JCI Winnipeg Nominees to CBC Manitoba's Future40

JCI is celebrating 100 years of impact. It was in 1915 that Henry Giessenbier founded JCI in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The idea was to scale local actions across borders, into the global organization it is now. Young active citizens continue to take action and fuel the JCI Movement.

It was 8 years later that JCI Winnipeg was created. It was the first JCI Chapter in Canada, which now boasts a total of 14 across the country.

As CBC Manitoba releases its list of Manitoba’s Future 40 finalist, we highlight 6 nominees who contributed to the JCI Movement through their involvement, dedication and commitment to a better community.


Natalie Bell, CHRP - CBC’s Future 40 profile - @pegcitylovely
 “Natalie’s numerous strengths include her eagerness to interact, to inspire and to relate to people, all accomplished with an infectious energy. Natalie served as Director of Marketing & Sponsorship for 2 years and earned the Member of the Year distinction in 2012 along with the Long Service Award. Check out her blog: www.pegcitylovely.com”

Natasha Fisher – CBC’s Future 40 profile - @NatashaFisher2
“Current JCI Winnipeg President, Natasha brought JCI Winnipeg to JCI’s 2014 World Congress in Germany, as Effective Speaking Champion of the Americas. She is the only Winnipeger to compete for the world title in effective speaking. Natasha is passionate about people and promoting positive change in her community through volunteerism and community leadership. Professionally, she strives to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health allowing for more acceptance and understanding.”

Katrina Hueging – CBC’s Future 40 profile - @Hueging
“As current Vice-President of Fellowship, Katrina has served on JCI Winnipeg’s Board for over three years. She is an integral part of JCI’s successes in Winnipeg, earning Rookie of the Year in 2013 and Executive Board Member of the Year in 2014. She is also Co-Chair of the Young Brokers Network and gives countless hours to both groups. Katrina works as Director of Training and Education with the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba, helping brokers remain performant through training and professional development.”

Valen Vergara - CBC’s Future 40 profile - @ValenVergaraVtr
"Valen Vergara is an award winning Social Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker & Business to Consumer Marketer. His strategic objective is to move social entrepreneurs towards high performance in the modern economy using his Eight Tiers Of Transcendent Thinking™. His life's work is centered on mentoring, empowering and investing in the field of human potential. Valen is the author of The People, Planet, Profit Entrepreneur™ & soon to be published Gold Mind™. He’s involved in a multitude of different projects including The WEPT Project Inc., the Now Network Joint Ventures Corp., the Millionaire Mastermind Alliance™ and Young Entrepreneurs Society International."

Neder Hedfi - CBC’s Future 40 profile - @nederhedfi 
"Nader is young achiever with big dreams in his mind that he worked on to accomplish them since day one. He began to manifest his strengths when he co-founded a high school club that mobilized students to have impact in their community. The club’s slogan was “Youth on the move, to lead, to serve, to shine!” So far, he’s participated in 8 TEDx events and this has spurred him to continue giving back. Neder joined JCI Winnipeg in January 2015, and brings enthusiasm, bilingualism and creativity to the membership."

Danelle Hueging - CBC’s Future 40 profile - @Danelle2
"Danelle has always drawn motivation from helping others grow in confidence, develop new skills and become more impactful in the community that surrounds them. Her achievements include a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Political Science, ranked Corporal in the Canadian Armed Forces, Certified Fitness Trainer, Project Management Professional, 2014 Junior Chamber International (JCI) Winnipeg President, Ex-officio with the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and Current National Vice President with JCI Canada. With this, Danelle Hueging exerts her leadership with confidence with the objective of helping shape future generations of active and impactful citizens."


JCI Winnipeg is honored to have these representatives nominated to CBC Manitoba’s Future 40 as we recognize all nominees for their contributions to Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada.

To the hundreds of our province’s new generation of leaders, builders and change-makers, we eagerly anticipate the impact you will bring to our lives.

Here’s to your bright futures in Manitoba!

Skills development through entrepreneurial training, high school edition.

In Octobre 2014, JCI Winnipeg sent four members to Junior Achievement of Manitoba to volunteer as Business Advisers for their Company Program.

