ARISE Program's International Lecture on International Trade

 

Key Outcomes

The group confirmed September 30 (Wednesday) as the primary visit date to Butuan, anchored by a 4:00 PM meeting at the Mayor's (LGU) office, which is the only fully confirmed appointment. 12 The evening will proceed with an installation of officers (joint meeting dropped to avoid overrun). 34 Morning slots on September 30 are being pursued for Caraga State University (CSU) and Philippine Science High School, pending confirmation. 5 The group also discussed membership renewal deadlines, recruitment needs, and social media visibility as urgent club health priorities. 67

Confirmed Schedule — September 30

• LGU/Mayor's Office meeting: 4:00 PM — confirmed; scheduled by the Mayor's office 12
• Evening: Installation of officers only (no joint meeting); induction of new members if available 34
• Travel from Davao: Depart September 29 afternoon (~1:00 PM); estimated 6-hour drive; overnight stay in Butuan 89

Pending Morning Appointments (September 30)

• Caraga State University (CSU): Morning slot being requested; currently no confirmation 510
• Philippine Science High School: Available every Wednesday but only 3:30–5:00 PM, which conflicts with the Mayor's meeting; Jen to request an earlier morning slot 11
• Oreos/ORIO: Proposed at 1:00–2:30 PM as a bridge before the 4:00 PM LGU meeting 5
• If no morning school confirmations are received, the group will travel on September 29 afternoon and proceed directly to the 4:00 PM appointment 9

Decisions Made

• Installation only on the evening of September 30 — joint meeting removed to avoid an overly long program 34
• If CSU attendees express interest in joining Toastmasters, membership forms will be available on-site for immediate fill-up and induction that evening 4
• September 30 date is fixed; the group will work around it rather than reschedule 1213
• If the Mayor is unavailable, a chief of staff or representative is expected to receive the group automatically 1314
• The Mayor's office visit is a courtesy call (not a demo meeting); a formal demo presentation will happen at a later date 1516

Membership & Club Health

• Renewal deadline: September 30; fee increases from $10 to $12 after that date 6
• Downtown club: ~8–9 active members; needs additional renewals 717
• Butuan club: 7 renewals confirmed to date; at least one member unable to renew (out of country) 18
• Charter cost for a new club: approximately ₱125,000 — steep barrier for new institutions 19
• Recommendation: Recruit CSU individuals as members of existing clubs (Butuan or Downtown) first, then let them advocate internally for forming a CSU club later 19
• Three registered mentor members are required to support any new LGU or institutional club; Gilbert, CREVI, and Jojo identified as potential mentors 2021

Recruitment & Social Media

• Current attendance at meetings is low (as few as 7 per session); guest invitations are being used to pad numbers 22
• VPR (Jojo/Jocelyn) identified as the social media lead; CREVI's daughter may assist with managing the club page 2324
• Recommendation: Post club content at least every two days — quotes, themes, activity photos — to maintain visibility 24
• Meeting programs should be shared at least one week in advance; last-minute posting reduces attendance 25
• CDO club recently held a demo meeting and already has 21 members signed up for Land Bank — cited as a benchmark 26

Action Items

• Jen: Follow up with Philippine Science High School to request a morning slot on September 30 11
• Jen: Contact CSU to confirm a morning appointment 510
• Jen: Remind club president about September 30 renewal deadline; re-send reminder to members 17
• CREVI: Confirm Gilbert Villar's availability for September 30 27
• CREVI: Coordinate with Ma'am Ched (Downtown club president) on member remittances 17
• CREVI/Bobsey: Activate club Facebook page; assign millennial member to manage regular posting 24
• Bobsey: Check with Direk Jed about joining the September 30 Butuan visit 28
• Bobsey: Send sample Davao Noontime installation program to CREVI/Jen as reference 29

Next Meeting

• Date: September 24 (Thursday) — online
• Agenda: Finalize installation program flow, confirm Direk Jed's attendance, review who can join the demo team 29