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                             – SERVAS INTERNATIONAL NEWS BULLETIN –

– News from Servas International Executive Committee (Exco) –

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 IN THIS ISSUE

*** 15 COUNTRIES TRANSFERRED DATA TO SERVASONLINE

*** KEY PEOPLE UPDATE THEIR SERVASONLINE PROFILE

*** GUY GOURMELLET APPOINTED SERVASONLINE TRANSITION MANAGER

*** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC NOW SERVAS COUNTRY

*** WILLIAM D’SOUZA NEW SI TREASURER

*** NEW NATIONAL COMMITTEES: THAILAND, TURKEY, GERMANY

*** 132 ATTENDED SERVAS EAST ASIA CONFERENCE

*** WHAT SI EXCO HAS DECIDED – FIND OUT HERE

*** AD: EDITORS FOR NEW WEBSITE SERVAS.ORG

*** AD: SERVAS RECRUITS FACEBOOK ADMINISTRATORS X 2

*** NEWSLETTER IN SPANISH TOO

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*** 15 COUNTRIES TRANSFERRED DATA TO SERVASONLINE

ServasOnline became the SI official website on February 1st 2017 (https://www.servas.org). The long-awaited new website offers a two-way communication between travellers and hosts around the world, geographic search and other new functions. Its online, up-to-date contents will facilitate the membership administration - through its members database application- and more widely Servas life and organization. The new website is already used by several countries; France was the first to start and has used it since July 2016.

Each individual member can go online and complete her/his profile and place her/his home on the Servas map. Personal data can only be seen by Servas members, who have completed the membership process in their respective countries.

Travellers can view host profiles to choose the hosts they’d like to meet. They can locate a would-be host on a world map, which is very convenient for organizing Servas travel.

Online payment is coming, and ServasOnline team is working on it.
To become a member interviews remain necessary; nothing changed here. National websites will also remain.

Data privacy is a major concern, so Servas International has two operational servers. Our first server is in Strasbourg and subject to EU privacy directives. The second server is in Montreal and is subject to Canadian privacy law, bearing in mind that the privacy policies of the European Union and Canada, together with New Zealand, are the more highly-developed privacy policies.

The transfer of the original members data from Dolphin, Whale and other systems to the new system is under way. More than 15 countries have already transferred part or complete data to ServasOnline. Among them: France, Canada, India, South Africa, Paraguay and Turkey. Others are well-advanced in the transfer process (Spain, New Zealand, Argentina, etc.).

SI Exco and the ServasOnline Team invite all Servas countries to join in, so that all national entities will be listed in ServasOnline for the 2018 Servas International Conference and General Assembly (SICOGA 2018). 

ServasOnline team is available to help the move to ServasOnline and to participating in this major development necessary to maintaining and developing Servas.

Send your questions to the ServasOnline Team. Email to servasonline@servas.org

Bernard Andrieu

Project Manager, ServasOnline project
 

*** KEY PEOPLE UPDATE THEIR SERVASONLINE PROFILE

On February 1st 2017 Servas launched a new website on servas.org. So now it would be great if all persons in key Servas positions complete their profiles in the ServasOnline system. Read more about the new website and ServasOnline system below.

Please go to the website with one of the languages below and fill in the form.

http://servas.org/en/join-in (english)

or

http://servas.org/fr/join-in (french)

or

http://servas.org/de/join-in (german)

or

http:// servas.org/es/join-in (spanish)

A member of the ServasOnline team will complete your registration and send an automatic message asking you to create a password.

Jonny Sågänger

President, Servas International
 

*** GUY GOURMELLET APPOINTED SERVASONLINE TRANSITION MANAGER

Guy Gourmellet, a Servas member from Nantes in France, has been appointed volunteer ServasOnline Transition Manager. Starting in February, he will be the contact person for Servas National Groups who are moving their members (hosts and or travellers) to the ServasOnline Member system.

Guy Gourmellet is a member of the ServasOnline Team. He will work closely with the Servas International Host List Coordinator Pablo Colangelo, who is also member of SI Exco and the ServasOnline Team. The new role as ServasOnline Transition Manager is for one year, until the transition to the ServasOnline Member system is complete.

Guy Gourmellet will work closely with the ServasOnline National Administrators User Group led by Harley Thomas (Sweden) and Judy Bartel (Canada).

Source: ServasOnline Team
 

*** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC NOW SERVAS COUNTRY

The Dominican Republic (Caribbean) is in Servas country.  Ysabel Molina, a Servas member from Venezuela, who now lives in the Dominican Republic set up Servas there and the host list with 6 members is uploaded in Dolphin.

Establishing Servas Dominican Republic has been in close cooperation between the Servas International Development Committee and the Dolphin Team.

