experiences and even though I did most on a pro-bono basis, they were important building blocks in my training career

7.What is "peace" for you? Peace for me is that calmness inside which is not disturbed by external events. I believe we need to constantly be aware of what’s happening inside of us and when we have self-mastery, we have inner peace and we can then be at peace with others

ASPIRING MEMBERS’ CORNER

8.What would you suggest and recommend to our young Jaycees? JCI offers a gold mine of opportunities for selfdevelopment for those who get involved, who take responsibilities and who show commitment. Grab those opportunities and your life will be changed beyond what you dreamt of. Interview taken by Member Vanisha

I joined JCI City Plus as an Aspiring Member in April 2016. Prior to joining the organisation, I had already heard much about the JCI through events such as The Outstanding Young Person (TOYP). Hoping to create an impact in the community while furthering my own personal development, I contacted the 2016 JCI City Plus Local Secretary Ashish Padaruth in view of joining. He immediately invited me to attend the 2016 National Public Speaking Competition where I was pleasantly surprised by the welcoming attitude of all Jaycees I met. I can honestly say that since that first experience with JCI, I have not looked back. Whether it be through development trainings such as 9

'Modernize your business' organised by Microsoft and 'Inspire & Connect Sessions' or through participation in Community Projects such as the 'Peace is Possible' campaign, I am constantly growing and evolving within the organisation.Â JCI has now become a huge part of my life and I hope to think as a Jaycee in all aspects of my days." Shrishti Joypaul

Aspiring Member

JCI City Plus is made up of a group of friendly individuals, and all focused on achieving the goals of the organisation. In the short period I have already witnessed several initiatives aimed at making this world a better place to live, from caring for underprivileged kids to empowering youths via inspire and connect sessions. It is indeed a privilege to be part of JCI City Plus and I am looking forward for an exciting period together. Â Sundeep Ruchpan Aspiring Member

It is said that first impression counts and JCI City Plus did just that in my case. Indeed, the speed with which my application was processed says it all about the group of individuals. A few hours after applying online, I was surprised to find an email from the Local Secretary, Ashish Padaruth and it was only a matter of a few days that I became an aspiring member.

INTERNATIONALISM : 18TH JCI ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP ACADEMY

The 18th JCI Active Citizenship Academy took place from the 1st – 3rd May 2016 at the Sandton Convention Center, Johannesburg, South Africa. We started on a Sunday afternoon. So,forget about your usual Sunday nap time. You’re about to discover the amazing world of JCI in a new light.

It was 3 intensive Days of training. We discussed about issues that were affecting our countries and we worked together to bring out solutions. We also studied modules such as Accountability, Effective Leadership among

From JCI City Plus, we had myself (2016 Local Vice President) and 2016 Immediate Past President Roumesh Oomah who attended the Academy. It was a first time for both of us to be in Africa as well as attending a JCI Africa and Middle East Conference.

others. Our Secretary General Arrey Obenson also inspired us into being Active Citizens. Our trainers Kola Osinowo from JCI Nigeria and Wha Ibrahim Doumbia from JCI Cote D’Ivoire were amazing and resourceful. Of course, we certainly had our dancing sessions to de-stress. Overall, it has been an Academy rich in

So, to anyone of you, who have the opportunity to attend the Academy one day, grab it! You’ll be transformed.

experiences and encouragements. We made life-long friends from around Africa and the Middle East region. You see at several points in your life, you’ll have the opportunity to attend Leadership A c a d e m i e s o r t r a i n i n g s o n D i v e r s i t y, Transparency, etc… But, the JCI Active Citizenship Academy is a once in a lifetime experience. While being at this Academy, you’re away from home…completely out of your comfort zone. You get to meet people living in different conditions in their countries. You get to find solutions to common issues under different perspectives.

Tasweena Girdhari Local Vice President - Public Relations and International 12

2016 JCI AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST AREA CONFERENCE Members attending the Africa and Middle East Conference for the first time were invited to attend a first time session whereby we were encouraged to experience everything that the Conference had to offer. We were told by the 2016 JCI President Paschal Dike, to make a lot of unforgettable memories during the 4 days as the Conference is going to be a life changing experience which indeed is the case for me. I was among the 22 delegates from JCI Mauritius attending the 2016 JCI Africa and Middle East Conference which was held on 4th May 2016 to 7th May 2016 in Sandton City, Johannesburg. During the 4 days of the conference, there were several forums and trainings organised as well as the General Assemblies, meetings, the opening and closing ceremony, the Nations’ night and the Africa night. It was an exciting time as we had the chance to unite together as active citizens to learn, grow and collaborate together and not to forget enjoy the hospitality of South Africa.

