Here's a message from Natasha, 2014 President of JCI Portsmouth.

January has disappeared quickly in a whirlwind of post Christmas recovery and normalization, we're well and truly back in the swing of things now and so is JCI Portsmouth. Junior Chamber International is putting together an exciting calendar of events and our new motto for 2014 is "Play Your Part" Portsmouth is certainly playing its part already and we have put together a broad range of events for the first half of this year, so whatever interests you with regard to training, socializing and community events there will be something to allow everyone to get involved.

As President for 2014 I have pledged to bring adventure to Portsmouth and that is exactly what I intend to do, by combining interesting and informative personal development training with elaborate and quirky social events I hope to provide Portsmouth with a wonderful non-stop year. With the help of my council team we aim to entwine ourselves with all that is fabulous about Portsmouth and bring you along for the ride. Anybody who is interested in marketing, leadership, website management, events organization, community developments why not join our team on the first Thursday of every month and have an input in the organization. Show off your skills and expand your CV, help us to help make Portsmouth the best it can be. Our next council meeting is on Thursday 6th March at the Holiday Inn on Pembroke Road, anyone is welcome. So without further delay I present our current program for 2014.

Personal Development

All of our PD/Training events are hosted at the Holiday Inn on Pembroke Road Portsmouth. Starting time is 6:30pm with 30 minutes of Networking and refreshments. First time guests are asked to pay £5 to attend and £15 for non-members who have attended events in the past.

20th March - Improve your Productivity and Increase Profitability Clare Evans is our guest speaker. Specialising in personal and business coaching, Chaire is also the author of the best selling 'Time Management For Dummies'. Make sure you're making the best use of your time with proven strategies that will make a real difference to your productivity and profitability. This presentation will show you ways to reduce your time wasters, deal with distractions, improve your productivity, save an hour a day, get control of your time and increase your profitability.

16th April - Upcoming Local Developments in Portsmouth We're proud to welcome the leader of Portsmouth City Council Gerald Vernon-Jackson to discuss local developments in our city. This event promises to be a fantastic opportunity to discuss future developments in the region If you would like to book on to an event or to find out more please follow the link below and reserve your place: http://www.jciportsmouth.org.uk/events/

Social Events

Were taking our social events to the next level with a mixture of low key drinks and more adventurous evenings.

27th February - Join us at the Wine Vaults on Albert Road from 6:30pm onwards for low key drinks and networking.

18th March - Circus of Horrors! From sword swallowers to dare devil balancing acts, from hair hangers to demon dwarfs, from a pickled person to astounding ariel acts, all performed with a forked tongue firmly in each cheek by my an almighty cast & the devil driven rock n’ roll of Dr Haze & The Interceptors from Hell. If this is your bag why not join us. Currently we are only asking people to register their interest in this event so if you would like to join us please email the president: natasha.buivids@jciportsmouth.org.uk

We are also in the process of putting together nights at Pie&Vinyl as well as going to the Holi Fesitval of Colors in Southampton. . . . Exciting stuff!

Community

For those of you who enjoy getting involved in your local community and making a huge difference we would love to have your help in putting together projects to support those who need it most in Portsmouth. JCI Portsmouth is looking to put together a program to help young unemployed people in Portsmouth gain the skills needed to get them back into work, from lectures on CV writing, money management and confidence. We need a dedicated team to help us put our plan in place and any help would be greatly appreciated. If your interested in learning more about what would be involved and are passionate about youth unemployment get in touch, we would love to hear from you. Other possible events in the pipeline include a sponsored motorcycle ride and a parachute jump with the Red Devils. There is always something going on in JCI and we aim to provide the best Portsmouth can offer.

JCI is all about connecting young professionals in the area and empowering them to create positive change, join us an be the change you want to see in your community.

If you have any suggestions or want to get involved please do not hesitate to email the president and you will be pointed in the right direction.

Wishing you a productive and positive February.

Regards,

Natasha Buivids

President JCI Portsmouth