In 10th February, we are honored and extremely grateful to welcome Mr. Kota Uematsu, the President of JCI Osaka and his team in our beloved hometown. It is the first time where members of both chapters were able to physically gather together. As the President of JCI Victoria in this post-pandemic era, I will strive to strengthen the bond we have with our sister-chapters and friendship-chapter. I am blessed to lead our members to fully experience the international affairs part of JC life.
Our IA team has prepared various events to ensure our brothers from JCI Osaka to have a fruitful visit and Victoria members are excited to meet them in the next couple of days.
During the dinner, both sides shared what have been going in the past 3 years of the unforeseen circumstances and our visions moving forward of our personal growth and the growth of our respective chapters. Our President Wallace Sham and JCI Osaka President Kota Uematsu also expressed their interests in supporting each other’s project and they look forward to investigating the details and feasibilities of cooperation during the official meeting next day.
Official meeting
In the morning of 11th February 2023, JCI Victoria President Wallace Sham (President Wallace) and his team hosted an official meeting with JCI Osaka President Kota Uematsu (President Kota) with his team to discuss the development of both chapters and the possible cooperation on flagship projects of both chapters. Furthermore, we were honored to have JCI Hong Kong President Kenneth Yu joining our meeting.
JCI Victoria Vice President Wyatt Chung and Honorary Treasurer (International Affairs) Hang Yeung have presented their respective flagship projects, SDG Enterprise Awards, and International Biodiversity Conservation Summit (IBCS). Whereas President Kota has shared two their flagship projects, Summit Towards World Peace (tentative project title) and The World Peaceful E-Sports 2023. After this fruitful meeting, both chapters have strategized how to support each other in their respective projects.
During the meeting, JCI Hong Kong President Kenneth Yu conducted an interview with President Kota with very insightful questions which allow participants to further understand President Kota’s view and plan of JCI Osaka and the post-covid world. President Kota expressed that after 3 years of closed borders, it is very important to conduct meetings tete-a-tete, and he and his team will travel to all 8 of their sister chapters, one chapter a month. Furthermore, President Kota stressed that learning and understanding viewpoints from people of different cultural background is essential to strengthen the effect of local projects, which is part of the target result of their visit to JCI Victoria. Moreover, President Kota shared that slogan of JCI Osaka is “Large Desire Overwhelming Effort” which came from the fact that nowadays in Japan, most people are materialistically satisfied, unlike the post-war generation, people became increasingly aware of the fact that they no longer work to live but they are asking for the why to work. Thus, President Kota hopes to bring his members to reflect on the reason for their actions, to reflect why they join JCI.
Last but not least, Presidents of JCI Victoria and JCI Osaka have exchanged gifts during the meeting. President Wallace has presented a painting of the skyline of Victoria Harbour as chapter’s gift to JCI Osaka and a bottled of Hong Kong Brewed Gin, Two Moon as his gift to President Kota. President Kota has presented boxes of prawn crackers of Keishindo, a company of a Japanese JC member.
Luncheon
After such a wonderful meeting, JCI Victoria has hosted a luncheon for JCI Osaka President Kota Uematsu and his team with Victoria’s Past National Presidents and Past Presidents, where anecdote and histories of both sister chapters were told, enabling us to understand the past better to work on present and create a better future for our sister-chapterhood.
Typhoon Shelter
It has been such a long time since physical gatherings of members of sister chapter became possible again! Tonight, WE FEAST! A dinner gather at Shun Kee Typhoon Shelter was held, where senior members, full members and prospective members had great conversations with members of JCI Osaka, while feasting on famous local seafood.
Hato
Work hard, play hard. How best can interpersonal relationships grow? Over a few drinks for sure! We have moved our dinner party to HaTo, an award-winning cocktail bar, to show our friends from JCI Osaka the nightlife of Hong Kong.