Over a four-month period, Junior Achievement’s Company Program teaches grade 10-12 students how to organize and operate a real business. Volunteers from the local business community work with students to launch and run a small enterprise. This gives students the real-world skills and experience that they need to achieve their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs. In this hands-on program, students learn the risks and rewards of starting a business and how to build positive relationships with the community.

JCI Winnipeg serves as volunteer advisers with PowerUp, a company based out of St. John's-Ravenscourt School. Find them on Twitter @PowerUpJA.

Upcoming Sales Events
Come see all the Company Program teams in action at a sales event.

• Saturday March 21st at Kildonan Place Shopping Center
• Saturday, April 11th at St Vital Shopping Center

Word from the President at PowerUp, a JA Company

I've never wanted to study business. I've always been more of a med-school girl myself. Therefore it was my mother who introduced me to Junior Achievement's Company Program – a youth entrepreneurship program within schools – and practically forced me to join. Now don’t get me wrong, JA sounded quite interesting but I had never considered business as a future career. However, my mother thought that it would be a good experience anyways.

The Junior Achievement Company Program allows students to start a business and run it themselves – they pick a product, choose a target market, write a business plan, and advertise just like a real business would. It’s a demanding 22-week program that spans throughout the school year, but it’s also a lot of fun.

I've been with Junior Achievement for three years, and every year I find that I learn something new. My first year, I was a regular company member – no fancy title to my name and little responsibilities. But I also didn't get very much out of the program that year. The fact that I didn't hold an Executive position is less relevant than the fact that I hadn't tried to be very involved in the company. At the start of the year, I had chickened out on the day of elections for VP and CEO positions, backing out of the three spots I had originally planned to run for. Being the youngest member of the company, I had been scared that people wouldn't listen to my ideas or value my opinion. As a result, I pushed myself to the sidelines and remained there for the rest of the program.

I’m not normally a passive person, so with determination I signed up again the following year with the mindset that I would be braver. I refused to be a self-saboteur. On election day, I did run for a position and became CEO of my company. But foolishly, I had believed getting the courage to run would be the most stressful part of the experience. Of course, I was wrong.

My team encountered many hurdles that year and some we didn't jump, but rather stumbled over. Choosing a product was our first obstacle. Should we choose candles, which sell well but lack originality, or should we take a leap of innovation? Our choice in product would determine how the rest of the year would run and was therefore incredibly important. Being CEO, I bore the brunt of making those tough decisions. My year had been riddled with stressful and awkward situations like firing someone because they weren't attending meetings and setting a bad example. But as a result, I learned how to make tough calls and manage bad situations.

The company program also offers many competitions and chances for students to challenge themselves throughout the 22 weeks. My first year, I didn't participate in any, but my second year I made myself step out of my comfort zone. One of the competitions is called the Perfect Pitch Challenge, hosted by Shaw TV. Three student representatives from each team gave a 5 minute product pitch to a panel of judges and then were marked on how effective their pitch was – it was set up to be a bit like Dragon’s Den. Public speaking has always given me a lot of anxiety, so the experience was tough. But it was worth it—my team won and because I had participated, similar future experiences wouldn't be so daunting. Plus, as a reward, being the winners, my team got the unique experience to represent youth entrepreneurs to Prince Charles during his visit last spring.

I started JA in grade 10 and since then, I have learned a lot about business and have made many friends. However, the program has also allowed me to hone my patience and persistence, as well as my ability to communicate effectively with both my coworkers and customers. Networking opportunities are also vast throughout the program. Most of all, I've learned how to overcome my anxious tendencies and take more risks.

I’ll always thank my mother for pushing me to join the program. She was right – it didn't really matter that I wasn't business school bound; I learned a lot of skills relevant to any career path. Though I’m still not going into business next year when I start university, I've definitely gained a fondness for it. I am medical school hopeful and my experiences through the Junior Achievement Company Program will help me get there.

Alice Yu
President
PowerUp
A Junior Achievement Company

JCI Winnipeg volunteers at the Festival du Voyageur 2015

For our second year, JCI Winnipeg will be helping out at the Festival du Voyageur.

