30 May 2016 AGM and Conference in Montreal
We had a successful AGM and Conference over the May long weekend in Montreal. The weather was gorgeous, and there was a warm and inviting atmosphere created by the members. The Conference part of the weekend was organized by the Cowansville Research Group. The Conference began on Friday evening with a lecture by Arie van Ameringen ‘The Foundation Stone – Answer to the Trials of our Times’, then continued into Saturday with a rich presentation, artistic exercise, eurythmy, and a café conversation (there is another write-up about this part of the weekend.) Saturday afternoon was the AGM, followed by a concert of piano and violin, a perfect way to finish the day. We are grateful for, and excited by the initiative, research, and artistic way of working brought by the members of the Cowansville Group.
John Bach, Dorothy LeBaron, Karen Liedl, Judy King, John Glanzer, Arie van Ameringen, Jef Saunders (administrator)
I want to share a brief summary of Council activities for the past year, which was presented at the AGM.
The Council meets in person 3 times a year, including the AGM, with monthly teleconferences, except in the summer. One of our meetings includes working with Class Holders, and we did this in May 2015.
Also in May 2015, we made the decision to move the library from the basement in Hesperus to a smaller room on the first floor. During the summer, several council members and Arie worked to go through all the collection and make decisions about what books to bring to the smaller space. The move was made in December, with the opening in February 2016. Duplicate copies of Steiner books were offered to Branches and Groups to start their own collection. The Steiner books have been catalogued electronically and can be seen on the website.
In late July and early August we organized a cross-country event with Bodo von Plato. He visited Vancouver, Calgary, Nelson, Toronto, and Montreal, offering a public talk, and a workshop on meditation. The event was very successful, and a lot of goodwill was generated. People really spoke highly of him and his visit. In September 2015, Joan Sleigh visited in Vancouver and Toronto.
We did a lot of work on the Anthroposophical Society in Canada website, and it is up and running. The Society is now visible to the public, including the initiatives across Canada, and there is a members’ section as well, accessible by password ASC. We are now working on revising the members’ area, and the members’ application form.
Ongoing Council work is considering funding requests from members, and making decisions about them. This includes underwriting/supporting conferences, members’ travel to conferences and supporting individuals for training. One of the conferences this year we underwrote was the successful ‘Freedom Mystery Conference’ in Toronto, organized by Tim Nadelle. Another example was a request from Mary Brian, a therapeutic eurythmist in Duncan, for funds to help her attend the 2nd World Therapeutic Eurythmy Conference in Dornach in May 2016. She received $400.00 towards this from the Members’ Travel fund.
We contributed to the translation of Anthroposophy Worldwide in French.
We made the decision to support the translation of a book on Meditation by Heinz Zimmermann and Robin Schmidt. A loan agreement was made for $3,000 for the translation from German into English and French with Editions Perceval (the agreement makes it possible for the Society to receive books or money back). This book is offered for sale. (Please contact Arie van Ameringen; arieva.perceval@gmail.com)
In November 2015 we received a letter from Canada Revenue Agency about the inactive state of the Rudolf Steiner Foundation, asking us to consider dissolution if action was unlikely. We made a resolution to dissolve it.
ASC is presenting the 2016 Conference in Ottawa Encountering Our Humanity. In October 2015, we met in Ottawa, staying on the site of the Conference. We worked together with the organizing team of the conference for a day.
We were joined in Ottawa by John Glanzer from Calgary. In our succession process, we identify someone who might be a possible new Council member, often in conversation with local members, someone we identify as a possible colleague, have an initial conversation, then invite them to meet us, and to work together. John agreed to become our new Treasurer.
Stewardship agreements were put in place with Branches and Groups. The new purpose sentence for ASC charter was agreed on.
We faced a big challenge of member contributions and how to work with this. In November of 2015 there were still many unpaid members. Jef, our administrator, sent self-addressed stamped envelopes, which resulted in some contributions. Then, council members divided up the list, and made phone calls. Still by January 2016, there were a large number of unpaid members (50).
Council made a resolution of a planned donation through an insurance policy for a member. This is an option we would like to explore further with our membership.
One of the questions we are carrying, is how to connect with initiatives. In the Anthroposophical Society worldwide, there is some separation between the Society and initiatives. In February 2016, we met with Flora Seul-Jacklein (AWSNA) and Warren Cohen (RSCT) about trying to connect with [the] initiatives and asking how the Anthroposophical Society in Canada can support the Waldorf schools, also with respect to anthroposophy in the schools. Another question is a practical financial one around ASC issuing receipts for donations from Canadians to AWSNA.
At our council meetings in February 2016, we travelled to Barrie, to meet and work with members of the Huronia Branch, where we were warmly welcomed. We tried a bit of an experiment. We wanted to meet members in a different way; not “reporting” about what we are doing, or describing our roles. We wanted to bring something more future oriented. We brought a process, and small group work, in the spirit of researching together. Karen Liedl, possible new Council member from Quebec, met us and worked with us in Barrie. Karen then agreed to stand for membership on the Council.
In anticipation of the AGM, we spent a teleconference reviewing the financial statements and making decisions about the budget for 2016, 2017. It has been such a pleasure to work with our Treasurer Douglas Wylie, who has a clear grasp of the financial picture of the Society. Doug has completed his 7-year term, and will be missed! We warmly welcome John Glanzer to the Council and the role of Treasurer, as well as Karen Liedl, member from Quebec. We look forward to working with this new constellation!
In closing, we on the Council would like to thank the members for your continued support for the work of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada.
Dorothy LeBaron, President
On behalf of the Council
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