Source: Rita Dessavauge, Dolphin Team
 

*** WILLIAM D’SOUZA NEW SI TREASURER

William D’Souza, a long-time member of Servas India, has been chosen as the new SI Treasurer, effective February 1st 2017 until the next Servas International General Assembly in 2018. He replaces the elected treasurer, L V Subramanian, who told SI Exco in August 2016 that he would be resigning for personal reasons. Since then LV has continued as SI Treasurer and has been active in the search for a new treasurer. He is also ensuring a smooth handover to the new treasurer.

LV wrote: “I would have loved to continue my term till the GA 2018 but I was advised by the medical authorities here that I was on the borderline of both sugar/pressure, it was imperative that I should take complete rest and avoid stress related work. Hence my resignation.

“I take this opportunity to thank one and all for the wonderful support and cooperation extended by you during my tenure as Treasurer.”

Brief biography for William D’Souza: A member of Servas over three decades, he owns various businesses in India and at Canada and takes personal control of accounting in all his businesses in India and Canada. He has served as President and in other capacities in various organizations like Rotary International, YMCA, Red Cross Society of India, and Catholic Association. He has travelled widely and is happily married to Colette. They have three children including Daryl who is married to Faye with a newborn son, Nigel, and Cheryl who married Jonathan last December. Most of the time he is based at Mangalore, India, which is close to Bangalore. We welcome William D’Souza and wish him all the best in his new role within Servas.

SI Exco would also like to sincerely thank L V Subramanian for his dedication to Servas and his commitment to maintaining the SI Treasurer role during the recruitment process.
Penny Pattison
SI General Secretary

*** NEW NATIONAL COMMITTEES: TURKEY, THAILAND, GERMANY

SERVAS TURKEY EXCO FOR 2017-2020

Servas Turkey now has an Executive Committee, Exco, for the period 2017-2020. These are the members of Servas Turkey Exco, and other key people:

Servas Turkey Executive Committee 2017-2020

National Secretary: Gülşen Elyak

Deputy: Mert Kitapçı

Peace Secretary: Şermin Utku

General Secretary: Jale Duygan

Treasurer: Zeynep Başıbüyük Aydın

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Interviewer : Sercan Duygan

Interviewer : Nazlı Şahin

Interviewer : Faruk Balmumcu

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Aegean Area Coordinator : Mehmet Ateş

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Conflict Resolution Committee:

Member: Okan Ünal

Member: Aytaç Oral

Member: İsmail Tezcan

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Host List Coordinator: Nilay Ulusan

Bulletin Editor: Esra Sakin Kirtiş

Source: Gülşen Elyak & İsmail Tezcan

NEW SERVAS THAILAND COMMITTEE

Servas Thailand has filled the position of National Peace Secretary and now has a complete team for the national committee effective 16 August 2016.

National Secretary: Ms. Wansiri Rongrongmuang (Topsi) vamma@hotmail.com

Deputy National Secretary: Ms. Nadtaya Prakongsub (Aoy) oiyy@hotmail.com

Host List Coordinator: Ms. Suparindaporn Wongyara (Bee) boebiebrown@gmail.com
National Peace Secretary: Ms. Ratchada Arpornsilp (Tarn) tarnto@gmail.com

Treasurer: Ms. Soonthariya Rongrongmuang (Nan) soonthariya@yahoo.com

Newsletter Editor: Mr. Nattapon Rungsrithong (Off) offnattapon@gmail.com

Source: Wansiri Rongrongmuang (Topsi)

SERVAS GERMANY'S EXTENDED NATIONAL BOARD

Servas Germany's new extended board consists of the following persons:

National Secretary: Conni Geisendorf

Vice President: Peter Kraus (new)

Treasurer: Margret Daub (new)

Regional coordination North: Peter Brock

Regional coordination North east: Jan Luyken

Regional coordination West: Claudia and Heinz Miebach (new)

Regional coordination Southwest and South: Katja Hilbrig and Jürgen Hornung

IT: Loic d' Anterroches (new)

New members of the board have replaced Harald Seiffert and Magnus Adams. Loic d' Anterroches is replacing Thomas Thomas as responsible for information and technology (IT).

Source: Conni Giessendorf

*** 132 ATTENDED SERVAS EAST ASIA CONFERENCE

The 8th Servas East Asia Conference was held in Seoul and Buyeo from September 30th to October 2nd. A total of 132 members participated in this event, including 27 members from outside Korea: 16 Japanese, 5 Indonesians, 3 Taiwanese, 1 Singaporean, 1 Malaysian, and 1 Chinese.

