Do it for the children...

Q2 conference promises to be a humdinger

THE SECOND QUARTER conference for the Optimist International Caribbean District 2014-2015 year is shaping up to be a game-changer in celebration, fun, learning and fellowship.
The regional confab for Optimists is scheduled for the Hibiscus Lodge Hotel in Ocho Rios running from February 27 to March 1 will see a new suite of workshops and other activities unveiling over the weekend.
Kicking off the conference weekend on Friday evening is "Sentimental Memories" at the Ocho Rios Pier. Hosted by the clubs of Zones 8 and 9, this old school style Governor's Reception will see delegates donning their favorite outfits from "back in the days of bell foot pants and afro".
On Saturday, it will be time for business, learning and celebration with headline presentations from Certified District Trainer, Past International Vice President Optimist Adrian Elcock and Builder of Excellence Optimist Kevin Grant.
Other stalwarts such as PIVP Optimist Sonia Anderson will share training duties with newbies including club president Optimist Stephen Fearon who will on Sunday tackle the topic "Leading and Implementing Change and Innovation".
But before that, on Saturday the award winning Jamaican poet and author A-dZiko Simba Gegele will bring her special brand of writing and performance to the conference. A discussion on what Caribbean teens are reading in 2015 will follow A-dziko's reading.
Yet another event that is a must-be-at is the 'Read My Lips Optimist Edition'. That is a mime and lip sync session which, according to organizer DST Jason, is one of the reasons you will kick yourself for missing conference this year. Don't be kicking yourself now.
Q2 conferences are never complete without the awards show and that will be held on Saturday evening. Hosted by Immediate Past Governor, Optimist Nutilia Simon, this year's Dinner and Awards Banquet and Ball will be an affair of extra-special celebrations. The winners circle from the Optimist International Awards and Incentives programme will be definitely be filled with joy, excitement, pride and fulfillment.
Feel the energy of Q2 and come celebrate, come teach, come learn, come have fun February 27 - March 1 in Ocho Rios.

Top Seven Reasons You Will Kick Yourself...

THE SECOND call for Optimist International Caribbean District Q2 Conference set for the weekend of February 27 - March 1, 2015 is out; and the team is so confident that they have also released a top seven listing along with highlights of the agenda. 

The conference will kick off with a rocking Welcome Reception on the Friday evening at the Ocho Rios Pier before moving to Hibiscus Lodge Hotel for the main conference activities on Saturday and Sunday.
Along with the traditional Opening Ceremony and general sessions, delegates will be fully engaged in a series of training, celebratory and fun activities that will deepen their resolve as Optimists bringing out the best in children. 

Among the celebratory events will be a glitzy dinner and awards banquet to be hosted by Past Governor Nutilia Simon on the Saturday evening. Then the outstanding achievers of the 2013-1204 Optimist year will be officially recognized.

Top Seven Reasons You will Kick Yourself If You Miss Conference

     1. Past Governor Adrian will be the Guest Speaker at the Awards Banquet and will conduct the first workshop of the day.

2. “Read My Lips”—Optimist edition will make you laugh until you cry.

          3. There will be a guest appearance by the reigning “king” of a much talked about contest held in Grenada years ago. It was called: “Momma Said they’d be KNIGHTS like This”

4. Clubs in the St. Ann’s area are planning a wicked welcome reception on Friday night, that may cause you to sleep through the rest of the weekend.

                 5. Reading by Award winning Jamaican author—A-dZiko Simba Gegele

             6. Second Quarter Optilympics

7. Workshops!

Q2 Conference set for Ocho Rios

OPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL Caribbean District will hold its second quarter conference in the popular Jamaican tourist area of Ocho Rios, St Ann from February 28 – March 1, 2015.

Governor Barbara Arrindell and the Step-by-Step team are gearing up to play hosts to the many Caribbean Optimists expected to converge on the beautiful hideaway boutique property, The Hibiscus Lodge Hotel.

