Dear members of the STC Canada West Coast chapter,

I am writing to share with you some highlights of our chapter’s accomplishments during the past three months, excerpted from the Leadership Community Report I sent to the STC International recently.

Our membership has decreased, but only from 252 on December 31 to 248 on April 9. This is phenomenal given the current economic climate. It is a shame we didn’t win the membership renewal contest, given this terrific commitment of members to continuing their connection with the STC community.

Highlights from the Past Quarter

Programs

We held a program in January, Yoga for the Office, with close to 30 attendees learning ways to use yoga during the work day to ease physical tension and bring clarity of mind.

We held a program in February, with speaker Joe Welinski of WritersUA.com, on Leading Edge User Assistance. This was very well attended (36 people) and informative.

We held a program in March, a Pecha Kucha event, at which 8 members gave short presentations on activities they are involved with. It helped continue to foster a sense of community and personal connection among the 32 members who attended.

All events included sushi refreshments (provided by our sponsor Cyberscribe Solutions Inc.) and networking time, and were very enjoyable. Our volunteer photographers and various writers created online news articles about each of these events, and our newsletter editor provided a live blog of the Pecha Kucha event.

Membership

Our vice president wrote an article for the newsletter entitled Sticking out the Recession: How the STC Can Help.

We also advertised the STC membership drive contest on our web site. Unfortunately we did not win for our chapter size category. The winners, based on percentage of renewals during a given time period, were Carolina, Orange County, and San Diego.

Our membership volunteer carried out her usual timely and helpful activities orienting new members to the chapter and the web site.

Newsletter

In addition to program meeting articles and the article our VP wrote, the newsletter published a message from the president regarding the Fall 2008 Leadership Community Report, and various small and timely news items on the home page. The newsletter also published these articles: Firefox Book Sprint: From Zero to Book in Two Days.

Remote Broadcasting of Events

We have a team lead who is investigating the hardware and software technology we need to broadcast our program meetings to remote participants. There is also a team of volunteers to help implement this technology and broadcasting. The investigation is underway.

Membership recognition

A chapter member, Rahel Anne Bailie, has been awarded the distinction of Fellow of the STC. She will be receiving the designation at the May summit, and we will be holding a short ceremony to celebrate with Rahel at our May program.

Volunteers

Our volunteer coordinator has been determining which volunteers will continue next year, assigning tasks, and recruiting new volunteers. Many volunteers have agreed to serve again for the next term. The search for a new vice president is on.

Storage of Chapter Records

Cyberscribe Solutions Inc. has agreed to store all of our chapter materials in a central location.

Challenges from the Past Quarter

We did not receive any applicants for our Julia Broderick Scholarship. We have extended the deadline.

A Glimpse Ahead

We have exciting programs planned for April (Jerome Ryckborst on Ideation Design) and May (Susan Patch, expanding on her March Pecha Kucha presentation on Agile development). The Consultants and Independent Contractors group continues to meet each month.

We will be taking a break from programs over the summer. Our final executive meeting will take place in May. We will be having our annual volunteer appreciation lunch in June.

Following up on his interesting Pecha Kucha presentation in March, Takuro Ishikawa will be presenting a workshop on conflict resolution in the fall.

Thanks to all volunteers and members for your continued commitment to the STC Canada West Coast. I am happy to participate with you all in sustaining this vital chapter.