Welcome everyone to the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Vancouver/Burnaby Branch BCRMTA. It’s great to see you all and to have a chance to update you on the activities of the Branch over the past year. Before the reports get underway, I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect a little my time as president, it’s the last time and I promise to be brief!
Four years ago, when I was first elected as President, I had two main goals. I wanted to find a way to use our funds to support and benefit members equitably, and I wanted to re-organizing branch duties in such a way as to spread the workload and to encourage more teachers to participate. Some of the ideas required financing and thanks to the efforts of past-presidents and executives, we had the funds in reserve. For this I was and am extremely grateful.
The first goal resulted in the Ten-year Surplus Plan, presented to the members at the January 2019 AGM. Funds were designated to support a variety of activities including: the lowering of Branch membership fees, the Professional Development Grant, the subsidizing of CMW Festival entry fees as well as the Alexander Technique Introductory Session fees, and the presentation of two wonderful four-hour workshops - Body Mapping in 2019 and the Dalcroze Method in 2020. The Surplus Plan was also used to fund a new Branch website which included an online registration platform for the SPG and CMW Festivals plus the Student Recitals and the Celebration of Excellence. We are three years in to the plan but as a result of required “pandemic” changes we’ve actually saved on operating costs and we’re almost back to where we started in reserves. So really the Ten-year plan could be renamed the Thirteen- or maybe even Fifteen- year plan!
My second goal was to look at the issue of time commitments vis á vie volunteer duties. Our members are busy people with responsibilities to their families, to their students, and to their own self-care. It’s important to balance commitments but at the same time, the Branch needs support to keep our programs running. So, we rolled up our sleeves and worked hard to divide the load while also fostering a sense of community within the Branch. To that end, the SPG and CMW Festival Committees now have eight and three members respectively instead of one each at the helm. Board positions have been divided so that most members hold only one position, and if they have a second title, it is by choice rather than necessity. Members have come forward with great ideas for our association that have developed into new projects, most notably the Brief Guide to Studying Music video series now posted on our marketing page, and the Performance Group which will hopefully have its first meeting in the Spring.
Today, I am so pleased to say that the 2022/2023 slate has twenty-five volunteers listed. This is amazing and I thank each and every one of them for their willingness to be part of the Vancouver/Burnaby Branch Board of Directors. I trust that our volunteers will feel supported as well as appreciated, and that they will be able to enjoy their positions and time well spent with colleagues and friends.
Just a few more notes before I turn over the screen for the reading of the reports. Over the past twenty months, the pandemic has forced the Branch to meet online. Attendance at these events has consistently been between 25-35, sometimes even 40 members; this is considerably higher than in-person meeting attendance pre-pandemic. Having said that, we do hope to return to face-to-face meetings in the near future, with a mixture of in-person and online venues throughout the year. Our first set date is the Centennial Celebration on Sunday May 15 from 2:00-5:00pm at the Trattoria Hall in the Italian Cultural Centre. The Branch will be hosting a reception to celebrate 100 years of action (102 in fact since it’s been delayed) with refreshments, hors d’oeuvres, a short presentation but most importantly, a chance to visit with friends new and old. There will be more information coming in February after the planning committee has had a chance to meet, so check back on the website either on the “Branch Calendar” or “Our History” pages and keep an eye out for email announcements.
My final words are ones of thanks to two groups. First, to all the members who have contacted me with encouraging emails and notes of appreciation. Thank you, your gestures were very much welcomed. Finally, to my Executive, Hailey, Karin, Drema, Jammy, Cindy, Roseanna, and Tami. You have all been amazingly supportive, and I have valued your wise opinions as well as your friendship more than you know. We could not have accomplished as much as we did without working as a team and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to get to you know you better. I can say without reservation that I look forward to being part of the group for many years to come.
I wish the new Executive every success!
Respectfully,
Barbara Siemens
President 2018 - 2022