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Notice of Annual General Meeting AGM 2024 (አጠቃላይ አመታዊ የስብሰባ ጥሪ)
Dear Members of the Ethiopian Association KW,
You are invited to our Annual General Meeting, Saturday November 30, 2024 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM.
Agenda:
- Meet & greet
- To provide overview of the key activities of the Association.
- To review and approve the audited financial report for the year ending December 31, 2023.
- To elect additional Board Members to serve on the Association’s board.
- To approve the revised by-law of the Association
- To discuss any new matters that may arise during the meeting including ways to enhance member engagement.
Please remember to renew your membership. We are seeking additional board members with skills in secretarial duties, finance, governance, and community leadership. If you are interested, please apply by emailing your resume to info@eakw.ca.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you.
The Board Members
ውድ ኢትዮጵያዊያን ማህበር አባላት:
የኢትዮጵያዊያን ማህበር Kitchener-Waterloo ዓመታዊ ጠቅላላ ስብሰባ ቅዳሜ ሕዳር 21 ቀን 2017 ዓ.ም (November 30, 2024) ከሰዓት በኋላ 2:00 እስከ 4:30 PM ይካሄዳል እና አባላት እንዲገኙ እናሳስባለን።
የስብሰባ አጀንዳ፦
- መግቢያ
- ማኅበሩ በዚህ ዓመት ስላጠናቀቃቸው ዋና እንቅስቃሴዎች አጠቃላይ መረጃ ለመስጠት።
- የቀድሞ ዓመት (2023 ዓ.ም.) ኦዲት የተደረገውን የገንዘብ ሪፖርት ለማቅረብ።
- በማህበሩ ቦርድ ውስጥ እንዲያገለግሉ ተጨማሪ የቦርድ አባላትን ለመምረጥ።
- የተሻሻለው የማህበሩ ሕግ (by-law) ለማፅደቅ።
- በስብሰባው ወቅት የሚነሱ አዳዲስ ጉዳዮችን እና የአባላት ተሳትፎን ማሻሻል
የሚቻልበትን መንገዶች ለመወያየት።
እባካችሁ አባልነታችሁን በመክፈል ያድሱ። በጸሐፊነት፣ በፋይናንስ፣ በአስተዳደር፣ እና በማህበረሰብ አመራር ክህሎት ያላቸው ተጨማሪ የቦርድ አባላትን እየፈለግን ነው። ፍላጎት ካላችሁ፣ እባክዎን ወደ info@eakw.ca ኢሜይል በመላክ ያመልከቱ።
እናመሰግናለን
የቦርዱ አባላት
September Highlights: Ethiopian New Year Celebration and Community Milestones
Ethiopian New Year Celebration:
We had a wonderful and well-attended Ethiopian New Year community celebration, featuring a soccer tournament in the daytime and a festive dinner at Victoria Park Pavilion in the evening. During the event, we recognized our dedicated volunteers, partners, and local businesses for their contributions. We also announced the recipients of the 2024 community scholarship. Congratulations to the recipients!
Bikila Award Ceremony:
A group of community leaders and volunteers attended the Bikila Award ceremony in Toronto for team building and inspiration. This event highlighted remarkable contributors, innovators, and leaders making a positive impact worldwide, energizing our team and encouraging collaboration and new ideas for our initiatives.
2024 Upstream Fund Recipients
On September 26, 2024, our board chair and staff attended the 2024 Region of Waterloo Upstream Fund Recipients event. We are pleased to announce that we have secured capacity-building funding to hire a part-time executive director and to continue some of our successful community initiatives. This support will strengthen our operations and enhance our impact in the community.
Breakfast Meeting with Faith Leaders
We held a breakfast meeting with faith leaders to discuss the challenges facing youth in our community. This gathering initiated a dialogue on how we can collaborate for a collective effort.
Faith leaders identified a representative adult and a youth leader to help guide our discussions moving forward. We emphasized the importance of researching family dynamics to better support our young people. We plan to meet again to continue this important conversation and develop actionable solutions that strengthen families and empower youth.
