ICCT

Another Year as Director at Large for the Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto

At an event last year put on by the Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto, the president approached me to ask if I’d join the board of directors. It didn't take long for me to decide, though I did take a few days to mull it over. I had attended all the events (the travel show, where a traveler to Iceland presents about their trip; Thorablott, the yearly "winter" feast; and the Christmas brunch and farm visit where Santa made an appearance and told us about the Yule Lads), and I had taken the Icelandic lessons that the club offers.

In the first year as a director at large, I have been responsible mainly for my perspective and have volunteered to help out in material ways more so than I would if I weren't. I also maintain the Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto Twitter account and do some of the communication through their Facebook page and try to keep the events page up to date. At today's annual general meeting, I have happily agreed to serve another year on the board, and hope to ameliorate the technology we use for internal communications (especially during board meetings). I have been the sole maintainer of the Instagram account, something I hope to broaden in the next year. I have some other ideas about where my responsibilities might broaden as well, and I'm excited about what might be possible in the coming months.

A colleague of mine at my day job is on the board of her local rowing club, and she and I were talking about a mutual colleague who had wondered if he should put his board membership on his resume. The answer from both of us was an emphatic yes. (I wish I had said he should target his experience towards whatever job he might want, but the situation didn't call for nuance.) Being a board member of a small club, with decisions that need making and events that need planning and communication that has to happen, has been a small thrill, and has made me feel part of something more so than just a regular membership would have. If you can stand a little conflict (present in all human relations) and like the idea of really being part of something, I would definitely recommend finding a role on a decision-making body. My role on the ICCT board has been something I've definitely been proud of the last year or so.