Annual Report (USA, 2002)
This report will focus on the progression
and accomplishments of the USA SWYAA since
the December 2002 Tokyo Conference.
The conference was an excellent medium for
sharing information and ideas among the AA's
represented. I was able to see the strengths
and weaknesses of our AA, and we have already
made great progress.
In our specific case, we have a large group
of PY's, more than 100 in all, but spread
out over large, expensive distances. Our
overall goal as an AA is to keep the alumni
in contact with one another and to use this
great network to benefit each other, our
communities, and the globe. As we stood,
we lacked a specific structure for this large
task. We were able to handle our duties to
IYEO, but it was too much to ask a few people
to keep our entire alumni group involved.
Since the conference, we have made great
strides. We have established an executive
committee consisting of the president and
three vice president positions:
President -Terry Cekola, NL, 14th
VP Projects - Dahlia Lahiji, PY, 14th
VP Fellowship (co) - Blanca Kacouris, PY,
1st, and Tim Mosehauer, PY, 15th
VP Communication - Matt Bray, PY, 13th
Four different programs are represented,
from the most recent to the very first SWY.
We have established an outline of the goals
and responsibilities of each branch and are
about to undertake a campaign to contact
and reenergize our alums through projects
and regional reunions. We are already gathering
material for our very first newsletter, and
plan to update the website.
It's an exciting time for the USA SWYAA and
for its members. I hope this momentum will
carry us towards our goal of making our group
the best it can be.
Matt Bray
Tokyo Conference, 2002
PY, 13th