By 2011 JCI President Kentaro Harada
Ten years ago, I joined JCI because I cared about the wellbeing of Fukuyama, Japan, the city where I lived. Like all JCI members, I sought to make a difference in my community by helping the individuals who needed it most and to, in the process, become a better person. The thought was not even in my mind that I could one day serve as JCI President, or that my life would be transformed by my experiences with an organization of tremendous young active citizens.
Friendships and Memories
During 2011, my travels took me to hundreds of communities in many JCI member nations and to international events of unparalleled impact and collaboration. I have been continuously inspired by JCI members and partners and made countless new friends and acquaintances I will remember for the rest of my life.
At the 2011 JCI Area Conferences, I was delighted by the participation of members and the wonderful guest speakers, whose unique perspectives on the roles of young active citizens in creating positive change were refreshing and enthusiastic. From Gerrit Schotte, Prime Minister of Curaçao and his Excellence Amadou Toumani Toure, the Head of State of the Republic of Mali to chess champion Anatoly Karpov and 1976 JCI President Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte, I was honored to meet so many influential and motivational individuals.
In June, I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 JCI Global Partnership Summit in New York and the list of impactful speakers was truly overwhelming. I drew much encouragement from the words of UN Foundation Senior Advisor Gillian Sorensen and UN Global Compact Executive Head Georg Kell, whose extensive experience with nonprofits provided great insight. Although JCI members cooperate all year, it was during the working lunch at the Summit where I saw the true passion of members for collaboration with others from diverse backgrounds.
The excitement culminated in the 2011 JCI World Congress in Brussels, Belgium, where more than 4,500 of my fellow JCI family members from 100 nations gathered to help prepare themselves to be the leaders their communities will need in the future. The participation of members in the trainings, seminars and shows was extraordinary and I was reminded again what an incredible honor it is to lead an organization of such talented, caring young people. It is at international events like the Summit and JCI World Congress that one can see that the strength of our organization comes from the actions of our thousands of members, moving forward as one global team.
Building Partnerships for a Better World
Our global team, however, needs to develop and sustain partnerships to increase our ability to reach new individuals and expand our positive change each year. In 2011, we made great strides forward in improving existing relationships with powerful international partners. In July, shortly following the JCI Global Partnership Summit, JCI was granted General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the highest honor organizations can achieve with the UN. Fewer than 150 organizations have received this status and it is a testament to our hard work that we have been so recognized.
Throughout 2011, we have also developed a closer relationship with the UN Global Compact by encouraging JCI Organizations and member companies to commit to the ten principles of corporate social responsibility. In January, I signed up my own company, Harada Kogyo, and spent the rest of the year asking JCI members to do the same. Being agents of positive change is not limited to the individual, and companies and organizations play a great role in our ability to effectively create an impact. I am sure our relationship with the UN Global Compact will only grow deeper as more JCI companies commit to sustainable business practices.
Impacting the World
All JCI members strive to change the world, and I believe we have done that this year in many ways. Through JCI Nothing But Nets, we are fighting malaria and helping give people across sub-Saharan Africa a new chance at life. In 2011, we nearly accomplished the first major milestone in fundraising, almost reaching US $1 million raised for the purchase and distribution of life-saving nets. JCI members did so in creative ways: racing across the desert in all-terrain trucks at the 2011 Budapest-Bamako Great African Run, sailing across the seas in the first JCI Regatta and challenging each member to donate funds for one life-saving mosquito net in the Countdown to Congress. In 2012, I am sure we will reach US $1 million and well beyond.
To advance the UN MDGs, JCI members have also been working through the JCI Active Citizen Framework. Our goal of creating positive change can only occur if we address the roots of the issues in our communities by creating needs-based projects and evaluating our efforts. The outcome of these individual efforts to improve conditions in your own community will be a collective global change that results in a better world for us all.
As we transition to a new year and to new leadership, I encourage all JCI members to reflect on the accomplishments we have made in 2011 and think on how we can enhance these projects and build on the successes to make 2012 even better. I ask you to provide 2012 JCI President Bertolt Daems with the same tremendous support you have shown me and to keep turning your passion into action so we can truly impact the world.
Thank you,
Kentaro Harada
2011 JCI President
Send President Harada your best wishes on his Facebook page.