CYC-Net upgrades website — “Real Appeal”

What a great job done on the new look and features of the CYC-Net site! As I try to imagine all that’s involved in the running of the many aspects of CYC-Net, especially in light of all these new projects, I’m reminded of August’s CYC-Online Editorial message, “A Real Appeal”* which stated “Since the beginning of this fiscal year (April 1) CYC-Net has received no financial support from its thousands of world-wide users — more than two thousand unique visitors a day to its web site and more than three thousand members of the discussion group.”

That Editorial message brought my attention to how much I value and respect CYC-Net. For this emerging profession, I see CYC-Net as an integral unifying organization in which together we learn, share and grapple with the endless and dynamic matters concerning our field. Also, I appreciate the professionalism and integrity CYC-Net presents and provides as a standard model for CYC as a whole.

How saddening and concerning it was for me to read: “Were CYC-Net to have a personality, ... it would feel unvalued, insignificant and worthless.”

However, also from reading that Editorial piece, I realized I could further contribute to the development of CYC by contributing financially to the maintenance of CYC-Net. I have a few hunches. First, that the limited resources available to the CYC-Net Editors made it necessary for the recent temporary shutdown of most of the online functioning of CYC-Net. Second, that many other CYC-Net “members” (CYC students, practitioners/ professionals, organizations, regional associations, educators, academic schools, etc.) likely also have realized the importance of sustaining CYC-Net and the opportunity to do so by contributing financially to it. Third, that the direct “real appeal” helps stimulate motivated action as it did for myself — sending a cheque to CYC-Net!

For me, the matter boils down to this:

• CYC-Net is NOT adequately supported — it is unacceptable that available resources would be so low such that CYC-Net would need to shut down in order to do upgrades — to develop and grow

• CYC-Net is requesting financial support from it’s members (consumers)

• CYC-Net is suggesting $12 per year

• Integrity is at stake for CYC-Net members (and in turn, the image of CYC as a profession)

If one considers the request reasonable (as I did), then comply with it; on the other hand, should the request be considered unreasonable, then let’s discuss, shall we — POST AWAY!

The August 2007 CYC-ONLINE Editorial is titled, “A Real Appeal” and the first that has come to my attention. However, I learn from the article that this is not the first appeal CYC-Net has made to its consumers for financial support. How were earlier such campaigns received, you might ask? Here is what the editors said:

*QUOTE
We have appealed for help before and usually all we get are either
a) general answers like, ‘ya, sure sounds important’ or ‘hey we didn’t know there was a problem’ or
b) a overwhelming silence, like the one we fear may result following this editorial.
END QUOTE

In a recent CYC-Net email discussion post, the Editors take the opportunity to welcome “the large group of newcomers to the Discussion Group who have joined up during the last two weeks.” Another hunch I have is that a large number of those newcomers are new CYC students who may already know or are learning of the importance in our field of modeling integrity — to do otherwise is to set an example of otherwise for children and youth, which is unacceptable and unethical from CYC practitioners.

I’ll go as far as to say that “a overwhelming silence” (from CYC practitioners, organizations, professional regional associations, students, educators, academic schools, etc.) to “A Real Appeal” from CYC-Net for financial support is likewise both unacceptable and unethical. Let’s break the silence and get on with it, shall we?

Go grab the chequebook and write a cheque for say 15 bucks (Can, US, Aus, or that ballpark of your currency)

What, too much? Then first send less, before making sure to share your thoughts about it in the email discussion group!

Make cheque out to CYC-Net, throw it in an envelope addressed to either
CANADA: CYC-Net, 207 Rue L’ile de Belair E. Rosemere, Quebec. Canada J7A 2L4
or
SOUTH AFRICA: CYC-Net, P.O. Box 23199, Claremont 7735, South Africa

Find your old snail-mail stamps (use a glue stick if they were as old and dusty as mine were) and put enough of them on there to cover postage, or if you can’t find your stamps, just take to a postal outlet to pay postage.

Then MAIL IT!

And then maybe we can get past this as our embarrassing “overwhelming silence” is broken at last!

Now, some might choose to send in their cheques silently. For the rest of us, I have a request myself — If you are in favour of contributing financially to CYC-Net and would like to make further comments on the matter, then how about we have it be that “my cheque is in the mail” before we make that post, and say so within it? I’m anxious to hear what CYCers have to say either way — with integrity.

* You can see the Editorial “A Real Appeal”, ISSUE 103, AUGUST 2007 here:
http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cyconline0708.html

My cheque is in the mail.

Davey
David Martine, BA (CYC)
Vancouver, BC