Thursday, April 30, 2009

new site...through the old one

As Annik says below, we had a bit of a mix-up today.  Here's a little more about what happened.

We went to launch the new site, figuring it would happen like the movies – with the push of a button.  But the internet doesn’t work like that.  At least not when you’re changing sites.  Like picking up the pieces after a tornado, the internet needs time to move all the pieces of the old website to the new spot.  Oops. 

Regardless, we’re glad you found your way here, are looking around and hopefully getting excited about the positive change we’re bringing to the province.  Check out details of the new program and send us a note if you have any questions.


 

Lancement - 21 Leaders 2009

Bonjour à tous, 

Comme vous le savez probablement, nous lançons notre recherche pour les 21 jeunes Leaders les plus prometteurs du Nouveau-Brunswick ce 1e mai. Voulant faire belle impression, nous avons également ciblé cette date pour lancer le nouveau site web de 21inc. Puisqu’aucun de nous sommes des pros de technologie, nous n’étions pas au courant qu’il fallait jusqu’à 48 heures pour mettre un nouveau site web en ligne, ce qui explique que nous n’avons pas été en mesure de faire coïncider les deux événements! 

J’espère que vous apprécierez ce nouveau site et que l’information que vous y trouverez vous donnera envie de vous joindre à notre réseau de jeunes leaders dynamiques et engagés envers le futur de notre province. Étant moi-même nouvellement arrivée chez 21inc, je découvre jour après jour toutes les opportunités qu’offre le programme des 21 Leaders.  Je vous invite donc à vous initier au programme des 21 Leaders pour vivre une expérience qui sera sans doute incroyable!

Annik

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Enfin! L'ouverture de l'Acadienneté

Pour ceux et celles qui n’ont pas encore vu ce clip, voici la chanson thème du Congrès Mondial Acadien qui aura lieu cet été dans la Péninsule Acadienne. J’ai toujours été une Acadienne fière, mais le visionnement de ce clip m’a rendu même plus fière, et fière des réalisateurs de la chanson et du clip.  Regardez le clip et vous y verrez la parution d’une Acadienne (je présume) d’origine africaine ou haïtienne.

Je serais tentée de l’étiqueter « d’Acadienne-africaine », mais je n’aime pas les étiquettes, et même moins la surqualification de l’Acadienneté, c’est-à-dire que son origine africaine soustrairait de son Acadienneté.  J’ose le dire, l’Acadienneté qui est fondé sur nos noms de famille et sur le trajet de nos ancêtres est passé date.  Ouvrons nos yeux, nos bras, nos portes et nos définitions à la diversité de nos communautés et de notre communauté acadienne…Et SVP, pas à cause de la variété culinaire et l’accroissement de nos populations, mais pour la valeur ajoutée qu’emporte ces Acadiens à notre coin de pays et à l’Acadie.
 
Julie
 

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Vince Chew

I'm not sure how many of you saw this, but Jennifer Nield Cameron had a wonderful "Lives Lived" piece on Vincent Chew in the Globe and Mail last week. Vincent was a member of the 2005 21 Leaders for the 21st Century program. He passed tragically in a car accident at the end of last year.

The consummate networker, even from Australia and Germany he kept abreast of our progress building 21inc and helped put is in touch with the right people throughout.

Jennifer's piece really captures his essence:

Through the years, Vince Chew updated family and friends in a regular e-mail newsletter called The VC, complete with tales of his adventures around the world, insights on life, photos with celebrities, even reader mail. Despite the distance, his stories made you feel you were right there with him...Vince concluded one issue of The VC with these thoughts: "You can change where you are and what you do, but you can't change who you are. Finally, always try to keep hope and love in your heart, for the moment you lose it is the moment you're lost." Vince lived by these words and inspired others to do the same.
This Lives Lived piece is a wonderful tribute. Thanks Jennifer.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Demographic Time Bomb

joe rugerri.jpg

 

If you're government and are concerned about tax revenues to pay for public services, then you're deeply concerned about an aging population.  The combination of rising health care costs, more people using the health care system, and less people to pay to support that system, is not a healthy one for government balance sheets.

This was the warning on the front page of yesterday's Telegraph.  Joe Ruggeri, a recently retired Professor of Economics at UNB gave this warning.

By the time New Brunswick expects to climb out of four years of deficits, its aging population threatens to plunge it right back into spending more than it takes in for several years, warns a prominent economist.

And neither the Graham government's self-sufficiency agenda nor proposed energy megaprojects worth billions of dollars will generate enough revenue for provincial coffers to change that, argues Joe Ruggeri.

Joe spoke eloquently about these issues when he spoke to the 2008 cohort of 21 Leaders, (Joe is second from right in the photo). Regardless of how government responds, increasing the number of working people in the province is an important priority.  There are few organizations that fill this space like we do, creating opportunities and a community for young people to pursue their professional and personal goals in New Brunswick.