Member 30, Jenine in Mogadishu, Handbags for All, Dr Cecille Cilliers & Generation Y.

We have met our membership target, 30 members by the end of June 2012!  Here PP Graham Donet is inducting Trish Heslop as member number 30.  Welcome Trish...she is the one on the right.

Our Speaker last week was one of our members, Jenine Coetzer, who had just come back from her second trip to Mogadishu.  Her photographs were a sobering experience for many of us.  As she said, we might be horrified but you quickly become immune to the sight of starving children and accept as normal having to travel in armed convoys with guards armed to the teeth.  I suppose we are immune to beggars at robots, our own security systems and not being able to walk to the restaurant at night....it's all a matter of degree!

Malaria Project
Last Wednesday, Steve Du Plessis, Amina Frense and myself represented the Club at the breakfast for Kingsley Holgate latest foray into Africa packed with mosquito nets and Captain Morgan Rum.  Unfortunately we don't have any pictures yet.

Handbag Project

The Handbag Project has really leaped ahead with Sue Peiser managing to enlist support from HSBC.  This is what they have to say about it:

HSBC and the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn join forces to assist the Jess Ford Foundation

Diversity falls into one of HSBC's four pillars of Corporate Responsibility and for the month of August which is National Woman's Month we hosted The Handbag Project at our branch. HSBC strongly believes in staff voluntary programmes, we have had unanimous responses from staff members as well as external parties who have come together to make this a successful project.
Thank you to the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn for helping bring the Jess Ford project to HSBC and in turn the HSBC values to life; we are connected to our customers, communities, regulators and each and we are dependable and do the right thing.


Speaker
Thanks to Linda Vink we have a very special speaker this week, Dr Cecille Cilliers, the well-known Afrikaans academic, an explorer of Spirituality and a former columnist for Die Beeld who, with Bridget Oppenheimer, started "Women for Peace" in 1976:

Cecile Cilliers  is as nooi Pretorius in Franschhoek gebore.  Sy matrikuleer op Montagu,  en behaal die BA met tale (Afrikaans, Engels, Duits) aan UP.  Sy trou met John Cilliers, geoloog, en leer deur sy reise die  land goed ken.  In 1961 vestig die Cilliers’ hulle in Johannesburg, waar hulle drie kinders groot maak.

Cecile is sedert 1995  weduwee, en aldrie haar kinders woon in die buiteland - Amerika, Engeland en Australië onderskeidelik.   Sy het ses kleinkinders, drie dogters en drie seuns.

Cecile het die BA van UP,  die BA Hons van Wits, en die MA (cum laude)  en

D Litt et Phil van  RAU.  (Nou UJ).

Al die grade is in Afrikaans/Nederlands.

In 1976 stig Cecile saam met Bridget Oppenheimer die organisasie Vroue vir Vrede met as hoofdoel  ‘gelyke geleenthede vir almal’.  In Vroue vir Vrede kon  vroue van alle bevolkingsgroepe mekaar leer ken om sodoende diskriminasie teen te werk.  Uit hierdie werk het ‘n leeftyd van openbare redevoering gespruit.

Alhoewel dit nou hoofsaaklik tot ‘n einde gekom het, spreek sy nog soms leeskringe toe en kry soms die geleentheid om te preek.

Want kerk is nog een van Cecile se belangstellings.  Sy was die eerste vrou om op die Moderamen van die NG Kerk in Suid Transvaal te dien, en die eerste vrou op die Algemene Sinodale Kommissie van die NG Kerk  Totdat sy  na die Kaap verhuis het, was sy leier-ouderling in haar gemeente (die Andrew Murray-gemeente) in Johannesburg.

Cecile skryf sedert 1981 ‘n gereelde rubriek vir Beeld,  en resensies en artikels vir koerante en tyskrifte.   Van haar kortverhale en essays is in versamelings opgeneem, die mees onlangse in As almal ver is, saamgestel deur Danie Marais en deur Tafelberg uitgegee.    

Boeke wat uit haar pen verskyn het,  is oa  Ma’s het engelvlerke, Begenadigde vroue, Jy’s veelkantig, Vrou !, Magspel en etlike Bybelse dagboeke.  Al hierdie publikasies het by CUM verskyn.   Versamelings van haar Beeld-rubrieke  (Kokkewiet op Donderdag en Reënboogmense, reënboogland), het by Lux Verbi verskyn, en ‘n versameling van haar De Kat-rubrieke (Katswink), is deur Tafelberg uitgegee. 

Cecile het deel gehad aan etlike televisieprogramme, oa op CNTV, waar sy paneelbesprekings oor godsdienssake gelei het, en op Kyknet, waar sy een van die twee Boeksusters was.  Sy het ook al heelwat radiowerk gedoen.

In April 2002 het Cecile na die Kaap verhuis, waar sy na aan eie familie is wat vergoed vir die verlange na haar kinders.

Cecile is lief vir mense,  poësie, enige wildtuin (veral die Nasionale Kruger Wildtuin) en reis graag – die bestemmings deesdae gewoonlik Engeland, Amerika of Australië…

The secret to reaching Generation Y

By Ryan Hyland
Rotary International News -- 21 September 2011

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Michael McQueen is a leading authority on youth trends, a best-selling author of two books on bridging the generation gap, and a member of the Rotary Club of Crows News, New South Wales, Australia. He recently spoke to RI News about bridging the gap with Generation Y. Rotary Images/Alyce Henson

Rotary International on Facebook

Michael McQueen is a leading authority on youth trends, a best-selling author of two books on bridging the generation gap, and a member of the Rotary Club of Crows News, New South Wales, Australia. He recently spoke to RI News about bridging the gap with Generation Y.

RI News: How do you define Generation Y?

McQueen: Numerically, Generation Y is between the ages of 12 and 30. But culturally, they are globally minded. Through online social interactions, many members of this generation have networks of friends around the globe who are only a click away.

RI News: How can Rotarians best reach out to Generation Y?

McQueen: Start small. Rather than approaching young people by asking them to join, engage them with short-term projects. Build relationships with them so they get a sense of Rotary’s DNA. When Rotarians are asked about Rotary by younger people, often they answer with how Rotary works -- the rules, traditions, and rituals. Rotarians need to explain the “why” of Rotary. Generation Y is outcome focused. Have a clear answer on why the outcome of projects is important.

RI News: What kinds of benefits can Generation Y bring to Rotary?

McQueen: The next generation represents an enormously exciting opportunity for Rotary. There are three reasons why. One, having grown up with the Internet and being so interconnected, young people are acutely aware of global issues and concerns. They believe that such a small world really can be changed. Two, they are socially engaged. Recent studies have shown that 70 percent of Generation Y actively volunteers on a weekly basis. Not only does this group feel it can make a difference, it genuinely wants to. Three, they are ambitious. Young people today are desperate to get ahead in their careers and are looking for mentors and networking opportunities.

RI News: Generation Y seems to be very busy, perhaps busier than previous generations. How can Rotary overcome this challenge?

McQueen: Yes, the demands on their time, energy, and attention are enormous. But when young people say they don’t have time for Rotary, they are stating a priority rather than a fact. Young people simply perceive Rotary as a lot of restrictive rules and time-consuming work. Rotary’s challenge is to communicate to young people the compelling reasons and benefits of joining Rotary.

RI News: How should Rotary be using technology to its advantage to attract young people?

McQueen: Use more multimedia. For instance, nobody under the age of 35 really knows what polio is. Their parents do, and they can be told how crippling this deadly disease is. But that only means young people will be intellectually pulled in, not emotionally. Use video to educate them about polio. Also, more clubs should have websites that engage young people.