Eh Team Interviews: NJRs

Hi Everyone! We are excited to announce that we are starting a new series of weekly blog posts! They will feature interviews (Q&As) with the different members of Canada's National Junior Board, the Eh Team! 

This week we are starting with your trusty NJRs (National Junior Representatives), Tarra and Santana. They do so much for JB Canada and we were excited to see their answers to some neat questions! Here they are:

What positions have you held in CISV (Locally/Nationally/Internationally)

-Tarra: I have been in JB (Vancouver, at the time) since 2007. In Vancouver, I was the Jr. and Sr. LJR, and then spent two years on the Eh Team as DCC. Now I am finishing up my term as Sr. NJR!

-Santana: Throwing it back to to the early 2010s, I have been LJR, Local Nat Camp Coordinator, National Camp Coordinator, and Jr NJR

What is your best CISV memory?

-T: My best CISV memory… wow. At my seminar camp, we spent time together as a camp, every night, wrapped up in blankets on mattresses outside of a farm, on the top of a mountain looking up at the stars. We called it “confession time” and anyone could share any story from their life that they felt like the couldn’t share during an activity, or just in general. It was probably the most connected that I have ever felt to people around me. I always think about that memory and remember why I feel so safe at CISV.

-S: This question is so difficult!!!! How am I supposed to choose??? One of my favourite moments is from when I was a JC in the Netherlands. My friends Andrea, Tey, and I were night angels and we were telling the girls bedtime stories. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard! Needless to say, these stories did little to actually encourage sleep. I also loved the Gala at NBM in Toronto this past November. Dancing the night away with so many of my favourite people was an amazing way to celebrate being elected as well as all the work we did over the weekend.

What is your favourite CISV activity and/or energizer?

-T: I love the “GET LOOSE” energizer! The Brazilian JC at my village led it so well!

-S: My favourite CISV activity is Yes/No/Maybe. I love the discussion it creates and the way it makes people think about their own lives and opinions! I also love the energizer Gasolina!

What is your favourite thing about JB Canada?

-T: I love the sense of community in JB Canada. I feel like we all support each other, and are more than just co-workers or acquaintances. JB Canada is such a strong group of individuals who teach me new things about the world, and about myself every, single, day.

-S: My favourite thing about JB Canada is how excited everyone is to learn and participate! Seeing the enthusiasm and passion JBers bring to things like NBM and SBTF makes me excited for the future of JB Canada and the things we will accomplish.

What do you like most about your Eh Team position?

-T: I really like the connection that I feel with JB Canada. Some NJRs around the world don’t even know the names of their LJRs. I also really love watching JB Canada grow, and knowing that in some way, I might have inspired some of the growth. JB Canada never stops impressing me, and it’s why I love being NJR!

-S: I love talking to JBers! I am so inspired by the passion everyone has their roles as well as JB Canada as a whole. I also love working with the fantastic people who make up the Eh Team, I could not be more proud of what they’ve accomplished :)

What change would you like to see occur in JB Canada?

-T: I would like to see JB Canada feel more a part of the Americas’ region. I know that it is hard to understand how CISV works as a region, but there is so much that we can learn from the other countries in our region and I would love to see more cooperation and connection.

-S: Over the next few years I would love to see even more connections being made across the country. We have so much to learn from one another and I think that creating an even more close-knit community would create a way to share problems and best practices across the country.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

-T: In 10 years, I hope to be FINALLY done university, living in a place of my own, still involved in CISV and having a puppy

-S: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Probably in the White House, as the first Canadian to become President of the United States

If you could be any kitchen utensil, what would you be? Why?

-T: I would want to be a can opener because they look pretty cool. Come on, you can totally tell that they are basically the king of the kitchen.

-S: I would be one of those wooden mixing spoons, so that I could be useful, but also just chill in the container with all the other wooden spoons and whisks.

What is your favourite thing about your city/province?

-T: Although I live in Toronto, Vancouver will always be my home and my favourite thing about Vancouver is that you are half an hour away from the ocean, the mountains and forests. People are happy and helpful and there is amaaaaazing ice cream (because of all the hipsters).

-S: My favourite thing about Fredericton is the Saturday morning Farmers Market. You can get anything from samosas to German pastries there. I also see at least five people I know there, which can be both a blessing and a curse.

Thanks everyone! We'll see you next week for the next installation from another rockin' Eh Team member!
Love, your JB Canada CommSquad