JCI City Plus - City Buzz Newsletter - July 2020 - Issue 25

CITY BUZZ

The Official Newsletter of JCI City Plus (Mauritius)

Issue 25 - July 2020

Editor in Chief's Message

Dear Readers of City Buzz "What the world needs now is solidarity.

With solidarity, we can defeat the virus and build a better world" These were the words of the UN Secretary General, Mr Antonio Gueteres on 31st of March 2020 and three months down the lane, we can advocate that we have never faced such an unprecedented crisis with thousands of death, millions of job losses and so many families destroyed.

While in Mauritius, we have been "luckier" as compared to other more afflicted countries, we should not forget that there are still so many families which have seen their situation worsen with this crisis. Let us all as young active citizens show our patriotism and altruism by aiding those in dire need and and there is no doubt that with all our efforts combined, we shall overcome this new hurdle.

On a final note, my sincere gratitude to all those who have contributed to this newsletter and wish you all a pleasant reading.

I'doumben (Ben) Naidu Venkatakistnen 2020 Local Vice-President (Community Development and PR)

""The Youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow" Nelson Mandela

2020 Motto: CONNECTING THROUGH BROTHERHOOD

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2020 Local President's Message Dear Readers,

Greetings from the 2020 Local President!

It is such a pleasure for me to be able to share a few thoughts with you.

2020 has been up to now a year of great challenges, from deadly bush fire in Australia to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The whole world has been going through unimaginable trying times during this first half of the year.

The current situation has called for and has displayed great leadership across the globe. We have seen and learnt that you do not need a title to be a leader, you just need determination and passion. I have always believed in JCI’s Creed, Mission and Vision but today I am proud to say that we have lived up to each and every word of them. While we have seen and felt what the world has been enduring, this has only strengthened our beliefs and bond. We have truly shown that we are an organisation of the people for the people.

This pandemic has taught me that distance is only a myth. JCI has allowed us to connect to our fellow Jaycees around the globe. Through the different online trainings, we have been able to actually connect with one and another. It warmed my heart to final live what we always say, “the Brotherhood of men, transcends the sovereignty of nations”JCI Creed.

I would like to seize this opportunity to thank each and every individual specially frontliners, from the bottom of my heart. They have gone beyond their way to help people and bring their contributions in a way or another. They are in every sense of the word, the real Heroes.

We shall all agree that Unity has become the key word to face this ongoing ordeal. Despite the distance and issues, we have been able to witness great unity and altruism. It made us forget about our individual concerns and focus on striving to make things better for the world. This only showed that Brotherhood of man is above anything else.

I would like to like to end by sharing a quote that has touched me particularly by from Peter E. Terzick: “You cannot see brotherhood; neither can you hear it, nor taste it. But you can feel it a hundred times a day. It is the pat on the back when things look gloomy. It is the smile of encouragement when the way seems hard. It is the helping hand when the burden becomes unbearable.”

JCI City Plus expresses its heartfelt gratitude to each and every person who have been giving us so much support during this chaos.

We shall continue to Connect Through Brotherhood!

Yours Truly, Jaya Mulloo 2020 Local President

2020 JCI Mauritius National President's Message Dear JCI City Plus Members Greetings from the Office of the National President We have reached mid of 2020 and time has come for an evaluation of what has been accomplished during these past 6 months and work on what is still to be done during the coming months.

We are facing a trying time in history. Our nation, our world, is experiencing a very difficult and unpredictable time and today, we are all adapting to a ‘new normal.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, JCI City Plus just like any other local organisation has had to adjust its plans and adapt to the prevailing situation. The confinement was also a time to be seized for personal development. I am pleased to see that during this period JCI City Plus has been conducting a series of training to empower its members and better equip them to serve their community. It was also interesting to see these trainings being attended by members from different countries creating a bonding and encouraging sharing of experience among the members.

I encourage you to go to your community, understand their needs and work with the different partners to address the challenges that COVID-19 has left behind. As JCI members you will need to be creative, work on the best solutions and build strong and longterm partnerships to create sustainable impact.