The Mauritian delegates were really appreciated by the different countries present for the Conference. I can say that we were actually the nosiest and most fun to be with amongst the others. And needless to mention, our National P r e s i d e n t , M r. Yu d h i s h R a m a was given the title of ‘The Enter tainer’ by the end of the first night. We got to meet a lot of members from different countries, backgrounds and JCI organisations and learnt a lot about the people and their organisations. Before going to the Conference, I was always told that you never feel alone when attending a JCI Conference and they w e r e 14

right. You meet new people every day and you become friends in a matter of seconds. No one is a stranger to the other in JCI.

We enjoyed our time having fun and building bonds. It was the opportunity not only to network but also to gain a fresh perspective of JCI by attending the programmes, ceremonies, workshops and skill development sessions and trust it when they say ‘in JCI spirits’. The programmes, workshops and forums never ended with the songs and dance. There always had to be some kind of music and dancing during the programmes, even the General Assemblies!

night life, the lifestyle and the famous shopping experience that the city had to offer.

To conclude, I would like to encourage those who have not yet attended an international JCI Conference, to please do. I can assure you that you will come back with a lot of new experiences, stories and passionate new ideas. You will not be the same person after the Conference. It will be an extraordinary human adventure.

Also, a Peace is Possible campaign was organised during the last day of the Conference w h e re b y w e w e re e n c o u r a g e d t o t a k e responsibility for mobilizing people in our country to take a stand for peace. Apart from the Conference, we also experienced the uniqueness of the Jo’burg’s culture, the JCI

Geetanjali Ramkishore Member 15

JCI CITY PLUS FUNDRAISING Congratulations to Local Treasurer Jaya Mulloo and the project team for the success of JCI CITY PLUS 2016 first fundraising event ‘Masquerade Night on the Shores of Venice’. The 55 Lounge club’s dazzling decor and dramatic lighting special effects did set the stage for an amazing experience. Our guest DJs and live performance of Flashback were astounding and amazed even the most fervent of club goers. It was clearly a night to remember. And for those who missed the event, check out the glimpses of the event!

JCI CITY PLUS FUNDRAISING

MODERNIZE YOUR BUSINESS During the session the participants learnt how: • To work effectively and securely on any device from anywhere • To enable business team to meet online and work together on shared projects • To offer easy, better-protected remote access to business data and applications, across all devices and the cloud, with Microsoft enterprise-grade security • To reduce technology costs and get exactly the IT one need for every phase of one’s business’ growth. The Modernize your business event was organised on the 22nd April 2016 in collaboration with Microsoft (Mauritius) to empower Small and Midsize Businesses by making technology a business advantage. With Microsoft, one can define its version of the “modern business” with a flexible, trusted, end-to-end platform designed to drive business success. Indeed, business today happens onthe-go and to keep up with the speed of business, the employees need to access their work and connect with their teams from anywhere.

INSPIRE AND CONNECT SESSION

Theme: Building the local and going international: The Pathway to growing a successful business Congratulations and thank you to the Local Vice President & CoProject Director Pavan Gopal and the ICS 1 team and the speaker for the inspiring and engaging session. A big thank you to our sponsors Juristconsult Chambers, BiteMe and I-spy. An initiative of JCI City Plus to create a platform of dialogue and exchange between leaders of our society and the public including young active citizens. Speaker: Me Marc Hein, G.O.S.K, Founder and Chairperson of Juristconsult Chambers.

INSPIRE AND CONNECT SESSION

EXPERT’S CORNER : WHY PUBLIC SPEAKING MATTERS

Do you stumble, stutter on words or shiver at the mere mention of addressing an audience? Are you helpless to the “err”, hmm” sounds emanating from your vocal cords? Then, the Art of Oratory-surely baffles you! To communicate and express-is to be! Though its inception can be traced back to Egypt, the Greeks did humanity an incredible favour in setting up elaborate principles on the experience of orators. During Renaissance and Middle Ages-the rhetoric art was a source of great entertainmentconferring wealth and prestige for orators’ s k i l l s . A d d i t i o n a l l y, thanks to the Romans and Greeks, Public Speaking became institutionalized, as they believe this humanistic study was a liberal art form and ought to be taught. To listen to speakers’ emotions, digressions or sheer wit and humor-thrill listeners! In the modern world-oratory power serves as an influential tool to-galvanize society. Who isn’t familiar and shivers at powerful speeches delivered by effective speakers. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi’s resonating message on nonviolence: inspired more than one; Marthin Luther King’s Junior-“I have a Dream”-at the

