Gala Night a moment to relax

The Gala Night of the EPM 2008 was held in a historical restaurant in the heart of Krakow with around 100 guests.

See you next time at EPM 2009 in Portugal!!!

The presentation of the World Congress in New Delhi was made by the… Portuguese

Abdul Saleem from the organizing committee of the World Congress in New Delhi asked Filipe Carrera from JCI Portugal to present the event in India. This invitation was accepted immediately.

For the General Assembly of the European Presidents of JCI was a surprising moment seeing a Portuguese presenting a Congress India, but it was even more surprising when Filipe Carrera undressed showing the official Congress T-shirt during the presentation.

We WON!!! Next European Presidents Meeting will be held in Portugal

After a long and hard work we presented our bid to organize the European Presidents Meeting in Cascais (Lisbon area).

The brilliant presentation was conducted by Paulo Veiga (National President 2008), Irene Cevlovsky and Miguel Coelho (JCI Cascais) and Filipe Carrera (COC Director).

Many National and Deputy Presidents pledge to go to the EPM 2009.

EPM 2008 General Assembly Started

The General Assembly of EPM 2008 started on the morning of Saturday in the beautiful session’s room in Cracow Town Hall, where the Mayor of Cracow welcomed all the participants.

Partying the JCI Way

First party of the EPM took place at the “Cien Club”, just in the centre of the vibrant city of Krakow. It was a time to relax and to have fun with many JCI friends. Our transportation was original, a city tram.

Future of JCI Europe under discussion

After lunch, in the afternoon of the second day it was time to discuss the future of JCI in Europe, by the national presidents and their deputies. Paulo Veiga and Miguel Coelho from JCI Portugal had I very active role in those meetings.

To attract new members is the priority

Our second day is dedicated to how to grow membership of JCI across Europe. First we dealt with past and present situation. After we got very interesting ideas for NOMs that were successful in growing membership, that is, UK, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Serbia, Denmark and Netherlands, with the goal the give ideas for the afternoon workshop.

Work started at EPM 2008

We are very happy to be in a meeting where we are going to bid for the first international event of JCI in Portugal. At the end of first day we had a very nice Dinner and a great workshop made by Flanders District of Creativity. One curiosity we found more Portuguese in other JCIs, like Ana (Immediate Past President of JCI Monaco) and Carlos (President JCI France).
We are very happy to be in a meeting where we are going to bid for the first international event of JCI in Portugal. At the end of first day we had a very nice Dinner and a great workshop made by Flanders District of Creativity.

One curiosity we found more Portuguese in other JCIs, like Ana (Immediate Past President of JCI Monaco) and Carlos (President JCI France).

Portuguese Delegation at EPM 2008 in Krakow, Poland

We arrive to the nice city of a Krakow in a raining day but in high spirit. In our delegation we have 6 people, Paulo Veiga, Irene Cevlovsky, Miguel Coelho, Cristina Carrera, Carla Veiga and Filipe Carrera. We took advantage of having a free morning to explore beautiful and historical Krakow, with our friend of JCI Malta, Chris and Maria.

Meeting JCI members of Goa

After a fantastic Goan lunch it was time to meet more members of JCI in Goa, for that we went to a city call Ponda, where around 20 member of several Local Organizations of JCI were waiting for us with a surprising program.

First I was invited to honour the JCI plaque at the entrance of the city of Ponda, next we went to retirement home were we gave some happiness, in a form of a distribution of food and sugar to 23 residents of that home in the small village Loutolim.

Finally JCI Ponda organized a dinner party for all the JCI members that came to Ponda to meet us. People treat me so well, it was for me a great emotion that so many members of JCI Goa gave their time to make me feel great in Goa.

Two special words for Sonia Shirsat, which went beyond any expectations to make my staying in Goa memorable and to my good friend Abdul Saleem made such a tremendous effort to meet me in Goa.

Going around in Goa

As soon as I arrived, my good friend Sonia from JCI Ponda (Goa) met me at the hotel, to show me Goa and to explain me everything about this beautiful state.

On the next morning arrived Abdul Saleem former VP of JCI and my colleague at Japan Academy, that came especially to Goa to meet me doing for that an 8 hours train trip. His presence in Goa made me very happy and honored by this token of friendship.

Abdul and my self under Sonia’s guidance did a fantastic tour of the Panaji (capital city of Goa). It was a privilege to have Sonia as our “tour guide” a true Goan with great love and respect for the Goan heritage. Also Sonia’s Portuguese is impressive.

Arriving in Goa

It’s very hard to describe the sensation of arriving in Goa, small state of India that was Portuguese India until 1961.

Being so far from home, seeing some many things written in Portuguese, so many Portuguese monuments and looking and talking to the people, I felt a true connection as a result of 463 years of common history.

Goa is without a doubt a place that deserves to be rediscovered by all, for its natural beauty, history and people. Also I see it as world reference in terms of tolerance and good relations between very different religious communities.

Being at the Asia Pacific HRM Congress in Mumbai

Like in a movie, when I entered for the first the venue of the Congress, the first person that I saw was my good friend Rumi, National President of JCI Bangladesh in 2006, quite a personality in the Congress, being very kind in presenting to everybody in the congress and even advertising my presentation on the last day of the congress.

To receive an award (with people like Bob Pike being one of the awardees with me), doing a presentation that got a lot of positive feed-beak from people of different countries, to enjoy a very professional organization and to meet great people, made my experience a dream come true.

In provisional figures the ASIA Pacific HRM Congress had more than 500 participants from 62 countries over three days. It was such a success that next edition will be called World HRM Congress.

“In Breaks We Trust” a Mumbai Motto

After having my first vegetarian meal with a colleague from JCI Mumbai Jayveer Rachh and his full briefing on the city I was ready for my radical program going around the city in taxi and motorized riquexo

It is a unique experience that is hard to described, let’s say that when you use this means of transportation is like being inside a racing computer game with a great player like my kids, where collisions are avoided in the last second with a tremendous faith in the breaks.

The First Impression of Mumbai

Arriving to Mumbai is by itself an experience, as soon as I came out of the plane you understand that you are really in a different country. Yet you see in small things the connections with the Portuguese. As I connected my cellular an operator of Airtel (Vodafone India) sent me a message because of the roaming, the funny thing was that her name is very Portuguese, like six in ten managers of hotels that I was advice to use by the congress organization.

In this 16 million inhabitants city, what impresses me the most is the huge gap between poor and rich, where the extreme poor are called the “untouchables “.

A visit to Mumbai is impossible without going to the Gateway of India at least once (in the photo)

New Adventure in India

I’m writing this text while waiting for my flight to Mumbai at Heathrow airport. This time is not only JCI activities I will receive the HR Leadership Award at the Asia Pacific HRM Congress to be held between the 12^th and 14^th of February in Mumbai.

I will take the opportunity to make contacts with JCI India member from Mumbai, Goa and other places of that big country that is India

I will arrive to India, 510 year after the great Portuguese navigator that was Vasco da Gama, actually it was the Portuguese that named it Bombaim (Bombay) because of the good bay. In 1995 it was changed to Mumbai.

I bet some things have change since Vasco da Gama was there. Let’s see!!!