Update: October 24, 2013: I was reelected as President of the Western Fair District Programing Council at last night’s AGM. Looking forward to the year ahead and implementing the new agricultural mandate and flexible committee structure of the council.
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Tonight I am attending the AGM of the Western Fair Association.
The AGM is always a fantastic event, but for me tonight is special. Today is the last day of my one year term as President of the Western Fair Association’s Programming Council. As the day approached, I found myself reflecting on my involvement with the organization and the important lessons I’ve learned from my time there.
My involvement with the fair started as a volunteer member in 2007. That year I stuck up my hand and volunteered to be on the Community Showcase Committee under Tim Kelly. I was unaware of the journey that raising my hand that day would take me on. My positive experiences on the showcase committee lead me to run for one of the Fair Director positions. I was a relative unknown at the time and ran against some great individuals in the election. To my surprise I was elected and since then have greatly appreciated the trust given to me by the membership that night.
As a Fair Director, I went on to Chair several committees before being elected as their Vice-President. After a reorganization, the Fair Directors transitioned into the Programing Council where I have served as President for the past year. As council President, I also became a member of the Board of Governors; a Board that then selected me to serve on an associated corporation as a Director (The Raceway Corporation, which oversees the Harness Racing operations at the Western Fair District).
Which brings us to today. So now I’ll share just a couple of thoughts on what my volunteer involvement with Western Fair has taught me... so far.
Good Old Fashion Hard Work Still Counts
Perhaps it is the agricultural mandate and history of the organization, but good honest hard work is always recognized and celebrated. I like this. A focus on results, not excuses, and a determination that with a little hard work there is nothing we cannot accomplish together.
Agriculture is Important
This seems simple and intuitive, but it has a much deeper meaning for me now. The Western Fair District at its heart is an agricultural organization with deep roots and honest values. It is a membership-based organization with a sense of community values instilled within it (compassion, collaboration, collectiveness, hard work). These values are something that we can all use a healthy dose of from time to time. One of the things I am most proud of (and is pending approval tonight at the AGM) is my work to strengthen the agricultural education mandate of the organization. The proposal empowers the membership and Programing Council with increased responsibilities to regularly review and advise the Board on the agricultural education and activities of the association’s events/programs. In my opinion, it will help lead to a better integration of the agricultural mandate within the various business units and program offerings.
Common Good: Organizations Working Together
Early on in my time at the District, I noticed that there were common goals with at least one another organization I was involved with: the London Public Library. Both the Western Fair and Library supported youth education and literacy (although with a heavy agricultural focus at the District). I encouraged a meeting between the two organization’s CEOs to talk about common goals and possible common initiatives. Their great work, supported by some excellent staff, has led to today where the Western Fair District is a major sponsor of the Library’s Summer Reading Program (a program that saw London area youth read over 1,000,000 pages last summer). Western Fair also provides summer readers with passes to the Annual Fair and the top readers receive ride packages. The Library participates at the annual fall Western Fair with a comprehensive booth dedicated to agricultural education and literacy—all while having fun too. It is truly a win-win for both organizations.
What at first glance may have been an unintuitive partnership is now a great example of inter-organizational cooperation that creates a better community for all of us. It has taught me that we should be actively seeking out the unlikely, but potentially great, cross-organization collaborations in our community. This may include creating more opportunities for cross-organizational volunteer experiences.
Community Programing is Good Business
The Western Fair as an organization does a great job at merging community programing with sound business principles. There is an excellent balance between driving efficiencies, taking risks, and fostering innovation; and ensuring that the organization is offering community programing and partnering with community groups. I was proud to be involved in the development and launch of new program offerings at the District while also working hard to make sure that the community oriented programming—like the Annual Fair—continues to be reflective and responsive to community needs.
In summary, I need to thank the Western Fair District organization for the opportunity to continue to volunteer there. I also want to express my gratitude to the membership for their years of trust in me and the support they have given for the various initiatives I have pushed for. With excitement, I look forward to tonight’s AGM and to my future involvement with this organization.