COVID-19 has also reinforced the internationalism part of JCI. Every day, through different online activities members from around the world are meeting and exchanging their ideas, experiences and even solutions to specific challenges. It is indeed a year where JCI members from around the world are bridging the gap.

I wish everyone health, patience, and strength during this difficult time.

Please prioritize the health and safety of yourselves, and others in your community, always.

"United We Serve. United We Make the Change" Franchette Emilien 2020 JCI Mauritius National President

2020 JCI Mauritius Senate Chairperson Dear Members and Senators of JCI City Plus The year 2020 has been peculiar since the world was suddenly brought to a stop because of the pandemic that affected the whole planet from the most powerful to the least developed nation. From one day to the other we came to know about the new term lockdown and we were compelled to experience it immediately.

However, despite these challenges, we JCI members have been able to connect virtually and still promote the mission and vision of our organisation. By making use of online technologies that were readily available, we have been able to carry on with the JCI administrative tasks as well as run trainings/webinars and even initiate projects. These new tools that we have mastered during the past three months have allowed us to connect with the JCI World and interact with other members from the global network that we form part. Adaptation to the pandemic situation in which were plunged was no longer a luxury. It became a necessity for the survival of our organisation and now it’s the time to further adapt to the new normal.

Our 2019-2023 strategic plan however catered for that new situation that we are now going through. We cannot deny that the survival in this new normal will be for those who will accelerate the change and not only witness it. More than ever, the community needs JCI. We need to re-gear our plan of action and take glass root actions to address the most critical challenges of our time.

We will have to bridge the gap between pre and post pandemic. But in order to do so, we will have to transform ourselves as everyday change makers of the society.

Kind Regards Ryad Subratty

What have you learnt from the COVID-19 situation?

Let us hear from our 2020 Board members Jaya Mulloo - 2020 Local President Profession: Relationship Manager Passionate about: Community work This pandemic has taught me that distance is only a myth. JCI has allowed us to connect to our fellow Jaycees around the globe. Through the different online trainings, we have been able to actually connect with one and another. It warmed my heart to finally live what we always say. "the Brotherhood of men, transcends the sovereignty of nations" - JCI Creed.

Geetanjali Ramkishore - 2020 Immediate Past President Profession: Accountant Passionate about: Networking and Experiencing new adventures Just like most of us, I too underestimated COVID-19 until Mauritius went into lockdown on 20th March 2020. As someone who is always very active, it was hard to be locked at home. The first few days went by as normally as it could. In fact, I was happy that I could spend ample time with my family. I binge-watched Netflix and it surely gave a large dose of entertainment. I wonder who has not watched La Casa De Papel or Dynasty during the lockdown..? Having said that, I utilised this free time to learn new recipes. For someone who hardly enters the kitchen, it was an opportunity to impress my parents with some delicacies. The best part of the lockdown was avoiding the traffic to work and working from home. It was a whole new experience and I kind of enjoyed it. Also, hectic schedules did not allow me to flip through novels and books as often as I would wish, so I had ample time to read quite a few interesting books. Needless to add, I am quite aware of the happenings in the world and the sad reality often dawns on me.

With so much going on, it is quite natural for negativity and anxiety to seep in.

The only choice we have is to learn to live with this new reality and adapt.

Chrisinta Chavrimootoo - 2020 Local Secretary Profession: Barrister Passionate about: Arts in all its forms (be it performing, literary or visual), Snorkelling and Hiking 1. Do not take time, people or your health for granted; 2. Active citizens do not hide behind excuses, they always find a way to improve their community; and 3. Happiness does not have to be put on hold, it is a daily choice.

Dalini (Sheivi) Servansingh - 2020 Local Treasurer Profession: Industrial Engineer Passionate about: Badminton and Guitar With the COVID-19 crisis turning upside down our lives overnight, this unprecedented situation firstly made me realise that we should not take for granted the freedom that we had been bestowed with so far. Second, this disease taught me that Mother Nature is the greatest of all and has all odds in her favour. On a more personal level, COVID-19 was an eyeopener for me to develop the habit to halt, take a step back and do some introspection once in a while. It has also been a wonderful opportunity to uplift myself spiritually as during the lockdown, I learnt that many things aren't within our control; we should know where to channel our energy and not allow negative vibes affect us and act impulsively upon these.