2024 Gender-Based Violence Conference Hosted by African Women Alliance WR
The chair attended and participated in the Community Leaders Circle discussion at the 2024 Gender-Based Violence Conference hosted by the African Women Alliance in Waterloo Region. This event aimed to raise awareness and discuss solutions to gender-based violence in Afro-centric communities and its connection to migration.
Thank you to the African Women Alliance for organizing this important event!
Bylaw Update:
The board is currently working with a legal expert to update our bylaws, which are outdated and in need of revision. This process will ensure that our governing documents are current and reflect our practices, supporting our ongoing growth as an organization.
Driver’s License Verification:
We have followed up on the issues regarding driver’s license acceptance, particularly concerning the verification of licenses from Ethiopia. We were informed some members were told licenses do not meet the necessary requirements, leading to complications in the acceptance process. We are actively seeking to understand and address these challenges with MTO. If you encounter issues, please email info@eakw.ca.
Call to Action: Get Involved!
Become a Member: To become a member of our community, visit our membership page.
Volunteer: to volunteer please visit our volunteer page.
Join Our Viber Channel: please visit our contact page.
Follow us on Instagram: please visit our contact page.
Thank you for your continued support as we strive to make a positive impact in our community!
Celebrate Ethiopian New Year with Us!
Join us for a warm Ethiopian New Year community celebration filled with cultural performance, music, delicious food, and joyous festivities. Come dressed in your best traditional outfit and be ready to participate in the fun. Everyone is welcome to share in the event as we usher in the new year together.
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM to Midnight
Location: Victoria Park Pavilion
We look forward to celebrating with you!
Post-Secondary Scholarship Opportunity: Apply Now!
The Ethiopian Association KW is pleased to announce four scholarship awards for local Ethiopian community members pursuing post-secondary education. Funded by the Community Capacity Building and Upstream well-being and belonging funding from the Region of Waterloo, these scholarships aim to support individuals committed to furthering their education and contributing to Waterloo Region Communities.
Scholarship Details:
Application Form:
1. Recent High School Graduates:
- Number of Awards: 4
- Value of Each Award: $2,500
- Application Period: August 1, 2024 – September 6, 2024, at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time
- Award Announcement: September 14, 2024, at the 2017 Annual Ethiopian New Year Enkutatash Banquet
- Please download the application form above.
a. Application Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be a permanent resident or Canadian citizen (supporting documentation may be requested)
- Resident of the Waterloo Region for at least two years
- Graduated from high school within the last three years
- Age between 17 and 25 years old
- Ethiopian heritage and cultural identity required (or parent/grandparent must be of Ethiopian heritage)
- First-time applicant to a post-secondary program (University/College/Trade School)
- Program must start in Fall 2024, and proof of enrolment/registration must be provided
- Two references related to community service experience
- Demonstrated financial need
- High school transcript required
b. Evaluation Method:
- Evaluation will be based on a one-page, double-spaced essay (500 words) responding to the following prompts:
- What is the importance of Ethiopian culture and community to you?
- How do you hope to use your education to contribute to your community?
- Applicants are also encouraged to include additional information regarding their financial need or individual identity that may strengthen their application and provide more context.
2. Mature Students:
a. Application Eligibility Criteria:
- Must be a permanent resident or Canadian citizen (supporting documentation may be requested)
- Resident of the Waterloo Region for at least two years
- Minimum age of 25 years
- Ethiopian heritage and cultural identity required (or parent/grandparent must be of Ethiopian heritage)
- Program must start in Fall 2024, and proof of enrollment/registration must be provided
- Two references related to community service experience
- Demonstrated financial need
- Most recent transcripts required
b. Evaluation Method:
- Evaluation will be based on a one-page, double-spaced essay (500 words) responding to the following prompts:
- What is the importance of Ethiopian culture and community to you?
- How have you supported and given back to the Ethiopian community in the past?
- How do you hope to use your education to contribute to your community?
- Applicants are also encouraged to include additional information regarding their financial need or individual identity that may strengthen their application and provide more context.
For more information or if you have any questions, please email info@eakw.ca.
Please note that by completing the application form, you consent to the publication of your name, photograph and information.
We look forward to receiving your applications and supporting your educational pursuits.