Going to USA

Last week on Tuesday 9th I travelled to Chicago to meet with the new leader, Chief Executive Officer, of the YMCA of the USA, Niel Nickols. We had a good meeting and Niel is interested in visiting the Festival in Prague in August 2008. I also met with Selma Zaidi, Sam Evans, Jerry Prado Shaw and all the staff of the International Group. We made plans for the joint work in Eastern Europe and the Global Operating Plan, for US-support to the Training Centre and for US-participation in Prague 2008. We have great support from our American friends!

While I was in Chicago, we had a conference call with the Global Staff team to further plan the Global Operating Plan around the world.

From Chicago I flew to Florida to meet with 43 friends of the YMCAs in the NIS-region, the former Soviet Union, including representatives of those YMCAs from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Armenia. Misha Guskov travelled together with me and in Sarasota we met Vardan Hambardzumyan. Both Vardan and Misha were invited by American partners who paid all their cost. Jan Nissen was there representing the Ukrainian Field Group.

It was a very constructive meeting, and at the end of the meeting I challenged our friends from local YMCAs in the USA to support the Training Centre, and in twenty minutes I had collected $ 3200.

Try the same at your next YMCA-meeting!

I came home late Monday night from US, and Wednesday morning I started from home at 05.10 in the morning to fly to London to have the first meeting with Angela Sarkis, the new General Secretary of English YMCA. We had an excellent meeting and made plans for our future cooperation in the international YMCA-work. Those of you who come to the General Assembly of YMCA Europe in Kiev, May 16-20 this year, will meet Angela there.