2012-2013 CITL Executive Board Elections - President

President Roles and Responsibilities

The President acts as the leader and primary spokesperson of the CITL Executive Board. He or she sets a typed agenda in consultation with other executive members for all formal CITL Executive Board meetings. One of the President’s main responsibilities is to contact potential locations and expand the program nationwide. In addition, the President evaluates annually the performance of the organization in achieving its. Finally, he or she should maintain a blog with updates on a bi-weekly basis.

Candidacy Platform
At any point in time, our life, and consequently our actions, can be divided into three parts: the past, the present, and the future. Over the past year as Director of Communications for CITL, I have strived to go above and beyond my expectations in order to further improve and expand this organization. In the short course of this year, I have: created a brand-new website, overseen a deal with a government agency earning CITL $100, scouted two new locations (one in Vaughan and one in Newmarket), and have recruited approximately ten new volunteers on top of the already existing volunteers. These only go to show what I have done in the past, but what am I doing right now? Currently, I am in the process of overseeing the integration of two more libraries: Cedarbrae Library, a part of TPL, and Cloverdale Library in Surrey, a city near Vancouver. Most importantly, what do I plan to do in the future? Well, if elected, I plan to expand this organization in every aspect of the word. I plan to expand to even newer locations: I already have several libraries I plan to approach in order to create an even stronger CITL presence in the western region of the GTA. I plan to expand the organization structurally in order to ensure that it continues far beyond my term: I have already talked to Youth Action Network (YAN), the national non-profit organization that created Youth Week, which is now an internationally recognized youth movement. I further plan to use this partnership with YAN in order to expand this organization financially: we already have 31 locations and 3 tournaments annually, but with greater financial backing, CITL could expand to over 50 locations and 5 tournaments annually! 

Vivek Chachcha

2011-2012 CITL Director of Communications

2012-2013 CITL Executive Board Elections - Vice President

Vice-President Roles and Responsibilities
The Vice-President acts as the secondary spokesperson of the CITL Executive Board and fills in for the President when the President is not available. When not filling in for the President, the Vice President shall act as the Chief of Internal Affairs. He or she sets dates for all formal CITL Executive Board meetings on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, including those concerned with the annual festival. During the meetings, the Vice President is responsible for taking detailed minutes. Between meetings, the Vice President oversees the completion of the action-tasks as described in the minutes; for this purpose, he or she shall maintain an open line of communication with the other executives as necessary. In addition, the Vice-President is responsible for crafting press-releases and for constructing any written documents, excluding the constitution and volunteer-hours letter.

Candidacy Platform
I’m Kevin Wu, a candidate for 2012-2013 CITL Vice President. In the summer of 2009, I joined CITL at its very first branch, Brookbanks, and went on to volunteer there for several months, later moving to initiate a program at Pleasantview branch.

Currently I volunteer at Malvern branch and am the leader of the program there, as well as being director of the Scarborough area (that is, Fairview, Brookbanks, Malvern, and Bridlewood). Previously, I served as Executive Director on the first council.

Regardless, this position is not voted in for individual achievements. Even Yuanling, our founder, got the program started with the collective help of our first few volunteers. That is why I aim to improve our program for all who wish to play or volunteer in the future, with the aid of fellow board members.

As a candidate for next year’s CITL Vice President, there are a number of topics within CITL that I would like to address.

1. The departure of volunteers from the class of 2012 (and next year, the class of 2013)
· Understandably, a fairly large proportion of our volunteers are in the same graduating class as our president, leaving for university this year
· Each year, the same thing will happen to each graduating class.
· I wish to initiate a system that will ensure a ready inflow of junior volunteers to compensate for this outflow. From active recruitment to a cross-school network of advocates, there are many possible solutions, but this issue cannot be ignored

2. The continuity of established programs
· From having visited branches in the Scarborough area and occasionally those in other areas, I have noticed that some libraries will reach low numbers of participants for short durations
· Our prototypical approach to this problem has been to hold promotional sessions at the affected library to increase interest
· I will suggest that much more attention be diverted to sustaining libraries on top of our initiatives to start new ones. New vectors to increased participation such as neighborhood promotion or semi-regular library visits and flyers can be considered.