Among the highlights of the weekend confab will be the always exciting and classic Awards Banquet & Ball to be hosted by Immediate Past Governor Nutilia Simon. The formal ceremony to be held on Saturday evening will recognize and honour the achievers of the 2013-2014 year as announced by the District and International achievements and awards committees.

Other highlights include a special reading by the award winning Jamaican author, A-dZiko Simba Gegele; as well as a suite of exciting leadership and personal development training workshops and fellowship activities. These activities include the entertaining and energetic Optimists Got Talent and Optimist Olympics.

According District Secretary-Treasurer Jason Gilead, this is a conference not to be missed.

“Plan to be there and encourage another Optimist to come", says the DST in a release announcing the first call to the conference.

"This is definitely going to be one of those conferences where if you miss it, you will be saying "I can’t believe I missed that..." for years to come.  Enough said!” warned DST Jason.

See details from the first call to the Q2 District Conference below:

Registration (Including Lunch)                                                                   

Regular onsite Registration: US $75.00

“A coming”: 10% off regular registration (by February 21)

“Twinkle Toes”: US$58.00 (by February 7)

“Lightning Bolt”: US$48.00 (Early Bird by January 31)

College & JOOI Members:

Regular Registration US$38.00

Twinkle Toes US$32.00 (by Feb 7)

Banquet & Ball US$40.00

10% Off if ticket is purchased prior to February 7, 2015

10% Off for all JOOI and College Members.

Accommodation                                                                                                       

Room Rates including all taxes and breakfast

Standard double occupancy: USD 137.35

Deluxe double occupancy:  usd$148.25

Find a roommate … Share a room and spend less than US$69.00 per night. 

Hibiscus Lodge Hotel & The Almond Tree Restaurant
PO Box 52, Ocho Rios, Saint Ann, Jamaica
Telephone: 876-974-2676 or 876-974-2813
http://www.hibiscusjamaica.com/

Happy New Year

FROM GOVERNOR BARBARA...                                                                                                         

“The year is gone, beyond recall,
With all its hopes and fears,
With all its bright and gladdening smiles,
and … with some mourners’ tears.”  

...So now we look to the future! 

The year 2015 is before us or in Optimist terms we might say that a brand new quarter is ahead of us. We have an opportunity to evaluate, to regroup, to plan. Let’s embrace our unique talents and potential as we continue to make young lives and our own lives better.

The good news is that many of our clubs have grown over the last few months. A total of 42 new club members and 4 FOOs are now part of the Caribbean District Family. We lost no clubs in the first quarter and had the absolute pleasure of welcoming a new club. We started with 52 and we are now a family of 53 Caribbean Clubs.

We have every reason to be proud of ourselves and many reasons to challenge each other to do even better. 

Congrats to those who embraced Treez2015. Remember that the second quarter is all about “The JOOI of reading TOGETHER”.

May the spirit of love and compassion that you shared so willingly during the Christmas season remain with us all as we interact with each other throughout 2015.

I remain proud to be the Governor of this great Caribbean District.

Happy New Year!

Governor Barbara 

FROM GOVERNOR-ELECT PATRICK...                                                                                            

THE REFLECTIONS are abounding. So too, are the resolutions.

Whatever our choices may be for the New Year, I do hope we renew our essence of Optimism – positive thoughts and action that open new pathways for our children to experience a healthy, happy and good life.

With the advent of the New Year come even greater opportunities for us to build on the lessons of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. I am confident that success awaits each one of us as individuals; and collectively in our Optimist clubs, zones and district.

Let us embrace the warmth of Optimism within us; let us march to the positive beats of Optimism around us; and let the New Year be a year of Blessings for the children of the Caribbean and the world.

Bonne année et bonne santé! ¡Feliz año nuevo! Happy New Year!

GE Patrick

Building a culture of leadership development... now!

IN MY first official comment as Governor Elect, I took the opportunity to remind people that we Optimists are people who make things happen. I argued then, that by the very nature of the word, Optimism means it is always time for action. 