Preshan Kissoondoyal - 2020 Local Vice-President Profession: IT auditor Passionate about: Gym and Badminton The COVID-19 has indeed been the most significant tragedy humanity has been facing till now. Whenever one person is facing difficulties, we must always find means and ways to overcome the difficult situations. During the lockdown, we could feel the eagerness of people to do thingsand with the help of technology, we could see all the commitment of people achieving loads. I myself decided to create positive impact in my way of doing things. I found it as an opportunity for self development and in return it paid. I completed 13 out of 15 official JCI trainings through webinars and passed all the tests. One very important thing I learned is that my habit has changed towards food. I no more buy junk food during lunch and instead bring home-made food. This is healthier and saves money as well.

I'doumben (Ben) Venkatakistnen - 2020 Local Vice-President Profession: Senior Fund Administrator Passionate about: Public Speaking, Trail Running and Cooking With the COVID-19 crisis, the whole world was brought to a halt and billions of people were forced to stay at home and we could see how it was beneficial to healing of our Mother Earth. This showed to us the unbridled pace we were living with no consideration of how much we were polluting the planet. Time for us to learn from this and ensure that economic development in the future is more considerate of our planet.

Meet our aspiring member: Yan

If there's one aspiring member who has been highly active during the curfew period in Mauritius, then that is Yan Jouan. While Yan joined JCI only end of March, he left no stone unturned and gave a huge helping hand on the various projects that JCI City Plus (Mauritius) oragnised during that period.

HOBBIES: Music Arts Reading Sports Culture

Yan specialises himself in the field of marketing and is currently working in the product development and strategy development at McVision. He has a rich career in marketing, communication and sales and allocates a lot of his time in helping SMEs grow.

Yan is not unfamiliar with social work. In fact he is also a treasurer in TiDiams, another Mauritian non-governmental organisation which helps children suffering from Type 1 Diabetes.

Yan joined JCI to meet like-minded people who want to grow and make positive change in the world. Well, we can only wish Yan a fruitful and long journey with us and we look forward for Yan to create more impact!

Focus: Frontliner Mazvita (Lucia) & Front Liner the experience Q: Tell us a bit more about yourself and why you joined JCI ?

My name is Lucia Mazvita Marire nee Nyamariwata. I come from Zimbabwe and is the fourth child in a family of five all raised by a widow. I graduated with a diploma in Education with specialisation in early childhood from University of Zimbabwe. I am a resilient multi talented woman and mother to two teenage daughters. A strong believer in being human first before anything else.

I joined JCI because it provides a unique platform to young people to effectively serve communities around them and beyond in a sustainable way.

Giving a speech at a college on Nelson Mandela Day

Q: Being a frontliner and a mother, how difficult was it for you to manage both ?

As a registered nurse, the Novel Covid-19 virus turned my life around. I clearly remember how I panicked the day the first case was confirmed on the island. I called my sister and asked to send our daughters to her place while we figured out the challenge ahead. We were relieved as she accepted to take them in without a fuss. Taking supplies to them felt a lot like visiting someone in prison as we had to keep the distance and talk through the car window.

The most painful part was not being able to celebrate the girls 13th and 16th birthdays in April. With the girls away and safe, I was more optimistic to go to work. I must admit, it was hard the first days as testing positive to Covid 19 felt like a death sentence, because we had not heard much about recovered cases and success stories of medication clinical trials as is the case today.

However, having access to basic personal protective equipment and effective screening of patients in the emergency department instilled a sense of courage in me to continue to serve without being paralysed by fear.

Giving back to community by volunteering to raise Breast Cancer awareness.

Q: What did the COVID-19 pandemic teach you?

On a personal level I learnt that there is no shame in asking for help.