3. Communication within the council
· The Vice President is responsible for setting meeting dates for the council and internal communication within the council.
· From having been invited to several meetings of the 5-member official council this year, I have observed that communication within the council has been largely smooth
· However, there is the occasional lapse caused by one or two people who do not check their email on a regular basis, or who choose to turn off their phones, or some other obligation.
· I wish to create a set of rules that must be followed for effective communication within the council – that is, say, a must-reply window or a collective online group

Aside from addressing these points of discussion I am very confident that I will be a fit for the listed duties of CITL VP, having done similar jobs throughout my Executive Director term and as tournament director and organizer of our first Scarborough Tournament.

Kevin

2012-2013 CITL Executive Board Elections - Treasurer

Treasurer Roles and Responsibilities
The Treasurer is responsible for contacting potential sponsors and donors as well as managing all CITL finances. This individual drafts a budget (to be completed before the end of August) in consultation with the President and constructs an official budget report (to be completed at the end of the following July), outlining all expenses and revenues, as well as recommendations for the succeeding executives. Moreover, the Secretary/Treasurer directs any fundraising events and is in charge of the cashbox or donation box during those events.

Candidacy Platform
I am determined to bring Chess in the Library to a stable financial state since the program we're a part of simply can't run without funds from sponsors and donations for things like prizes, equipment, etc. Nobody would like to close down our program because of lack of funds and I'm here to make sure that will never happen.

As treasurer of the CITL, here are some things that I will try to accomplish at the best of my ability.

- Make a budget for the next running year, including necessary expenses that will be paid for by raised funds

- Hold fundraising events, attracting sponsors and donors alike. Some of my current ideas involve having a blitz tournament of clients vs. masters where for a small fee, everyone gets a chance to play masters who are willing to participate in the event. Apart from making some revenue, this will hopefully attract the media's attention which is one step towards getting sponsors. Another idea is holding a training seminar for the serious players throughout CITL which will be run by trained volunteers and chess teachers.

- Contact potential sponsors who are sympathetic to our cause. Since CITL is a non-profit organization, we'd also be able to issue tax-receipts for any donors. Some large sponsors that we might be interested in are Ontario Trillium Foundation, which has granted money for chess in Canada before. We can show all the things CITL has already achieved such as introducing a huge number of kids to the game all over the world, not just Canada. Small chess related companies and businesses may also be interested in sponsoring us since it would raise their image and may attract customers.

- Make a follow-up budget at the end of the year to see how our finances fared throughout 2012/2013.

These and many other things will by my responsibility if I will be elected.

I hope you will support me in my bid to become treasurer, and just remember this, if you support me, you're supporting Canadian chess!

Mike Ivanov.

2012-2013 CITL Executive Board Elections - Communications Officer

Communications Officer Roles and Responsibilities
The Communications Officer is CITL’s Head of Human Relations. He or she is the Chief Volunteer Coordinator and contact person. The Communications Officer is responsible for handling volunteer applications, directing successful applicants to the most appropriate library branches, arranging for necessary training, responding to volunteer’s queries, and signing volunteer-hours when the relevant branch is unable to do so.

Candidacy Platform

Greetings, let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Stefan Laculeanu and I have become a part of this team just a few months ago, back in the winter! I currently volunteer at Bridlewood, Fairview (now closed) and Malvern library and have done so since then. I know that many of you do not know me and those who do most likely think I am this tall scary guy; well, you're wrong. To the best of my abilities, I will do as much as possible to get to know every single one of you. I believe that you are all wonderful, dedicated people and my friendliness will not drive you away from me.

Furthermore, I would like to tell you a little bit about my intentions. I was about six years old when I learned how to play chess and my Gosh, did I not love it. Since then, I have been very excited and passionate about the game, and very grateful to my father who taught me how to play. I am not the greatest chess player out there, but do you really have to be in order to succeed and achieve your goals of helping others who do not have the chance or possibility? Michael Jordan never made his highschool basketball team, yet worked hard for what he loved and became one of the world's greatest basketball players. My point here is, that not only I, but every single member of the CITL, regardless of what they think, deserves the chance and has the potential to represent an aspect of the program. As we all have heard, our leader Yuanling Yuan is leaving next year and so are many other committed members of the executive board, leaving us, those remaining, with the hard work they have accomplished over the course of three years. As a result, CITL is in need of dedicated, creative and open-minded individuals like us,  and that is why I have decided to run for your 2012-2013 executive board elections.

