LACM Report for 2022-2023
Area Development Committee
1. PREAMBLE
The Area Development Committee ("ADC") was established in January 2021 with senior leaders from the seven Regions in the ASP Area appointed for an initial 3-year term expiring on 30 Jun 2023. The AP Troika, who serve as ex-officio members, are automatically appointed to the Committee with their three year term starting from the year that they are not part of the Area Troika. The Committee serves as a resource to the the Area President and the Area Council. It elects a Chair to preside over its meetings.
2. SUMMARY OF KEY DECISIONS/ADVICE MADE
2.1. The ADC continues to maintain an oversight in the administration of the Area Development Fund ("ADF").
2.2. Over the past three years, it has focused its attention on the following:
- Membership including youth;
- Resource mobilization - funding and administration of the ADF;
- Governance - accountability and transparency;
- Resource to the Area Troika for growth and development of the ASP Area.
2.3. Membership
An ADC Taskforce for Extension, Membership Conservation and Youth Engagement headed by PIP Jennifer Jones was formed to explore strategies for membership growth. An extract of the Taskforce's Report is given in the Appendix.
2.4. Resource Mobilization - ADF
A separate ADC Fundraising Taskforce headed by Vice Chair PAP Hiroyuki Tanaka was formed to identify ways to raise funds for the ADF. This is still very much a work-in-progress.
Over the past three years, the ADF has been utilised for the following:
- Funding the AYC 2021 held virtually.
- Providing subsidy to the Taiwan Region Host Committee for hosting the AAC 2021 in hybrid format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Providing subsidy to youths from the ASP Area attending the IYC 2022 in Chiangmai, Thailand.
- Providing subsidy to youths attending the AYC 2023 in Nepal.
- Co-funding a Green Activity Project, the Installation of Solar Panels at the Makati YMCA Building in Manila, Philippines in 2021/22.
- Proposed the merger of the YES Fund with the ADF, maintaining the present policy on the distribution of the YES annual income for new clubs chartered.
2.5. Governance
- A revised ADF Policy with authority limits was developed. This was approved by the Area Council.
2.6. Resource Advisory
- ADC Members are tasked to serve as RD Mentors in their respective regions.
- It continues to offer advice as and when needed to the AP Troika and in identifying talents within the Area to fill positions in the Area.
3. MOVING FORWARD
- The ADC has an important role to play in contributing to the growth of the Area and developing leadership talents.
- An outstanding area to be addressed is in formalising an SOP for the Area Office and its physical location recordkeeping.
- It is recommended that a face-to-face meeting be arranged before the Area Council Meeting that is held in conjunction with the Area Convention in November 2023.
4. CLOSING REMARKS
As a resource pool, the effectiveness of the ADC depends very much on the willingness of our leaders to share their experiences and ideas to guide the incumbent leadership in the Area and the Regions. The ASP Area is blessed to have dedicated men and women who are passionate in striving for the growth and development of the Area. My heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the ADC Members and our illustrious ADC Secretary, APE Keiko Tonegawa for their invaluable contributions and support. My grateful thanks too for the support of the AEOs and Area Council in facilitating the operation of the ADC. With best wishes to the new Team.
Appendix
TASK FORCE REPORT to ADC GROUP (EXTRACT)
Extension, Membership Conservation and Youth Engagement
This working group was appointed by PAP David Lua as part of the Area Development Council. It is headed up by PIP Jennifer Jones, with members being the current Area AEOs along with PICM Inday Morales, PICM Kan Tanikawa, ASD-YL/RDE Kohei Yamada, ASD-EMC IPRD Joan Wong, Chair AYDC Dino Badilla, AYR Alyssa Marie, RDE Deepak Bhandari and PRD Frank Tsai.
The group has met on four occasions in the past few months, focussing on the following issues:
· How recruitment is done in other clubs.
· What possibilities are there for new clubs in your Region?
· How might new members be attracted?
· How to encourage members to be regular attenders at club meetings?
· How to encourage young members to be involved in day-to-day club life?
It takes hard work to recruit new members and clubs need to create an atmosphere which is welcoming and inclusive. Some good work is happening at Japanese YMCAs where young people work on projects linked to one of the UN SDGs, with the hope of a future link to clubs later. Local clubs provide some of the funds needed to start the projects. Some scholarships are offered for the YMCA in the Philippines where young professionals might struggle with fees. Good YMI members are coming through this system.
Clubs should aim to meet the needs of their own community and may often look different from clubs in other parts of the country or the world. New work needs mentoring and nurturing and recruiting new members in the 40+ age group will help give stability and new life. Some new clubs have been formed around professional membership in the workplace and look promising. In areas where migration is evident, new members to the community can bring excitement, new life and energy as they learn to find their place in a new society, especially in some parts of Australia.
Some challenges for old and new members, may be the cost of the dues, which vary greatly from one Region to another. Other challenges in ASP include that of aging membership. Many clubs have long-standing members who joined when they were much younger, but they are now unable to find replacements for themselves to take over the work and keep the club lively.
Possibilities for extension vary across the Area. Activity is evident in Nepal and in Hong Kong where the membership is a little younger and may include more professionals. New work in Japan includes different business owners coming together in a club situation, who are younger than most Japanese clubs. Well-thought-out programming, younger targets and attractive looking clubs is fostering healthy club growth in Hong Kong. It is important to get the right balance between formality and a relaxed atmosphere. Fundraising dinners are useful in showcasing the local club while at the same time, attracting new people into the group. Island East Club in Hong Kong is using this approach to celebrate their birthday.
Clubs should be run efficiently to make the most use of precious time and to show purpose and vision to those attending meetings. To be more successful, every member in the club should take some of the responsibility for the success of that club, in growth, new membership and in fundraising. More members should be willing to share the load regarding the leadership of the club. Set up small groups within the club to focus on bringing in new members: it may even be turned into a competition. Help the members to see that others need to come in to replace us in the future.
Clubs could consider sponsoring a younger person as an “intern” in the club for a year, helping them to take part in all aspects of club life and developing leadership skills for their own personal and corporate use.
Care should be taken regarding the way in which we incorporate our Christian foundations into club life and promotion. This will vary from one Region to another and country to country. We should honour our roots but remain welcoming and inclusive when making efforts to strengthen our numbers.
Some publications useful for promotion and working with potential members:
· Member Orientation Guide
· A Brief Introduction to Y’s Men International Booklet
· Member Flyer.
Other publications for general use:
· ABC of Y’s Men International
· Extension, Membership Conservation Resource Manual.
These publications are available on the international website under downloads/manuals and brochures – ysmen.org.
On behalf of the Extension, Membership, Conservation and Youth Engagement working group,
With best regards,
PIP Jennifer Jones
Chair