Junior Chamber Latvia joins world congress

RIGA - Six members of the Latvian branch of Junior Chamber International will participate in the 55th JCI World Congress in Sapporo, Japan on Nov. 6-11.

JCI is a global organization of more than half a million young, business-oriented people aged 18-40.

The main aim of the organization is to promote the development of new personalities by participating in different business and charity projects.

"JCI is an organization for the young and active, for those who are very busy in their day-to-day business, but still want to do something good to make themselves and [others] happy" said the President of Junior Chamber Latvia Edite Ciscakova, who represents the Latvian organization in this year's world congress.

"JCI gives an opportunity to learn how to motivate and convince others in your ideas. If someone has an idea of a new project you can meet them here and other people with similar ideas and creed in life," she said.

JCI Latvia or JCL was established in the fall of 1994 and is one of the 110 JCI national organizations in the world. Currently there are six chapters operating in Latvia. Three of them are located in Riga, while the others are in Dobele, Saldus and Liepaja.

So far more than 80 people representing different sectors of the Latvian economy are members or supporters.

"It all started when two of our senior members went to study English in England in 1993. The suggestion came from the British Junior Chamber," Ciscakova said. "No one realized what it really meant at that time, but we felt that it was needed."

One of the three Junior Chamber chapters in Riga, Melnais Balodis (Black Pigeon), is the most actively involved in charity projects.

"A color campaign in the orphanage Lutrini, where the outdoor constructions were painted by the chamber members, was just one of such projects," said Aiga Praulina, the president of Melnais Balodis.

"The main idea of the project was to improve the visual outlook of the orphanage territory, as well as to organize entertainment for the kids."

The follow-up of this campaign was the Christmas auction to sell glass cups painted by kids from the Lutrini orphanage and the organizing of the Christmas party for the children.

Members of JCL have participated in international projects as well, such as World Wide Water Awareness organized by the Rotterdam chapter in Holland, and Bremen-Riga business days. Members also attend seminars, courses, congresses and academies organized year round.

"Chamber is a life style, it's not just one night per week," said Ciscakova.

"It is like a training ground where you can try your ideas, and if it fails then it is not so painful as in a real life," Praulina stressed. (More on JCL can be found at www.jci.lv)