YLEP North America participants and mentors:
We will be conducting our second conference call on Sunday April 26 at 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET
Please use the following dial-in number / passcode:
Dial-in: 888-742-8686 (USA) or +1-303-928-2600 (Intn’l)
Passcode: 3646162
Passcode: 3646162
The call will last about an hour. We’ll follow the agenda shown below.
Please be ready to give everyone an update of your team’s progres
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Minute
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Agenda Item
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0 – 5
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Attendance: Record attendees
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5 – 15
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Congress: Report on who has registered for Dubai congress; help with accommodations
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15 – 45
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Project/Team Updates: Each person/team provides updates on their project
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45 – 55
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Questions/Advice: Ask questions/advice of peers/mentors
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55 – 60
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Next Steps: Setup next conference call check-in
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YLEP North America – Conference Call #1 (2/22/09)
ACTION ITEMS FOR ALL YLEP N.A. PARTICIPANTS
· Reach out to the lead for the project that interests you most (ASAP)
· Self-organize into teams (ASAP)
· Develop action plan and begin work on projects (ASAP)
· Be ready to report team plan/progress by next meeting (April)
· Respond to Firdosh for preferred weekend for next call (ASAP)
· Join the YLEP LinkedIn and Facebook groups to share your profile and learn more about other participants (ASAP):
§ Facebook (Dubai Congress Attendees): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18248634655
· Add new YLEP email distribution list to your Contacts / junk mail filter “safe list” (ASAP)
· Register for Dubai Congress! (ASAP)
In Attendance via Conference Call
YLEP PARTICIPANTS
· Jimmy Antia
· Shireen Cama
· Jasmine Dadachanji
· Ferzeen Chapgar
· Eric Engineer
· Carl Irani
· Afreed Mistry
· Hormuz Nicolwala
· Shahrukh Tarapore
CO-ORDINATORS / MENTORS/SUPPORTERS
· Meher Amalsad
· Niloufer Bhesania
· Firdosh Mehta
· Behram Pastakia
· Bomi Patel
Meeting Notes
· Firdosh provided updates on YLEP Program
o Three members have dropped out (Armaity Homavazir, Phiroozeh Petigara & Kaizad Irani) and one was added (Carl Irani)
o Shireen Cama is helping a team from India and also willing to help out a NA team
o Dubai Congress: early-bird registration extended by couple months for YLEP participants
· Several YLEP participants presented their project ideas
o Eric Engineer #1 – Zoroastrian Business Plan Contest (NA or WW)
§ Entrepreneur registers and is paired with mentors
§ Judges (VCs, wealthy investors, entrepreneurs, etc) pick 3-5 finalists
§ Finalists present at high-profile event where judges provide live feedback and other investors see best plans (Dubai?)
§ Winners get prizes: cash and in-kind services
§ Would be initiated in partnership with WZCC/WZO Congress
§ Firdosh: some overlap with WZCC; India doing some similar stuff
§ Afreed/Jasmine: know some Zoroastrian VCs who might be interested
o Eric Engineer #2 – Zoroastrian Stimulus Plan
§ Drive an initiative with WZCC to provide assistance specifically to Zoroastrians hurt by economy
§ Services: Resume book, job bank, career counseling, in-kind services
§ Funds: education/training scholarships, loans, grants
§ Firdosh: some overlap with WZCC; should be done using existing infrastructure
o Afreed Mistry #1 – Zoroastrian Education Website
§ Web resource for parents and community teachers
§ Materials, guidance, links, and other resources
§ Religion, culture, history, etc
§ N American perspective
§ Firdosh/Bomi: some materials/curriculum already exist; similar initiatives already in progress via FEZANA; could use initiative to link them
§ Bomi: Lovji Cama runs a Religious Education website – linked to www.fezana.org
o Afreed Mistry #2 – Zoroastrian Youth Camp
§ Similar to Indian HPY program
§ Funding already available
§ Firdosh: worth changing name of program due to Bombay concerns
o Hormuz Nicolwala #1 – Non-profit e-commerce website for Zoroastrian merchandise
§ Website selling Zoroastrian related merchandise (religious, cultural, and fun)
§ All profits directed to Zoroastrian-related charities
§ Firdosh: several for-profit sites already exist but maybe not as broad
o Hormuz Nicolwala #2 – Initiative to improve inter-faith dialog
§ Use history research to find common threads
o Jimmy Antia – Link young people to enable fundraising for Zoroastrian-charities in India/Iran
§ WZO – farmers/micro-lending in India/Iran
§ Niloufer: there is a Toronto organization (BaiMai Surti Foundation)
§ Firdosh: FEZANA also a non-profit (works in partnership with WZO)
§ Shireen: Willing to team up with Jimmy Antia in micro-lending projects for rural Parsi farmers in Gujarat
o Shireen Cama – Zoroastrian Social Justice and Humanitarian Network
§ Network of Zoroastrians interested in spreading social justice and initiating humanitarian efforts
§ Behram: This could be a legacy project of the 9th WZC held in Dubai
o Shahrukh Tarapore – Online Zoroastrian Magazine
§ From perspective of 1st generation in Zoroastrian Diaspora (i.e. children of Indian/Pakistani/Iranian immigrants)
§ Behram: This could be a legacy project from the 9th WZC held in Dubai
· YLEP Mentors provided encouragement/guidance
o Niloufer Bhesania
§ OZCF past-president
§ Available to help: Sounding board / mentor
§ Background: CA; can provide insight into business
o Meher Amalsad
§ Lots of great ideas
§ Willing to connect YLEP participants with people around the world
o Bomi Patel
§ This conference call has been very useful in realizing that Zoroastrian youth are not visiting thewww.fezana.org web site where a lot of information is already available.
§ ACTION Bomi: Will create a YLEP e-mail list (ylep@fezana.org) tofacilitate communication and provide space to YLEP on the FEZANA website
o Behram Pastakia
§ YLEP Projects don’t have to end at Dubai congress; can be legacy projects
§ Operation Eyesight Program (Legacy of 7th World Zoroastrian Congress held in Houston)
§ Collect eyeglasses at Dubai; Team from North America gave out eyeglasses in Colombia, S. America over Thanksgiving week 2008;
§ Planning to do something similar in India after the Dubai Congress; Accommodations for volunteers and for transport to villages already arranged near Ahmedabad
o Firdosh Mehta
§ World Zoroastrian Symphony Orchestra (legacy project of 7th WZC Houston): Looking for participants for Dubai
§ Might consider having a Session for YLEP at Youth Congress
§ FEZANA AGM – May 22 (Memorial Day in Orlando)
§ Trying to get Dubai Congress subsidies for some youth (including YLEP participants); awaiting approval at FEZANA AGM; Suggests YLEP attend NAZYC in California in July 2009.
· YLEP participants agreed to reach out to those who did not attend conference call
o ACTION: Jasmine Dadachanji will connect with YLEP participants in North West USA and Western Canada
o ACTION: Afreed Mistry to connect with Canadian participants – Susan Kaboly and Mantreh Atashband in Toronto
· Next meeting with be in April: Eric will send details in coming weeks
