Buddy Project 2006 - Printing Center - Financing Project
From SI Exco News
(DRAFT) Dear Friends,
Contents |
Background:
I have collected as every year the needed information for producing the HLRF 2006. As you know production of this document is explicitly stated in our Statutes and is the first main task of the Hostlist Coordinator. In the Statutes you find:
6. The Host List Coordinator shall: - collect orders for host lists and notify national groups of these orders; - receive and distribute host lists for certain national groups as appropriate; and - produce and distribute host lists for certain national groups as appropriate.
Additionally, I've been instructed by General Assembly in Barcellona to start up some pilot project to help printing and distribute host lists through Printing Centers and electronical sending to some big, medium, and small countries to have lists printed at the target and not at the source. Barcellona did also set up a specific budget for these kind of activities (cfr minutes):
• Vote to approve pilot project number 1 – printing centres,
Larger countries who are willing to help would assist smaller countries with
printing and distribution of smaller country host lists.
This is the responsibility of the host list co-ordinator.
Yes 43, No 0, Abstain 5.
Motion is carried
• Vote to approve pilot project number 2 – when sufficient host lists are in the
host list storage area, one small, one medium and one large willing country would
run a pilot project to produce all lists for their outgoing travelers.
Yes 35, No 0, Abstain 13.
Motion is carried
• Vote to approve the money [about ten thousand euros to get it set up,
and about six thousand euros per year to keep it running]
Yes 40, No 1, Abstain 7.
Motion is carried
After collecting the orders through the (HLRF) Host List Request Form, and distributing this information with this communication, I'm still not done with my job, because I must find ways to distribute lists for countries as "appropriate", and as directed by Delegates in Barcellona.
The HLSA (Host List Storage Area)
This task is much easier using the wonderful tool offered by the website designed and developed by Guido Bienhaus, Amir Levi and Laura Ragucci in the recent past: the (HLSA) Host List Storage Area, where you can find a very useful collection of hostlists for many countries in an electronic format. If you are an authorized Keylist Person (namely National Secretary or Country Hostlist Coordinator) you should have access to this area and you can be instructed on how to use it from your Area Coordinators, Keylist Group (composed by Uwe Federer and Laura Ragucci) and from many other helpers and Key People who are already using it.
The HLSA (Host List Storage Area) having been *very* useful in the recent years, especially for small countries or to have updated versions for some medium or large Nations, can be however quite cumbersome to be printed for Huge countries, or whenever the producer is using strange formatting (some lists have been uploaded in excel raw format which is practically impossible to print in a useful form). Some other countries prefer not having their list published in electronic format because of internal problems or local legislation.
And last but not least, having been myself in Servas since 1983, I must admit that one of the main lure and attractions of our organization that differentiate it from other apparently similar organization is the flavour of "reality" that only a printed hostlist can give you. A real, fresh minted booklet set coming from all the parts of the worlds is really stating a big effort and community endeavour spent collectively in producing, printing and delivering it.
Helping model
Current exco and results from Barcellona have encouraged the Hostlist Coordinator to design an appropriate "helping and funding model" with the direct assistance of the Treasurer to enhance and facilitate the production, the printing and the delivery of the hostlists. Omer and I have defined some simple and clear criteria for making this helpful model real right now in the few months before Latina.
The implementation of this idea will include the following parts:
Printing Centers
We have found around 21 member countries who have at least 30 members but don't have a printed list for 2005. We will use resources from Countries who already offered to help buddying, plus additional budget from Servas International to print their host-lists, using already well functioning printing procedures from buddy countries. To reduce costs we will try to distribute as many as we can during the Latina, extraordinary General Assembly in April.
Funding for Communication needed to produce Hostlists
We understand that every country needs to have enough resources to be in touch with its members, to check the quality of data through persistent telephonic or other communication means (snail mail, computers, etc), and to produce an initial electronical version of their Hostlist that will be eventually be printed and distributed among their hosts and to the Servas world. Big servas countries are normally able to auto-finance this, but small groups can have considerable problems in having enough monetary resources. So we have decided that every country with at least 30 members, that have duly fullfilled their other duties with SI, not currently producing a printed list and with difficulties in raising funds from their hosts/travellers, can apply for having a grant of US$100 to be used for contacting, hostlist production, computer/telephone and internet usage. If your funding request is accepted it will be likely given to you in Latina in April.
To get funding you should send an email to treasurer@servas.org, cc: exco@servas.org before the end of February.
Providing Used Computers
Having a computer can save members and Servas time and money and help everyone keep in touch and up-to-date. We are going to ask members if anyone NEEDS a computer. And if the need and expense are justified, we will try to provide one for them via SI or the Buddy Project.
Deadlines and how to apply for fundings
While the Printing Center Initiative will be directly coordinated by the Hostlist Coordinator and the Treasurer directly, requests for funding and needs for used computers must be sent to treasurer@servas.org cc: exco@servas.org, before February, 28th 2006, so to allow enough time to process requests and provide possible used computer in Latina.
SI Hostlist Coordinator Claudio Pacchiega . SI Treasurer Omer Ozkan