Six members have signed up for a volunteer shift at the Caisse Financial Group "Cabane a Sucre" on Saturday, February 21st, 2015 from 3PM to 8PM. Come say hello and enjoy some Taffy on Snow and some live music.

Check out last year's comments on the event : Taffy on snow, hundreds of people and giving back

Images taken at last year's event.

Every year, the Musée de Saint-Pierre-Jolys operates the Sugar Shack at the Festival du Voyageur grounds. It’s the Musée biggest fundraiser and a big draw for the Festival. Proceeds from this event helps maintain the Musée Saint-Pierre-Jolys along with their Sugar Shack.

For JCI Volunteers

Location : The Cabane a Sucre at the Voyageur Park (Whittier Park)
Start Time: 3PM - 8PM

• We are volunteering at the Cabane a Sucre, #4 on the map below.
• Please go to the Volunteer Registration Office (red arrow) to get your volunteer badge 20 minutes before your shift, and then proceed to the Cabane a Sucre.
• There, you can talk to Rolly Gagné ( the guy in the top hat in the image below) and he will orient you.

If you have any questions, you can call/text Simon Méthot at 204-891-3361.

Also, returning volunteers Danelle Hueging and Natasha Fisher will be on hand to help you should you require it.

Thank you for giving your time to this event and enjoy the Festival du Voyageur.

Rolly Gagné and some of our JCI volunteers at last year's Festival du Voyageur.

How to tie your Voyageur Sash

In order to compete in the Voyageur Games TONIGHT at the Club St B, Danelle Hueging, JCI Canada National Vice President shows us how to dress the part.

With help from Miguel Vielfaure, owner of Étchiboy, Danelle demonstrates how to properly wear the Voyageur Sash.



Join us tonight Danelle Hueging will be competing in the Voyageur Games taking place at Club St. B in Saint-Boniface.

We have created a Facebook event with all the details here: www.facebook/JCIWinnipeg.com

She competed last year and earned respect from the other competitors with her skills and strength in the Leg Wrestling event. There are a total of 5 events in the games, including Log Sawing, Pillow Fight on a balance beam, Voyageur Wrestling and the Tug-of-War. 

MB Battery and Bud Light has joined forces again this year to offer the JCI Mobile Device Charging Station, ensuring everyone's mobile devices are fully charged to capture and share the excitement of the competition. Come say hello and get your hands on a Bud Light battery pack to charge your phone (while quantities last).

More information on the Voyageur Games available on the Festival du Voyageur website here: www.festivalvoyageur.mb.ca

Danelle Hueging faces-off with a competitor in the Voyageur Wrestling event.
Image credit :  Doug Kretchmer at Quidam Photography

About JCI Canada : JCI Canada is affiliated with Junior Chamber International a membership-based non-profit organization of 200,000 young people ages 18-40 in 5,000 communities and more than 100 countries around the world.

About Étchiboy : Étchiboy is a Métis company which creates high quality aboriginal products.  When you buy one of their products you are also supporting single mothers and orphans who are Quechua Indians from the Andes in the region around Cusco, Peru.

Celebrate with JCI at the Festival du Voyageur

JCI Winnipeg joins the CCFSB Kitchen Party to launch the Festival du Voyageur
The annual Festival du Voyageur kicked-off last Wednesday with the CCFSB’s Kitchen Party, and so began our second year of JCI Winnipeg’s involvement with Western Canada’s largest winter festival.

The CCFSB’s networking lunch was attended by VP Jennifer Donovan-Faubert, Danelle Hueging, Past President Marketing and Sponsorship, Simon Méthot, Director of Communications and Neder Hedfi, newly added member. Altogether, we were close to 150 business people gathered to launch this year’s Festival du Voyageur. The highlight, as it is every year, was the Toast to the Voyageur, which involves a shot of Caribou for everyone in attendance. 