Here is a quotation from the incredible body of work by Christian D. Larson that I believe ties a couple tenets of the Optimist Creed with the need to ACTION those tenets. Larson says, The true optimist not only expects the best to happen, but goes to work to make the best happen. The true optimist not only looks upon the bright side, but trains every force that is in him to produce more and more brightness in his life…

The ways in which Optimists go about producing more and more brightness in our lives include creating programmes that serve children, because they are indeed our sunshine. It is also  about recruiting more people to become Optimists, not merely because we want to increase our numbers, but because we know that more hands help us serve more children.

As Optimists, we dare not forget that everything we do today is in the hope that tomorrow will be better; and so we must do what it takes to keep the brightness going and spreading. We dare not forget either, that our strength is dependent on the quality of our members, the reach of our programmes, as well as our culture of leadership development.

Nothing becomes a way of life overnight. If we want a culture of good strong leadership we must build it. We must be constant in doing the things that will perpetuate an environment in which good strong leadership will emerge and be practiced. It is in that vein that I call on Caribbean Optimists to identify our future leaders, now! 

Every good organisation, whether they have short or long term leadership changes, makes the effort to ensure that its new leaders are able to hit the ground running. From the very start of their tenure the leaders must be ready. We as Optimists are no different. In fact, Optimist International expects and encourages a smooth and seamless transition from one administrative year to the next. That is why the mechanisms are in place for early identification of future leaders.

President-Elect Dave (fourth left) with his 'assistant coaches'
at the recent VP-Elect Training including
Southeaster region VP-Elect James Adams (l)

One tried, tested and proven approach to achieving a seamless transition is the officer-elect post. The practice is clearly evident at the international level. The President-elect, Vice presidents-elect, and Governor-elect are all identified up to 15 months before his or her administrative year. That timing guarantees the incoming officers a full transition year to understudy the incumbent, to grasp the magnitude of their jobs, and to plan and project with a team that will support the mission of making Optimist International the best voluntary service organisation in the world. 

Simply put, the officer-elect post highlights four critical elements of leadership transition:

1. It allows for specific training activities at the local, regional and international levels;
2. It facilitates  active participation in the organisation’s administrative processes;
3. It provides invaluable opportunities for self-directed learning and planning; and
4. It supports the promotion of good governance and democratic ideals within our own movement.

We have all heard the stories of clubs and zones coming to the end of their administrative year, and no one is making himself or herself available to lead. The negative consequences of identifying the incoming officers too late in the year are evident; and so we won’t dwell on them. As Optimists, we identify the weaknesses of the past merely as a platform for moving on to the greater achievements; and so I wish to underscore the tremendous worthiness and benefits of early nomination, selection and election of our leaders at all levels. Again these benefits include:

• EARLY TRAINING in the areas of responsibilities to be undertaken;
• SUSTAINED PLANNING that benefits from active consultation with members;
• TEAM BUILDING  on the strengths of  engaging members individually and collectively in the process; 
• EXPOSURE to the various levels of human, technical and informational expertise and resources that the Optimist movement is known to possess. 

In this Step by Step year 2014 – 2015, it is my wish that all officers-elect in our great Caribbean District (presidents-elect, Lieutenant Governors-elect and Governor-elect) will benefit from not only an increased number of training activities; but more extensive training. I would like to see greater networking and planning across the zones and clubs. Planning is a most effective foundation for proper communication. I would like to see even more cohesive teams understanding, appreciating and working together for the collective well-being of our children, our members, and the District. TEAM... I would like to see those with experience encouraging and building up those who are coming on board as new leaders and new members. And, I know other Optimists want to see these things too.

Of course, it cannot happen overnight and neither can I do it alone. But, we know it can happen, and will happen with your support. Therefore, as individual Optimists in your clubs and zones, I appeal to your sense of hope, your belief in our collective abilities, your confidence in the brightness of our future, and your commitment to the tenets of the Optimist Creed to let us together work at getting our officers-elect in place with the urgency of now. 

