Junior Chamber
International (JCI) consists of members
who are young active citizens based in different parts of the world. They work
towards the betterment and sustainability of the communities in which they
live. A leadership training organisation, the beneficiaries are people around
them. The annual JCI World Congress is held in different parts of the world and
this year, it will be held in Goa for four activity filled days from October 31
to November 3, 2018.
JCI World President
Marc Brian Lim is the vice mayor of Dagupan in Philippines and the CEO of their
family business engaged in retails and supermarkets operations. Since taking
charge as the World President of JCI, Marc has been travelling. JCI is thriving
in 125 countries and so far, Marc has been to 25-30 countries since January; by
the end of the year, he will travel to 40-45 more countries. India is the
country he has visited the most.
“This is my second
visit to Goa. I was earlier here this year itself for my first meetings and
site inspections for the World Congress. As president of JCI, I have been
travelling the world. In Goa, a lot of the Indian JCI members have been working
very hard for the Congress. For the first visit to Goa, I did site inspections
for stadiums, hotels, where we were going to do the General Assembly and
training. It was the first time I saw the venues and I got the chance to meet
the organising committee at that time. So for this second visit, it is more of
meeting with different government officials and sponsors and an official
internal meeting with the organising committee. They have been working very
hard and it is time to motivate them further since the event is just around the
corner,” says Philippines based Marc.
“At least 3,000
international members will be attending the congress and we are being more
ambitious and trying to bring more Indian JCI members. We have a huge
delegation coming from Japan, Ecuador, Suriname and the Caribbean. We get a lot
of spot registrations so when they come to Goa they go to the headquarters
hotel, which is Grand Hyatt Goa, and they will register right there. I think
99.99 percent of the international delegates are coming to Goa for the first
time. Goa got a mix of nice weather, beaches, Indian culture with Portuguese
culture. It’s renowned for its tourism so it’s a very interesting venue and a
big part of the attraction is the curiosity that the members have for Goa and
India as well as an exotic location. They combine this congress as an
opportunity to explore India,” adds Marc.
Speaking about what
will be happening at the Congress, Marc explains, “The main part of the
congress is the general assembly. This is when all the national presidents
decide on matters pertinent to JCI, both presently and the future. There will
be skill set development courses and JCI official courses. We are still working
out the specifics of the program, business topics, as well as sustainable
development. We are planning to do power talks by speakers from Goa and
neighbouring states.”
Marc is a second
generation JCI member as his parents, uncles and cousins have all been members
of JCI. He joined JCI in 2008 at the age of 30, moving quickly from National
President to World President. “This opportunity to be World President is very
unique; I had to make some sacrifices in my personal and professional life,
political career for one year and I could I say with 100 percent certainty that
have I have no regrets. It’s been a wonderful experience,” he says.
On
a concluding note, he wants the members of JCI to remain focused about the big
event. “I believe this is the largest World Congress with tourism benefits, I
want not only the JCI members but the whole society to take ownership,” says
Marc.
