IJR

From JBPedia

We are Maru and Rou, and we're the IJR Team for 2009-2010. The acronym IJR stands for International Junior Representative. If you want to know who were the previous IJRs, visit The Faces behind this. We are excited about the year ahead of different projects and ideas, and we love our committee so much it's almost a little sick.

We enjoy eating ice cream, and have a common strong belief against fruity ice cream. One of us studies in Madrid and the other just graduated in Cairo and is trying to pass herself off as a writer/journalist. Another thing we have in common is that we both attended Summer Camp together in 2002, where Maru developed an identity crisis pretending to be Egyptian calling herself Zuzu.

Anyway, we don't want to bore you much more with our personal lives and random (and mostly useless to know) facts about us. For more weird things about us, please visit our personal pages.

As IJRs, we facilitate the IJB Committee - a group of JBers who work in order to help develop JB worldwide. The work in the Committee essentially gets done within its three sections: Connect, Growth & Development and Quality Lab, although ideas get tossed around in our email list for everyone's input and thoughts. Who are the people in the IJB Committee? Dedicated JBers out there, just like you, who happened to express they wanted to join the beautiful committee and contribute in that way to JB development.

Given that we're chairing a Committee, we're then a part of the Expanded Executive Committee of CISV, which is a group of Committee chairs who communicate throughout the year and have some meetings at each AIM too.

Oh yeah, we're also members of of the Board of Trustees, so we get to sit in the International Board at each AIM, in plenaries discussing issues relevant to CISV, and having talks about the motions each year brings to the meeting. Luckily enough, it's not boring at all, and we also get the company of juniors who sit near to us during discussions and give us their input on the spot. Also, every year after and during IJBC the juniors who are still around get together and make comments on each of the motions that are on the table, so then we can voice their ideas straight up during AIM!

Yes, our job implies a lot of emails, with people from all over the organisation: JBers, people working on programmes, people developing educational tools (we happen to love to engage in these processes), the IEC... it can get a bit intense, but its challenging so we love it!

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of carrying out our role is to meet JBers from all over, the actual grassroots, the people who are out there on the streets, doing stuff to improve their societies. One (or sometimes both) of us attend the regional meetings that happen each year, which currently are JASPARC, EJBM and ARMM, and we try to go to workshops and trainings to get in touch with as many people from JB as we can.

Right! We also edit the IJB Thinks publication! Rou is the current editor of this publication for 2009-2010. You can always email her articles and feedback about the issues at ijbthinks@ijb.cisv.org

As we said before, lots of emailing. But also, we meet up on gmail often (we're both big gmail fans) to discuss the ongoing projects, tasks and upcoming events. We like brainstorming and exchanging ideas, but sometimes it gets quite lonely if it's just the two of us chatting, so we'd love to hear from you! Our email is ijr@cisv.org and we love receiving emails from you guys. So go for it!

Right now:

... we're happy to have released IJB Thinks: Elections Edition! Download it here (username: ijb.guest, password: cisv4all),

... we're supporting and encouraging everyone to plan activities on the IJB Theme of Identity, which is our Year of Diversity-related initiative!

... we are in Berlin planning IJBC 2010 with the IJR Candidates Mateo & Tore and the IJB Team. Check out the IJBookClub and get to know the rest of the participants,

... we're communicating with the IJB Team and actively supporting each section and projects,

... we're hoping to start drafting a JB Guide with Quality Lab,

... we're hoping to hear from you! Our email is ijr@cisv.org.

According to Infofile O-15:

Definiton

• There shall be two (2) International Junior Representatives (IJRs) on the CISV International Board at all times. Each IJR has the same rights and responsibilities as any of the National Association Representatives on the International Board.
• The IJRs shall have an Alternate Representative. An Alternate Representative will assume the responsibilities of the IJR in the case of resignation or inability to complete their term of office. If an IJR is unable to attend a Meeting of the CISV International Board or any other official CISV activity, the Alternate will serve during such meeting or activity.
• The IJRs are considered to be officials of CISV International and members of the Expanded Executive Committee.

Qualifications

• The IJRs and Alternate Representatives must be members of CISV International in good standing who are at least age 18 at the date of election and no older than age 25 when completing their term of office as IJR.
• The IJR should be a mature, responsible and respectable person.
• The IJRs should have expertise in all issues relevant to Junior Branch work and should be an active Junior.
• The IJR should have the time to perform the required duties, including attending all meetings of the Expanded Executive Committee.
• During his/her term of office, the IJR may not serve asa National Association Representative on the CISV International Board (new constitutional documents), as Committee Chair, Taskforce Coordinator, Advisor or as a member of the International Executive Committee.

Responsibilities

• To represent Juniors in all CISV International matters;
• To facilitate the International Junior Branch;

Expenses As they are CISV International officials, all expenses of IJRs and Alternate Representatives which are approved by the CISV International Board, including expenses for attendance at and travel to Meetings of the CISV International Board and International Junior Branch Conference, shall be borne by CISV International.