Let us together build a culture of leadership development and sustainability in our clubs, zones and district as part of making our organisation the best it can be. As Christian D. Larson encourages, let us together go to work to make the best happen.

Optimist Patrick

Governor-Elect

Optimist International Caribbean District.

Step by Step...2014-15

"Bim rocks Optimism" - GE Patrick

THE SECOND of two first quarter district meetings in the Step by Step year of Governor Barbara Arrindell unfolded at the 3Ws Oval on the UWI Cave Hill Campus in Barbados on October 25, 2014. As was the case in Kingston, the organizers promised difference and surely they delivered.

The great Caribbean District of Optimist International is indeed formidable in so many ways.

I want to give thanks for the opportunity afforded me to share in the experience with such ease and comfort. You are all awesome people and I am so happy to be an Optimist. Thanks to my friend and brother, PIVP Adrian and family for being such gracious hosts (and now family). My BaJam sister, PIVP Carol, your special care and attention to my personal growth and involvement as an Optimist continue to be simply inspirational. JOOI Co-Chair Ann, you know I love you even more! Jordis and I are forever grateful to all of you.

Secondly, to all the leaders in your neck of the woods - from Governor Barbara to club presidents Darshani, Laura, Cameron, Allison, Leo, Mercile, Katrina and your representatives at the meeting; and from DST Jason to all club secretary-treasurers, directors and chairpersons - thank you all for sitting in the driver's seat at this time. You are deeply appreciated. I am confident that you are going to have a distinguished year. GA Barry and LTGs Pat and Margaret, you guys and your planning and operation teams are simply and marvelously efficient at what you do. Thanks. PGs Adrian, Carol and Joe, as well as IPG Nutilia, it means a lot that your presence and insight continue to be seen and felt. 

Finally, I just want to share my notes from the meeting (almost as they were taken). Here we go:

Punctuality is an indicator of respect and value for others. Business-like. Engaging. Entertaining. Enlightening. Fun. Fellowship. Feeling Good. Friends. 

Optimists are serious people - serious about the business of service. Optimists are service people - serving the best we can regardless of the circumstance. Optimists are for the children - there is a child out there somewhere who needs us now, not tomorrow, but now. Optimists are builders of the future - ask Adriana, Firhana, and all the Junior Optimists who are becoming leaders in their own right! Jevanni Waugh!! Optimists are fun people - throw us an opportunity for play and it is off the chain! Pride!!

Good meeting. Great presentations. Humor. Hospitality. Happy. Honor.

Leadership. Moving Forward. Planning and Communication. Regrouping. Sensitivity in Service. Teamwork. The Future is Bright. Sustainability of quality is about recruiting quality. Training. Training.Training! Let us get it done and done early and right.

If you don't pay, you can't play! Money matters. What about a resolution at OI Convention on the tier-system given the economic realities and diversities across the Caribbean? A surplus, yeah!!!

Table sessions. Panel discussion. What is that signature activity or project that will make everyone say, Optimists!? PR is more than just the media and the public out there; it is also about Optimists knowing what we do as Optimists. Cherish the experience of those who share lessons. Use the lessons of strengths that come from sharing our projects with each other. Right Optimist Richelle and VP Yvette! 

Courtesy. Respect. Protocol. Robert's Rules. SURPRISE!!! Sweet.

Thank you all for making the weekend in Barbados such a memorable one for me on a personal level as I marked my 25@50 milestone. Thank you all for making the weekend in Barbados so productive, meaningful, and motivating for me as your GE. Thank you for making the weekend in Barbados one of pure Optimism! 

I wish for you and your families and teams at work, in the clubs, the zones and district absolutely nothing but the best.

I was delighted to have been in attendance; but in the final analysis it is even more delightful to be able to declare that, Bim rocks with Optimism!

Optimistically.