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Note: This post, like all my blog posts, are my own thoughts and views independent of the organizations I may be associated with.
Josh Morgan for Ward 7 - London, Ontario, Canada. Visit: www.joshmorgan.ca for details.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Discovering the Path Ahead
The past few days have been a few of the most important of my life. Over that time I've been able to reflect on what it means to be a family man, a friend, and a community leader. It has been an opportunity to better define who I am, not for the public, but for myself.
Today I'd like to share some of those thoughts as I contemplate how I can best serve our community.
Recent media articles implicitly posed the question: should I run for Mayor of the City of London? A move that has been called bold and needed by some, arrogant and foolish by others. I've heard from many who say they believe in me, and from some who are sure I would fail.
We are often told there is no middle ground in leadership, but that's it the exact opposite of what I believe. I believe in compromise. I believe that diverse opinions are needed to make the best decisions. So I thank those who expressed support as well as those who did not. I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to reach out and share their thoughts.
In being true to myself and my views on leadership, the decision I have to make on what to do next will not be made as traditionally expected. I enjoy serving my community so it is with the community that I'd like to decide how to serve.
I want to hear what Londoners think of where I should go and what I should to do best support moving our city forward. The question is not should I run for Mayor, yes or no. As with many decisions that have to be made, in life as in politics, it isn't that easy or simple. It may mean supporting another candidate in a better position to advance community empowerment. It may mean continuing to serve organizations like the Library to be a strong advocate for community services. What I have learned is that ego is the enemy of good governance and sound decision making. I fully accept the fact that there may be others in a better position than I to achieve political success. If the community asks them to lead, and should they choose to seize the opportunity and take up the call, it may be that I can best serve my community by standing with them.
I say this because I do believe that this is our opportunity for change, not the change we talk about every election, but a real shift in the balance of power and status of the citizen in our community. It is a rare and fragile opportunity for an important step forward in representative government. You see, we no longer trust government, but for the first time since representative government came into being citizens have the capacity to rebuild that trust, by taking on some of the responsibilities of government themselves.
I genuinely believe in citizen empowerment; that citizens can and must play a much greater decision making role in their society. We can do this by rebalancing power away from elected officials and back into the hands of our citizens. Technology and mass-communication have levelled the playing field between citizen and representative. This allows for citizen empowerment mechanisms to become real options so that things like participatory budgeting and authentic engagement are within our capacity to achieve... if those in power simply choose it as a path. If citizens can't trust those who represent them, then citizens need their representatives to trust them with increased decision making powers. When government believes in its citizens and calls on them to take an active role in public decision making, we can begin to rebuild the people's trust in the political life of a democratic society. Of necessity, it would start off small, and grow as successes are achieved. This is what I believe in and I'm using this opportunity to speak up about it.
You should speak up too. Ask those who you believe should lead to do so, and then let them know what you want, expect and demand from them. Because politics does matter, and change can happen if we collectively exercise our political will. Talk to your friends, family and neighbours about the kind of community you want and ask for more of a say over your ability to shape the community you want to live in.
I've been challenged to decide what role I should play in our community. I challenge you to do the same. Take the opportunity to seize your citizenship and think about the role you want to play. I am happy to serve, in whatever capacity moves us forward together and what I do next is, in great part, up to my community.
I look forward to your thoughts and comments.
Josh Morgan
@mrjoshmorgan
www.joshmorgan.ca
E-mail: joshua_morgan AT hotmail DOT com
Today I'd like to share some of those thoughts as I contemplate how I can best serve our community.
Recent media articles implicitly posed the question: should I run for Mayor of the City of London? A move that has been called bold and needed by some, arrogant and foolish by others. I've heard from many who say they believe in me, and from some who are sure I would fail.
We are often told there is no middle ground in leadership, but that's it the exact opposite of what I believe. I believe in compromise. I believe that diverse opinions are needed to make the best decisions. So I thank those who expressed support as well as those who did not. I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to reach out and share their thoughts.