Had I not reached out to a friend to help with the children, my performance at work would have been greatly compromised. Secondly, it is absolutely important to nurture positive relationships and have a strong support network. In these we find peace and comfort in times of emotional, physical, psychological, financial hardships. On a professional level, I learnt that it takes more than saying 'I am committed' to make a difference in the life of a patient . For me, commitment as a nurse entails showing up for my patient and giving evidence based care using knowledge, skills and resources available to me. It means putting the patient first before self but without compromising my safety. Most importantly, I learnt to read from reliable sources and acquaint myself with the progress being made in understanding the virus because knowledge is power.

Q: If you had to give advice to our youngsters, what would it be and why ?

My advice to youngsters is to choose friends carefully and invest time in developing meaningful relationships starting with self. Covid 19 has taught us that we need each other to make it in life. Be that person you want to reach out to in your time of need. Leo Tolstoy said, "The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity". I can attest that indeed when we are moved into action by the need of others, life is more meaningful and worthwhile.

I salute all the frontliners fighting this invisible enemy and those who lost their lives in the line of duty locally and internationally. Special thought to all families of who lost loved ones to Covid 19.

Lucia has one more special talent that many girls love and that is hairdressing.

COVID-19 webinar: How can businesses innovate during difficult times?

With the whole of Mauritius confined, it was important to bring solutions on how businesses could survive but most importantly brainstorm on how to innovate in the wake of this "new normal". In that respect, we had aspiring member, Yan Jouan who stepped in with his experience in the marketing field to help answer the queries of the various attendees to this webinar held on 13 April 2020.

COVID-19 Webinar: Online Security Matters With billions of people confined around the world in April and May, we saw a surge in the use of Internet to stay connected with our dear ones. However, one should not forget the various risks associated with the use of Internet. In that respect a webinar was organised on 1 May 2020 by JCI City Plus (Mauritius) and was hosted by the 2020 Local Vice-President Skills and Development, Preshan Kissoondoyal.

This webinar attracted a lot of persons from and outside JCI.

Edike Pou Eradike: Tackling a silent killer While many of us were in the comfort of our sweet home for several weeks due to the COVID-19 lockdown, we were unfortunately faced with a horrendous surge at the same time - A rise in the number of domestic violence cases. Hence as active citizens, it was important to help create awareness on how to suppress this vice.

Head-speared by the Local Secretary, Chrisinta Chavrimootoo, the team composed of Local President Jaya Mulloo, Past President Tasweena Girdhari, Local Vice-Presidents Ben Venkatakistnen and Preshan Kissoondoyal and aspiring members Gooshma Kissoondoyal and Yan Jouan agreed to re-launch the Edike Pou Eradike campaign through online posts accompanied with a webinar with Ms Anushka Virahswamy, Country Head of Gender Links (Mauritius).

It was a bilingual campaign to ensure the message goes through given the frightening situation.

This video posted generated thousands of views with many Mauritians expressing their anger vis-a-vis the situation which was prevailing.

The webinar helped us understand how alarming the situation was in Mauritius while interacting with Ms Anushka Virahsawmy

JCI trainings: Unlocking the potential With nearly half of the world confined and restrictions on public gatherings, it was essential for us to adapt to the situation and see how we can create impact even if we remain at home. In that respect, JCI City Plus (Mauritius) hosted a couple of webinars to only help JCI members become more acquainted with the tools they will need during their JCI career and in life but also connect with JCI members all around the world!

Senator Ashveena Mewa delivering a training to JCI Nepal on Motivating your Team for Better Performance. It was held on 6 May 2020.

Effective Communication- Building a Foundation was hosted on 5 June 2020 by Local Vice-President, Preshan Kissoondoyal. It attracted 30 participants from 12 countries from Europe, Asia and Africa.

JCI City Plus (Mauritius) was privileged to be graced one more time by Senator Ashveena Mewa who delivered an impactful training on Business Etiquette and Grooming to several JCI members. This training was held on 6 June 2020.

JCI City Plus (Mauritius) was delighted to host a JCI Official Training on Effective CommunicationCrafting Your Message with the trainer being 2020 Local President JCI Safi Mohamed Nabil Bahiri on Saturday the 13th of June 2020. 40 participants from 11 countries from North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia attended this fruitful training.