I believe that my endless dedication, hard work and the amount of hours and effort put into this year's three branches, Fairview, Bridlewood and Malvern, have proved to be nothing but seriousness and ambition leading to success. Coming from a dedicated young man, aspiring to help others and offer them the opportunity to play and learn chess, along with our great CITL family, I truly believe that I will succeed in expanding onto this goal and continue the hard work of our yesterday's leaders. Every child on this planet should have the right, the opportunity and the help needed to play chess, regardless of race, age or class and that is why I, Stefan Laculeanu, will do my best and continue doing what I love to do, regardless of the outcome in the voting process, to help not only our family expand and come together closer by maintaining regular conversations with all of you, but help it make a difference in our world today. Actions always speak louder than words!

Stefan

2012-2013 CITL Executive Board Elections - Webmaster

Webmaster Roles and Responsibilities
The webmaster must be aware of all events occurring in the organization and maintains the official CITL website accordingly. He or she will update the "Locations" page frequently with new notices whenever a CITL program commences or terminates. He or she is also responsible for updating the events page along with the corresponding photos and/or videos. Additionally he or she will strive to integrate volunteer and librarian feedback into the CITL website through feedback forms, survey, etc.

Candidacy Platform
I, Jesse Feng, hereby support my conditions that make me an ideal person for the position of the Webmaster

Firstly, I am capable of completing my duties as the Webmaster. Prior to this election, I have worked at Brook Banks Branch for the CITL for almost 3 years. I personally have a personal experience of the need for volunteers. I am very interested in keeping track of volunteer locations, and distributing new volunteers according to the demand. As an economic student, I am sure that I can determine the best locations to send volunteers according to the member to volunteer ratio. I am capable of keeping in contact and consolidate volunteer hours biannually. And as a computer science student, I have the ability to update the official website for CITL periodically.

Secondly, I have great personal soft skills that I believe will help me accomplish the tasks for the Webmaster. I am punctual then I would be able to provide the information, and process the required tasks on time, and hence I would not slow down other colleagues due to my personal inability to handle my tasks. Despite the common belief for IB students (same for all others actually), I have very good time management ability. I know which work to do, and which work to do first. Hence I am able to finish all my work and the tasks as Webmaster without any conflict. I have a good attitude when communicating with others. This allows the smoothest possible transfer of volunteers, and it minimizes the friction of moving volunteers from current position to a better one. My mild tempers also allows the volunteers to approach me to speak of concerns easily. Which allows me to acquire the most up-to-date information and hence make the best possible decision on the volunteer distribution.

Thirdly, as I have practically been a volunteer since the beginning of the CITL, I am motivated to move on further than a Branch leader. Despite that I liked working with children, and adult members, I would like to attempt to participate in the decision making group of our organization. The motivation of wanting to advance in the position also drives me to become a better volunteer as well. For that reason, I wish to become the Webmaster.

Finally, as I am unaware of the other candidates for this position, I can only speak of my best advantages over the possible others. I have been close friends with other volunteers and most of the directors and executives in the past years. I am familiar in some of the tasks they handle, and I am more familiar to the duties that I face in the position. Hence makes me a more experienced candidate. Hence I, Jesse Feng, believe that I want the position, and I would perform outstandingly.

2012-2013 CITL Executive Board Elections - Outreach Coordinator

Outreach Coordinator Roles and Responsibilities

The outreach coordinator will be responsible for promoting and propagating CITL through the executive blog, posts on ChessTalk, and public speaking at chess and library events. He or she will also be responsible for managing any personal donors to CITL. 

Candidacy Platform

Hi everyone!

I’m Tina Fang from London, Ontario. Last December, I started Chess in the Library at the Masonville Branch here in London. Being a founder and a volunteer was an invaluable experience for me. As I’m sure all of you fellow volunteers can relate, seeing kids play chess puts a smile to your face, and can create joy from the sense of accomplishment.

Taking on a role as a founder, however, was difficult at times. London, being two hours away from Toronto, the headquarters of CITL, has a much less vibrant community for chess. So never mind a program for kids to play chess for fun- it was non-existent. Starting almost from scratch here, I knew that promotion is essential to the success of CITL in London. Sure enough, using media like posters and flyers for promotion, we gained the much needed publicity for the success of this novel program in London. So I think to myself: Now that I have done that for the program in London, why not do the same for the program of CITL?