Source: Newsletter for Servas Korea (Bulletin 7, January, 2017 )
 

*** WHAT SI EXCO HAS DECIDED – FIND OUT HERE

On the Servas International website has minutes from SI Exco meetings at https://servas.org/en/community/board-and-management/si-exco
 

*** AD: SERVAS LOOKING FOR EDITORS FOR NEW WEBSITE SERVAS.ORG

With increased Servas activity on the new website on Servas International's Internet domain servas.org and in social media there's also a growing need for editors. For each language used on the new servas.org website a web editor is needed. The languages are at the moment English, Spanish, French and German.

We're looking for people of all ages, who have basic, medium or high skills in writing and/or editing editorial texts as well as handling photos, graphics and other illustrations. It's a plus but not a prerequisite that to have experience of editorial work on the web and in a content management system (CMS).

We're also looking for people with writing, photography and/or graphic design skills who can work as Servas editor correspondents around the world. Working in cooperation with the web editors on servas.org and the editor of the newsletters SI News Bulletin and SI News, you will create and edit editorial content from around the world.

Please send your application to president@servas.org.

Jonny Sågänger

President, Servas International & Managing Web Editor
 
*** AD: SERVAS RECRUITS FACEBOOK ADMINISTRATORS X 2

Servas International's traffic in the social media channel Facebook is growing, so as soon as possible we need to recruit administrators both for the Servas International Facebook Page and for the Servas International Group.

These are challenging and rewarding positions for persons with the right skills and abilities. Please find the job descriptions in blue below. 

Please send your application to president@servas.org

Jonny Sågänger

President, Servas International
 

SERVAS FACEBOOK GROUP ADMINISTRATOR

You will work with Facebookgroup Servas, a public group is for people who are interested in Servas International. You don't have to be a member of Servas. Membership in this Facebook group does not make you a member of Servas. 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/servas/

Responsibilities of the Servas Facebook group administrator:

• Review and approval of new members

Includes accessing the Facebook profile of requested members for possible spammers

• Daily monitoring of group posts

Watch for inappropriate posts such as sales, advertising, and promotions not related to Servas and Servas core values, porn, etc.

• Removal of inappropriate posts and deleting/banning of members who spam or continue to post inappropriately

SERVAS INTERNATIONAL FACEBOOK PAGE ADMINISTRATOR

You will work with the official Facebook page for Servas International on news, stories and information on the activities of Servas around the world. https://www.facebook.com/Servas.International/

Responsibilities of the Servas International Facebook page administrator:

• Weekly and frequent monitoring of the page’s Messages and Notifications

You will usually notice alerts in your FB’s left-hand column list of your pages and groups

• Reply to messages if possible or notify Servas Exco of the message if no action has been taken within 2 days

• Approve or deny posts, monitor discussions
 

*** NEWSLETTER IN SPANISH

You can read the SI News Bulletin in Spanish too on Servas International's website.

Would you like to become a member of the team of translators? Please email Lilly Kerekes, the coordinator: spanishcoordinator@servas.org

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*** About Servas International News Bulletin

The Servas International News Bulletin (SI News Bulletin) is a newsletter from Servas International Executive Committee (SI Exco), which is the organization's global board. The SI News Bulletin contains a brief report about current issues and decisions.

 Editors & Newsletter Coordinators:

• Jonny Sågänger SI President president@servas.org

• Ann Greenhough Vice-President vicepresident@servas.org

• Picot Cassidy, Servas Britain

What would you like to read about in the SI News Bulletin? Please let us know. Send an email to president@servas.org

Servas key persons around the world are encouraged to forward the newsletter to individual members in Servas.

Feel free to quote this newsletter, but please remember to mention Servas International News Bulletin as the source.

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 SI Exco 2016-2018

President Jonny Sågänger president@servas.org

Vice-President Ann Greenhough vicepresident@servas.org

Treasurer William D'Souza treasurer@servas.org

General Secretary Penny Pattison generalsecretary@servas.org

Host List Coordinator Pablo Colangelo hostlistcoordinator@servas.org

Peace Secretary Danielle Serres peacesecretary@servas.org

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 Servas International on the Internet
 

Servas International website

http://servas.org/index.php

Servas on Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/ServasI?lang=en

Servas on Facebook: 

Facebookgroup Servas

This public group is for people who are interested in Servas International. You don't have to be a member of Servas. Membership in this Facebook group does not make you a member of Servas. 
Administrators: Alan Stone, Stefan Fagerström, Pablo Colangelo, Jonny Sågänger. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/servas/

Facebookgroup Servas International

This closed group is for people who are members of Servas. Your membership will be verified.
Administrators: Pablo Colangelo, Arnoud Philippo.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/117649068294944/

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About Servas International

Servas International is an international, non-profit, non-governmental federation of national Servas groups, supporting an international network of hosts and travelers. Our network aims to help build world peace, goodwill and understanding by offering opportunities for personal contacts between people of different cultures, backgrounds and nationalities.