1st ISSUP National Chapter Advisory Committee Meeting (September 2021)
The first National Chapters Advisory Committee meeting was held virtually in September 2021 and saw participation from the nominated National Chapter Representatives and the ISSUP Global team. Livia Edegger chaired over the discussions whilst highlighting the vision and mission of the newly established committee.
The participants deliberated on the organizational structure of the Advisory Committee and its leadership going forward. A call for expression of interest in the chairmanship of the committee was communicated as part of the meeting agenda. The selection of the chair was to be conducted via an online poll.
In an overview of National Chapter Development and Maintenance, the committee explored target countries for new National Chapters and the sustainability of existing chapters. Training, Relationship building, Research Collaboration, Funding and Membership were identified as priorities and key challenges for the National Chapter development.
The meeting ended with the development of a tentative agenda for subsequent meetings and the expectation of an in-person meeting in Abu Dhabi.
ISSUP National Chapter Advisory Committee Meeting in Abu Dhabi (May 2022)
The ISSUP National Chapter Advisory Committee held its maiden in-person meeting as part of the series of side meetings that took place at ISSUP 2022 Conference in Abu Dhabi. The Advisory Committee was established last fall as an independent decision-making body with the main purpose of offering guidance to the global coordination of the ISSUP National Chapters. Its membership includes nominees from the National Chapter countries, the regional National Chapter Coordinators, and the Deputy Director of ISSUP.
What does a National Chapter seek to gain as a member of ISSUP? Presiding over the meeting, Mr Samuel Bettiol, the Chair of the Committee posed this question to the group, and this set the ball rolling on an extensive line of discussion. The Committee debated between prioritizing the establishment of new Chapters or focusing on supporting existing Chapters. The resulting consensus was to concentrate primarily on adding value to existing National Chapters. A recommendation was raised on the introduction of a mentoring system for new Chapters to encourage the transfer of knowledge and best practices.
Considering the marked differences between countries, the panel concluded that it was imperative to identify the needs of a National Chapter on a case-by-case approach in order to develop impact-driven interventions. The discussion resulted in a three-pronged action plan: (1) develop a survey for National Chapters (2) pilot the survey in pre-identified National Chapters and (3) collate feedback on the functionality of the survey. The survey is aimed at helping the Advisory Committee understand both the needs and expectations of ISSUP National Chapters.
Beyond the action plan, the Committee committed to regularizing their meetings and establishing a complementary framework to the effective functioning of the ISSUP National Chapters. The meeting ended on a successful note with the members highly enthused to deliver on their mandate.
3rd National Chapter Advisory Committee Meeting (August 2022)
The 3rd National Chapters Advisory Committee meeting was conducted in August 2022. The meeting agenda was a follow-up to the Advisory Committee meeting in Abu Dhabi. Key highlights of the meeting included the recent pilot of the mentorship/buddy initiative and the National Chapter survey under development.
The developed survey is to be rolled out within the next three months as a means of collating the necessary information required to strategically support the National Chapters.