Media is a powerful tool. Using media, I hope to present the most scintillating aspects of CITL. At my school, I am often given the task of creating posters for various club activities. I believe my extensive experience in creating attractive posters serves me well in designing various attention grabbers for CITL. With regards to social media, I’m not slouch either. I love using technology and definitely hope to apply it to social media such as Facebook and Twitter to show the world what our amazing program is about.

Besides my experiences with media, I am actually first and foremost a chess player. I learned about CITL from competitive chess, so in the future, I hope promote CITL to others as a chess player too. As a competitive chess player, I am a part of the Canadian chess community. One of my chess accomplishments was representing Canada at the World Youth Chess Championships in Brazil last year. This experience introduced me to many top junior players in Canada, and more importantly, has allowed me to be more involved in the world of Canadian chess. This involvement, in turn, gives me the privilege to contacts in the competitive chess community. After I am elected, I will be sure to use that to our advantage to propagate CITL through ChessTalk, the most popular chess forum in Canada.

Ultimately, it is the avid chess fan in me that makes me so keen to promote the royal game that I love. I see being the Outreach Coordinator of CITL as the golden opportunity to put my expertise and passion to work for the greater community of chess.

Now, I don’t know many of you wonderful volunteers, but I do know that it is this amazing program of CITL that bonds us together to make this program the program it is today. I look forward to meeting many of you at the CITL Festival and please vote for me as your Outreach Director :)

Thank you for reading this, and see you all on Saturday!

Tina

2012-2013 CITL Executive Board Elections - Media Coordinator

Media Coordinator Roles and Responsibilities

The media coordinator will be responsible for maintaining a strong connection between all levels of the CITL family through social media updates (ex. Facebook, Twitter), and promoting CITL to children and youth, both as participants and volunteers. He or she will also be responsible for the graphical aspects accompanying CITL promotion: photos, banners, posters, and flyers.

Candidacy Platform
Jessica Cao is an enthusiastic grade 10 student running for Media Coordinator. She likes to make Youtube videos, solve Sudoku puzzles and stare off into space, but more than anything else, she loves marketing. Jessica recently placed fourth at the DECA International Career Development Conference, because that’s how obsessed she is with marketing. Jessica is very approachable and will willingly ramble on and on about anything. She is also the Chief Financial Officer of Glowstik Social Marketing, a company that uses social media to promote its clients. A social networking nut, Jessica is thrilled to have found a productive use of her wacky and somewhat unconventional ideas that seem to attract quite an audience. She correctly (read: stubbornly) believes that social media is the key to making anything big in the 21st century. Jessica has big dreams. Using the internet, Facebook, Twitter and various other social networking mediums, Jessica aims to create the most successful word-of-mouth campaign that Chess in the Library has ever seen.

Chess In The Library Jr.!

For the very first time since its beginning in 2009, Chess In The Library will now be welcoming a whole new board into its organization: the Junior Executives!

The Junior Executive board was formed in order to give CITL volunteers more leadership opportunities, and encourage more volunteers to play a more prominent role in CITL’s administrations. It is an apprenticeship position that is opened only to the younger volunteers in the hope that the experience gained in-position will serve well as the jumping point to an Executive position in the future. The Junior Executives are expected to take part in the projects of their Executive, and share a small part of his/her duties. While they do not need to attend Executive meetings, they are expected to meet with their mentor on a monthly-basis, and to proactively seek learning opportunities.


Approximately a month prior to the annual festival, the Junior Executive candidates were nominated by the outgoing Executive Board. Each Executive may nominate up to 5 candidates; after the nominations, the candidates were interviewed to assess their skills, motivation, drive, and suitability to their chosen roles and to the organization at large. At the end of the interview cycle, the Executive Committee voted to decide the most suitable applicant for each position.


After such a thorough electoral process, the Junior Executive board was finally formed! And now, without further ado, here are the Chess In The Library Junior Executives for 2012-2013:

Mohit Verma - President
Terry Zhang - Vice-President 
Christina Liu - Treasurer
Zelin Liu - Director of Communications
Tim Fei - Media Coordinator

Congratulations to all of the chosen applicants! I would personally like to welcome you to the Chess In The Library family, and I look forward to all your great work in the near future!


Vivek Chachcha
Director of Communications
Chess In The Library