Optimist International Canada
Newsletter
October 2009 - Number 11 |
Message from the Director - Jacques Pelland
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 Another year is over and it is time for us to review it. From 96,851 total members at the beginning of the year, our numbers fell to 91, 432; Canadian membership fell from 20,891 to 20,101 and Francophone Optimists, now number less than 12,000 members. Each year, our membership drops at international, Canadian and regional levels. Think outside the box, especially when it comes to the development and growth of the organization. Dare to think outside the box with respect to our primary mission which is at the heart of our daily thoughts and, I dare to hope, yours. Around three years ago, Rebecca Dube wrote an article in the Globe and Mail about service clubs. She wrote how hard it was for these associations to engage the 30 to 40-year-olds even though they display sincere commitment and enjoy volunteering. Nevertheless, associations and the very manner of their existence, actions and interactions is of no interest to them. The Y generation wants nothing more than to be involved. It also needs to learn, to experiment. Developing its leadership could even be the lifeblood of our organization's future growth. To reach new generations of Optimists and specially to understand who they are and what they aspire to seems to me to be the main issue. The 20, 30 and 40-year-olds live in environments that are more and more closed off and where socializing is very different from what it is for the baby-boomers and earlier generations. In spite of everything, society's problems and needs, in particular those of our children, are ever-present and quite real. It is important for our future that we turn to more innovative communication methods in order to be connected to the various virtual communities and to become part of the world's cyber social network known as Facebook, Linkedin, You Tube, Twitter, and Skype.
The future is before us and we must not be afraid of changes and innovation.
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| Optimist Scholarships |
| For information about the new amounts allotted for Scholarship Contests, click here. |
| Essays |
| To read 2008-2009 winning essays, click here. |
| Organizational Chart |
| To consult the Optimist International Canada organizational chart, click here. |
| Claire Labrèche |
 Member at large of the OI Board of Directors, she addresses you concerning the legacy that you, as an Optimist citizen of the world, leave behind. Click here to see what she has to say. |
| Marie-Pier Tremblay |
 For more information and to learn about the JOOI International President's projects, click here. | |
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| New website |
As you saw when you opened this e-newsletter, the site www.optimistcanada.org has changed its appearance. With a look of today, you'll notice some lovely photos on the home page, not that the site was out-of-date, but we have to revitalize it so it can provide Canadian Optimist membership with new, effective communication tools. In addition to containing information related to our organization, Canadian members will now have their own Optimist community, one Internet page per club, the possibility of sharing the site contents using the Share Button.
The site was designed by Michel Hamel, also a member of the Ahuntsic Optimist Club, and Geneviève Meilleur, Communications Coordinator.
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| Online Canadian Optimist Community |
 There's no doubt that communication has changed, online social networks are part of our lives and make it easier to for individuals to share among themselves. They will never be a substitute for face-to-face conversations, but at least they make contact between people more rapid. We should follow suit, which is why Canadian Optimist members now have their own social network, following the examples of Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, on the www.optimistcanada.org site.
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| Internet Page for each Club |
 The new site www.optimistcanada.org will allow each club to have an internet page in the club directory. This tool will mainly be of use to anyone wishing to become a member of your club or learn more about your activities. People, with the help of a search engine, will be able to find Optimists near their own community. Learn more. |
| Internet Safety |
 OI proudly launched its educational Internet Safety Program at the convention last July. However, the French version had not been finalized. We regret this unfortunate inconvenience, but the situation has been remedied and the Internet Safety packet has been available as of October 1st. Notice, in the DVDs, the International President, Mark Shriver expressing himself in French. You will also hear and see Claire Labrèche, OI Board member, as well as Raymonde Michaud Vice-President Elect of the Saint-Laurent Region. The product has been localized so it could be better adapted to our image, making it easier to promote to community agencies. You can order it by filling out the Internet Safety Program packet order form. | |
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| Millenium Summit |
The organizers of the Montreal Millenium Summit set aside tickets for non-profit organizations to attend the second day of the summit (April 16th, 2009) which was a major conference that was open to the public. Geneviève Meilleur, Communications Coordinator, Claire Labrèche, International Board of Directors member, Daniel Fortin, Optimist member, Normand Ménard, JOOI Advisor, Julie D'Auteuil, JOOI International President and Marie-Pier Tremblay, JOOI Board of Directors member took advantage of this generous offer.
To read their testimonies, click here. |
| 2009 Colloquium on the future |
On Vice-President Elect André Aubin's initiative, a 2009 Colloquium on the Saint-Laurent Region's future was held last June 6th in Ste-Foy, Québec. The theme was L'avenir c'est...aujourd'hui (The future is...today). The leaders were invited, but any member interested in the event could attend. About a hundred people were present to hear the ten invited speakers and meet the President Elect Marc Shriver.
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| Write me a story |
Once upon a time, there was a governor of the Québec West realm named J-P Poirier, who before going to sleep at night loved to read fantasy tales. However, one night, as every night, sunk into his mattress, he put out a hand to get a book lying on the floor, picked it up and because he had already read it, carelessly tossed it onto a pile of books. Wearily he turned, leaned over the pile of books and with arms dangling, looked for a new story to sink his teeth into.
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| True Genius! |
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 For four years now, Michel Carrier, a member of the Lévis - St-Jean Optimist Club has been the organizer of Opti-Génie. There are 12 primary schools within two counties that participate in this club's activity, a friendly competition, à la "Reach for the Top", testing the children's knowledge, memory and reaction under pressure. Read the full story. |
| Tribute to an Optimist |
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Réjean Pelletier, member of the Leonardo Da Vinci, St-Léonard and town of Anjou clubs since 1996, was presented the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award from Her Excellency the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean. This award is presented to individuals and groups whose unpaid, voluntary contributions provide extraordinary help or care to people in the community. Congratulations, we are proud to have Mr. Pelletier as one of our members!
To read the article on him, click here. |
| Canadian Heritage roundtable meetings |
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Last March, Julie D'Auteuil, JOOI International Ex-president, participated in Canadian Heritage roundtable meetings composed of young people in order to survey and question them concerning Canadian programs for young people. To read the entire article by Julie D'Auteuil about her experience, click here. |
| Ten years of loyal service |
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A pillar of the Canadian Optimist organization, Beatrice Rossignol, Associate Director Member Services, has been working here for over ten years. To highlight her excellent work, International President Marc Shriver personally presented her with an honorific award.
Thank you and hat's off to Beatrice! |
| Super Viola to the rescue! |
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We are glad to be able to count on Viola Corbeil's support. She comes once a week and volunteers by lending a hand to the personnel here at the OI Canada office. She puts her long experience as an executive secretary to work for the good of everyone. Thank you, Viola.
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Publisher, Chief Editor and Writer : Geneviève Meilleur
Translator : Diane Beaulieu |
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