In being true to myself and my views on leadership, the decision I have to make on what to do next will not be made as traditionally expected. I enjoy serving my community so it is with the community that I'd like to decide how to serve.
I want to hear what Londoners think of where I should go and what I should to do best support moving our city forward. The question is not should I run for Mayor, yes or no. As with many decisions that have to be made, in life as in politics, it isn't that easy or simple. It may mean supporting another candidate in a better position to advance community empowerment. It may mean continuing to serve organizations like the Library to be a strong advocate for community services. What I have learned is that ego is the enemy of good governance and sound decision making. I fully accept the fact that there may be others in a better position than I to achieve political success. If the community asks them to lead, and should they choose to seize the opportunity and take up the call, it may be that I can best serve my community by standing with them.
I say this because I do believe that this is our opportunity for change, not the change we talk about every election, but a real shift in the balance of power and status of the citizen in our community. It is a rare and fragile opportunity for an important step forward in representative government. You see, we no longer trust government, but for the first time since representative government came into being citizens have the capacity to rebuild that trust, by taking on some of the responsibilities of government themselves.
I genuinely believe in citizen empowerment; that citizens can and must play a much greater decision making role in their society. We can do this by rebalancing power away from elected officials and back into the hands of our citizens. Technology and mass-communication have levelled the playing field between citizen and representative. This allows for citizen empowerment mechanisms to become real options so that things like participatory budgeting and authentic engagement are within our capacity to achieve... if those in power simply choose it as a path. If citizens can't trust those who represent them, then citizens need their representatives to trust them with increased decision making powers. When government believes in its citizens and calls on them to take an active role in public decision making, we can begin to rebuild the people's trust in the political life of a democratic society. Of necessity, it would start off small, and grow as successes are achieved. This is what I believe in and I'm using this opportunity to speak up about it.
You should speak up too. Ask those who you believe should lead to do so, and then let them know what you want, expect and demand from them. Because politics does matter, and change can happen if we collectively exercise our political will. Talk to your friends, family and neighbours about the kind of community you want and ask for more of a say over your ability to shape the community you want to live in.
I've been challenged to decide what role I should play in our community. I challenge you to do the same. Take the opportunity to seize your citizenship and think about the role you want to play. I am happy to serve, in whatever capacity moves us forward together and what I do next is, in great part, up to my community.
Josh Morgan
@mrjoshmorgan
www.joshmorgan.ca
E-mail: joshua_morgan AT hotmail DOT com
A Long Absence
Wow, it has been about a 7 years since I've posted on this Blog. I suppose that means it is time for an update.
Over the next few weeks I plan on drafting a few posts related to my volunteer experiences. A specific passion of mine is to foster a greater level of volunteerism in general. I've had the great privilege to lead both service clubs and public boards in a volunteer capacity. I hope that by sharing some of my thoughts about the great personal growth and positive experiences I've had, I can encourage those looking for opportunities to contribute to jump in.
From time to time I also plan on commenting about topics of interest to the community and, perhaps a little on topics I find interesting in general.
If you ever want to connect with me publicly, feel free to use social media or direct message me. I always look forward to meeting new people and talking about our collective interests.
With Warm Regards,
Josh Morgan
Twitter - @mrjoshmorgan
FaceBook
Website - joshmorgan.ca
Over the next few weeks I plan on drafting a few posts related to my volunteer experiences. A specific passion of mine is to foster a greater level of volunteerism in general. I've had the great privilege to lead both service clubs and public boards in a volunteer capacity. I hope that by sharing some of my thoughts about the great personal growth and positive experiences I've had, I can encourage those looking for opportunities to contribute to jump in.
From time to time I also plan on commenting about topics of interest to the community and, perhaps a little on topics I find interesting in general.
If you ever want to connect with me publicly, feel free to use social media or direct message me. I always look forward to meeting new people and talking about our collective interests.
With Warm Regards,
Josh Morgan
Twitter - @mrjoshmorgan
Website - joshmorgan.ca
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