It was an absolute honour for JCI City Plus (Mauritius) to have 2020 JCI Vice-President Mohammad Hijazi deliver the newest of the JCI courses, JCI Discover to JCI members. A webinar held on 15 June which attracted a lot of persons. In this interactive course, participants embarked on an engaging journey that explained to them why JCI exists. Through group activities and discussion, participants understood what it means to be an active citizen and creating sustainable impact in a changing world.

Annual General Meeting 2020 With the COVID-19 taking by storm our beautiful island mid-March, the Annual General Meeting had to be postponed. It finally took place on Thursday 9 July 2020. It turned out to be a very productive session where 2019 Local President Geetanjali Ramkishore presented the financial statements for 2019 along with her report for 2019, all with the required sanitary protocols.

2019 Local President Geetanjali presenting her report and the financial statements.

Social Distancing, Sanitiser and Mask were the special guests of this AGM!

Africa and The Middle East Conference 2020 One cannot forget the exhilarating moments many of us experienced last year when we had the opportunity to have the Africa and The Middle East Conference 2019 in Mauritius and were all looking forward to the 2020 edition. However with the COVID-19 lock-down, borders were closed and hence we had to shift to a new paradigm - the conference being held online for the first time during the enriching weekend of 10 to 12 July 2020.

JCI Mauritius Senate along with JCI City Plus (Mauritius) organised a live assembly where we could assist in live in front of us the speeches of our National President, Franchette Emilien and our JCI Executive Vice-President, Asha Auckloo

Local President Jaya Mulloo, Secretary Chrisinta Chavrimootoo, Treasurer Dalini Servansingh and Vice-President Ben Venkatakistnen the 2020 Board were present.

Local Local Local from

We were also graced by the presence of various senators from JCI City Plus (Mauritius) namely Senator Yudhish Rama, Ashveena Mewa and Roumesh Oomah

National President Franchette Emilien delivering her message for Mauritius with regard to projects done at Mauritius level.

A big thank you to our JCI Executive Vice-President, Asha Auckloo who chaired the General Assembly 1 held on Saturday 11 July 2020.

News from JCI at National

JCI Mauritius organised various webinar trainings with JCI Nigeria during the lock-down to help create awareness among JCI and non-JCI members.

JCI Mauritius organised the Effective Leadership Training on 14 May 2020 and same had as project director, our aspiring member, Gooshma Kissoondoyal.

Local Treasurers were offered training as part of 10 coaching sessions to empower them on their duties. Our Local Treasurer Dalini Servansingh was present.

We also had one weekend of impact training on 22 to 24 May 2020 where Senator Roumesh Oomah and Past President Chimene Dacruz Valery delivered the JCI Impact and JCI Project Management Training

In mid-June 2020, we were pleased to hear Rick Ernest-Bonnier be selected among the 2020 JCI Twenty Most Young Outstanding Persons of the World. We can only wish him goodluck.

The ACF Committee along with JCI City Plus (Mauritius), JCI Beau Bassin/Rose-Hill and JCI Curepipe organised a drawing competition to raise awareness on drugs abuse that started in mid-June till mid-July.

JCI Senate Mauritius created an online campaign that explained the importance of digital clean-up to reduce carbon emissions.

JCI All around the world The JCI America and JCI European Conference took place in May and June 2020 respectively.

JCI has launched a new initiative to sustain and rebuild economies and strengthen workforce morale as we face the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic together. This initiative is called JCI RISE which stands for Rebuild, Invest, Sustain and Evolve.

JCI Secretary General Kevin Hin hosted a panel of incredible women for the World Business Angels Investment featuring 6th President of Mauritius – H.E. Prof Ameenah Gurib-Fakim on 5 May 2020.

JCI Creative Leaders In Curaรงao partnered with a local medical lab to provide safety masks to those in need.

JCI Korea has bought essential items such as hand sanitser and food to communities across the country. Their Clean Day Program reached 329 Local Organisations and sanitised public spaces!

JCI Yenagoa, Nigeria brought a sensitisation campaign to schools in Otuoke to explain the importance of hand washing as the most important defence against COVID19.

How to join us?

Drop us an email: secretary.jcicity@gmail.com / jaya.mulloo@gmail.com Drop us a message on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jcicityplus