Take a look at the CCFSB’s update of their event on their site www.ccfsb.mb.ca

As a CCFSB member, JCI Winnipeg can have members attend their monthly networking lunches. Interested members can contact Simon Méthot at smethot@cdem.com for details. A list of all CCFSB networking lunches can be found here: www.ccfsb.mb.ca

On Twitter
@ccfsbstboniface 

#CCFSB

JCI Winnipeg competes in the Voyageur Games
Next up is the Voyageur Games. Danelle Hueging will be competing in the Voyageur Games taking place at Club St. B in Saint-Boniface on Wednesday, February 18^th at 7pm. She competed last year and earned respect from the other competitors with her skills and strength in the Leg Wrestling event. There are a total of 5 events in the games, including Log Sawing, Pillow Fight on a balance beam, Voyageur Wrestling and the Tug-of-War. 

MB Battery and Bud Light has joined forces again this year to offer the JCI Mobile Device Charging Station, ensuring everyone's mobile devices are fully charged to capture and share the excitement of the competition. Come say hello and get your hands on a Bud Light battery pack to charge your phone (while quantities last).

More information on the Voyageur Games available on the Festival du Voyageur website here: www.festivalvoyageur.mb.ca

We have created a Facebook event with all the details here: www.facebook/JCIWinnipeg.com

Danelle Hueging faces-off with a competitor in the Voyageur Wrestling event.
Image credit :  Doug Kretchmer at Quidam Photography

On Twitter
@FDVoyageur 

#HéHo

JCI volunteering at the Sugar Shack
We will round out this year Festival with a volunteer shift at the Sugar Shack in the Festival Park. On Saturday, February 21^st, six JCI members will be working a shift in support of Manitoba’s only maple syrup production site in Saint-Pierre-Jolys. The Sugar Shack at the Festival du Voyageur is the biggest fundraising event for the Musée de Saint-Pierre-Jolys, which operates the Sugar Shack in Saint-Pierre-Jolys.

During the course of the 4 hour volunteer shift, JCI members will help maple experts serve up the famous Taffy on Snow, a hugely popular Festival treat. We will also be helping serve food to the Sugar Shack guests while listening to live local music from Bon Débarras, The Bart House Band and the Graig and Ash Band. 

Details on the artists and venue available here: www.festivalvoyageur.mb.ca

Read about our experience for last year’s volunteer crew here: www.jciwinnipeg.blogspot.ca

Some of our volunteers at Festival du Voyageur 2014

About the Festival du Voyageur

Every winter since 1970, Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg’s French quarter, is transformed into a winter paradise and becomes host to the largest winter festival in Western Canada. Voyageur, Métis and First Nations histories are brought back to life, not only through the historical interpretation offered inside reconstructed Fort Gibraltar, but also through the many attractions inside Voyageur Park and at the festival’s various official sites. Music of old, traditional cuisine, sensational snow sculptures and captivating shows are but a few examples of the entertainment you can expect to witness during this convivial gathering. Offering a vast array of historical, recreational and educational activities, Festival du Voyageur has something for all tastes and all ages!

www.festivalvoyageur.mb.ca/about.com

JCI Winnipeg’s involvement with the Festival du Voyageur began last year as part of our bilingual initiative. Our membership to the CCFSB and the launch of a bilingual website are also part of our bilingual initiative.

JCI Prairie Region LOTS Training

JCI Humboldt has graciously invited us to join them for some training taking place on Saturday, February 7th, 2015 at the Bella Vista Inn. Members of JCI Winnipeg, JCI Edmonton, JCI Calgary will join JCI Humboldt for annual Local Officer Training School (LOTS). 

Have a look at last year's account of our LOTS training, that took place in Regina, SK : 2014 Local Officer Training School

2014 LOTS Training in Regina, SK

On Twitter

@JCIWinnipeg
@JCIHumboldt
@JCIEdmonton
@JCICalgary

#jcilots15

Training Agenda

Participating JCI Members can register for JCI Admin and JCI Achieve to earn credit for taking the courses and be eligible to become certified trainers upon successful completion.

Register here: www.jci.cc/training/en/mycourses

9:00 AM - JCI Admin, facilitated by Danelle Hueging, JCI Canada National Vice President

JCI Admin is the JCI Local Organization management course recommended for any member who wants to become a member of the local board or a leader at any level in the Local Organization. The course covers the structure of the local board, management of the Local Organization affairs and the responsibility of the Local Organization in providing development opportunities that will empower JCI members to create positive change in and outside of JCI.