Washington Monument in 1968: left a legacy or Winston Churchill’s wise talks: which marked history. Today Public speaking became fundamental. From videoconferencing, telecommunications, microphones and loudspeakers-communication wields tremendous power on our lives. Nevertheless, glossophobia- the common fears of Public speaking still persists-striking a myriad of people around the globe. Hence, clubs such as National Speakers Association, Toastmasters International or TED: Public Speaking guidelines-offer a stage for novice or experienced orators to refine their craft. Beyond its pedagogical structure, Public Speaking is also a hobby for many-who resort to it as an outlet to release their emotional inhibitions. How ludicrous it would be to underestimate the cathartic effect of “talking it off’’? Public Speaking bears a salutary effect not only on the speaker but the audience as well-who sways away to the message’s lyrical content and poignant delivery. One’s self-esteem gets enhanced through Public Speaking activities besides helping one to forge relationships with social contacts and to travel to great places. This art form also enhances the critical-thinking ability, ensuing from the pre-Public speaking research to perfecting the eventual speech. It 24

also yields promising scope in Advertising and Publicity-to share ideas and bring like-minded i n d i v i d u a l s t o g e t h e r. T h e n e t w o r k i n g opportunities, professional development, interpersonal skills, creativity generated from Public speaking are valuable. One’s life can change. Therefore , kick off your fears, drop the apprehensions and embrace the joys of Public Speaking! Jevina Comaren Aspiring Member

EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT

Have you ever cried in the office mess after your boss has vented out his anger over you? How about trying to comfort a colleague in tears? Or maybe when you were victim or guilty of temples-pulsing anger, finger wagging or explosive attitude? If you are nodding “yes”, this is surely not surprising. Inspite of the corporate expectation to check your emotion at the door tempers and tears ducts continue to swell at workplace everywhere. After all, we are Human!

According to Kreamer, “we are no longer faced with physical threats, but rather faced with cognitive threats”. Verbal aggressiveness creates this same flood of emotions. The big boss’s cruel criticism or a colleague’s underhanded sneak attack in office all send our bodies reeling, despite the struggle of our mind rendering control perfect of any inappropriate reactions. Scientific evidence has shown that according to the old stereotype, women cry more and on an average 5.3 times a month in or outside the workplace compared to men’s 1.4 times. It has been proved that women has six times more proclactin than men in their systems, a hormone related to crying and also have smaller tear

ducts. Therefore, a man will well up but a woman’s tears will course down her face and make her appear more “out of control”. Emotions at their core are involuntary, often physiological, responses beyond our control. When you’re scared your pulse quickens and your heart feels like it’s pounding, and there’s little you can do to change that. But you can understand why you feel the way you do and choose to respond in ways that are healthy and

constructive. Here are five key things we can all do to better manage our emotions at work: ϖ Learn to accept and value emotions at work. Emotions cannot be prevented therefore,we need to accept and correctly channelled them. Emotions at work can be a great source of strength. ϖ Pay attention to y o u r b o d y. A n i n d i v i d u a l ’s b o d y usually knows what emotion it is feeling before the mind does. It is crucial to take a moment to think about the physical sensations (that pounding heart, for example). This is the chance to diffuse negative feelings before they get the better of you. ϖ Pay attention to your instincts. Usually when any person has gutted feeling conveying him when something isn’t right. This raw information may be the most valuable—as Instincts are the messages our bodies send to keep us out of d a n g e r, g i v e u s i n s i g h t i n t o c o m p l e x interpersonal relationships, and help us generate spontaneous solutions to tricky situations. Therefore, listen to them. ϖ Pay attention to your perceptions. Perception is revealed by how one perceives an action and most of the time, this perception has less to do with people being involved. Questioning about your perception and assumptions are necessary. You should ask

yourself where they come from and whether there’s evidence that they are correct. ϖ Finally regulate your emotions at work. Experiencing emotions at work should never be stopped, but you can learn to use them more effectively. It is important to primarily recognize that you will only fuel a negative situation by a d d i n g negative emotions to it. Several d e e p breaths should be t a k e n (which calms the nervous system) and then ask yourself, what can I do to diffuse this situation for myself or others? This may be as simple as acknowledging another’s viewpoint (e.g., “I see why this situation must be difficult for you…”) and calmly offering help (“Can we try a different approach…”). By focusing on a rational solution, an individual can not only regulate negative emotions at work but also redirect them into positive action. You should always remember that you are the “product” of your existence. Everything can be taken from a man but the last of human freedoms – the ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances, to choose one's way.– Viktor Frankl, Vanisha Rajaysur Member

BABYâ€™S CORNER

JCI City Plus has the pleasure of announcing that Member Maneesha has become the proud mother of twin daughters Adyaa and Aryaa

And 2009 JCI City Plus Local President Vidya Langur became the proud mother of twin sons Vishnav and Viyaan.

SAVE THE DATES

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