By The ISM NorCal Team

October 2017

This year, the ISM met in Jordan for its first international meeting in more than a decade, and its first truly international meeting ever. (The first was held in London and was heavily British in attendance, as one would expect.)

Nine countries, including Palestine, were represented, with no more than three from any one country.  In that sense, it was a true representation of the ISM international community.  We agreed that it is worth doing again, possibly every two years.

Many internal matters were discussed, but perhaps the biggest benefit to us all was to get to know and create a network with the support groups in other countries.  Surprisingly, it has not existed until now.  We were able to exchange experiences on recruiting, fundraising, screening and training volunteers and much more.

The result is that we all came back with to-do lists coupled with contacts in other countries that can help us improve the work of the ISM.  ISM-NorCal is planning to work on our recruitment and outreach program, so that we can send more sorely needed volunteers to Palestine, and to assist chapters in other countries with development of programs that has been successful.  The newsletter that you are reading, for example, is the only one published by any of the chapters.

Thank you for your support and we pledge to keep you informed about our needs and accomplishments.

The ISM-NorCal Team