12:30-1:30 PM - Lunch

1:30 PM - JCI Achieve, facilitated by Danelle Hueging, JCI Canada National Vice President

The JCI Achieve course uses discussions and analogies to help members understand one’s own values and the values and principles of JCI, the role of all members in establishing the Local Organization’s identity, the activities needed to fulfill the JCI Mission and develop JCI members into active citizens 

who will create positive change in their communities. 

3:30 - 4:00 PM - Break

4:00 PM - Content Marketing and Social Media, Facilitated by Simon Méthot, JCI Winnipeg 

This workshop is custom made to help participants maximize their web presence through a content creation strategy coupled with effective use of social media to drive traffic to it. Simon Méthot, JCI Winnipeg Director Communications will facilitate this workshop by sharing the story of how JCI Winnipeg successfully built an important web presence in 2014, at no cost, through the use of strategic social media use, free online tools and content submitted by the membership.

Topic covered include:

• Blogger, for chapters who do not have a web presence. 
• Tips for Content Creation for non-profit, volunteer organisations. 
• Hootsuite, for scheduled social media posting.
• Dropbox for hosting/sharing documents.
• JotForm for designing online forms.
• Microsoft Word for creating printed programs.
• PDFSAM for working with PDF files.

We look forward to meeting you all at these workshops, and hope you find a few tips and strategies that can help you and your chapter reach maximum potential.


About Danelle Hueging

Member since May 2012, Danelle served as JCI Winnipeg's 91st president. She brings a wide range of experience to JCI Winnipeg, including recently acquired Project Management Professional accreditation. Have a look at her profile and connect with her on LinkedIn.

You can also read her incoming President's message here : 2014 President's message
Read about her year end summary here: One year to lead - A look back on 2014

JCI Winnipeg 2015 Program Launch

Networking, an important skill

Back in early December 2014, the Club entrepreneurship de l'Université de Saint-Boniface (CEUSB) organized a workshop, in French, for their members, helping them learn the importance of networking as young professionals and some techniques on how to be successful at it. Matt Allard, City Councillor for the Saint-Boniface Ward and past Executive Director at the Chambre decommerce francophone de Saint-Boniface, facilitated the workshop for the 30+ CEUSB members that joined us.

Networking workshop with CEUSB members. 

On Wednesday, January 28^th 2015, we joined the CEUSB for a Speed Networking event at Le Garage Café. This served as practice for the CEUSB members who had taken the training and were looking to put what they learnt into practice. JCI Winnipeg took this opportunity to share their expertise on the topic of Networking.

Speed Networking session. 

2015 JCI Winnipeg activities

This event served as our first Month End Mixer of 2015. What a success it was.  We launched our 2015 programming. Have a look at what we have planned for 2015 and see if there are any projects you can get involved with. Get in touch with us to get involved. 

New member Neder Hedfi

We also welcomed a new member, Neder Hedfi, who brings enthusiasm, bilingualism and creativity to the membership. He also has some impactful projects in-mind; a welcomed addition to JCI Winnipeg.

Here’s what he has to say about getting involved:

JCI is a global network of young people aged between 18 and 40 whose focus is to empower young people to make a positive change in their society. Whether this is through self-development, community projects, management and team leader opportunities or simply networking locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. It's often referred to as one of the world’s best kept secrets (and not only by its members), and with 200,000 members globally, that's no small feat. Being young and ambitious, I was keen to find an outlet for my energy and enthusiasm outside of school, that’s why I joined JCI.

JCI is a volunteer-led, NGO run by its members, for its members. Split into local chambers, each deliver their own set of projects, programs, training sessions, networking events, business seminars and social events; all meeting quite routinely at regional, national and global events. In JCI I saw the potential to prove myself outside of the traditional, to gain new professional skills and develop my sense of leadership and to help set the projects through involvement and my ability to meet goals and challenges.

I am looking forward to start working on future projects with JCI Winnipeg and to achieve success and so honored to be a part of a worldwide network and being part of great team of young successful Winnipeggers.

Sincerely,

Neder

JCI Winnipeg President Natasha Fisher welcomes Neder Hedfi as new member.