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News from OMEP

OMEP Mourns the Loss of Three Remarkable LeadersIt is with much sadness that we report elsewhere in thisissue the losses OMEP has sustained in the passing ofthree of its international workers of the highest order:

Asa Gruda Skard of Norway, World President ofOMEP from 1962 to 1968, who died on 13 August;Suzanne Herbiniere Lebert of France, a Founder Presi­dent of OMEP, who died on 11 October, and a youngermember, who had worked with tremendous enthusiasmfor OMEP over the past eight years, Evangeline Wardof USA, who died during the night of 10/11 October,far from her own country on a lecture tour devoted topeace education in Australia.

We honour their memories and all they stood andworked for through their lives and it is our hope that thevalues that inspired them will continue to live and inspirethe members of our great World fellowship to continueworking for the welfare, health and happiness of youngchildren everywhere.

Community DisastersOMEP has often spoken of the need to organizeassistance and support in the face of great natural as wellas man-made disasters and we have all been deeply stirredby the way in which the Mexican National Committeehas been able to mobilise immediate help to the homelessand orphaned children following the terrible earthquakeof 19 September. Elsewhere you can read of the appealfrom the World President and the address to whichassistance can be sent.

Following news of this major tragedy we heard aboutand saw on our television screens the tragic and over­whelmingdisaster resulting from the eruption of the long­dormant volcano, Nevada de Ruiz, in Colombia, causinga gigantic avalanche that swept away 80010 of the townof Armero while its inhabitants were sleeping. Again ourgestures of sympathy and concern can be expressed tothe National OMEP Committee through their President- it is at times of disaster that OMEP can strengthenits bonds of fellowship and rally to the support of thevictims of such disasters.

Executive and World Council Meetings in Madrid15-18 May, 1985It was with great regret that I had to send my apologiesfor these important meetings owing to the serious illnessof a close member of my family. But out of this disap­pointment has come a better appreciation of the valuableand essential task carried out regularly and conscientouslyby the World President and the members of herSecretariat (notes taken at the meetings by JaquelineEwald) in producing detailed yet succinct records of thesemeetings subsequently forward to all Chairman ofNational Committees. There were eleven members ofExecutive and twenty-five delegates from National Com­mittees present in Madrid.

INT. J. OF EARLY CHILDHOOD, 1985, 17,2

Warm thanks were expressed to the Chairman of theSpanish Committee, Mrs Josefine Capilla Jimenez, forthe generous hosting of these meetings and for the warmreception accorded Excecutive and World Councilmembers.

The Co-ordinator of the Membership Commission(Eva Balke) proposed that the Bulgarian PreparatoryCommittee be granted full National Committee status andthis was unanimously agreed by the Council. Mrs RadkaSlovova re-affirmed the Bulgarian Committee's wish tocollaborate fully with OMEP's objectives.

UNESCO RepresentativeThe World President paid tribute to Mrs GillianBeddington for all the years of service she had given toOMEP and especially thanked her for her work asUNESCO Representative.

Current ProjectsProgress was reported on current projects some of whichare mentioned briefly here:

Anthology of Traditional Games - an invitation waspresented for OMEP members to attend a seminar inBelgrade, 9-12October 1985. We subsequently heard thatmuch careful preparation went into this seminar whichgenerated much interest.

Terminology Questionnaire - now in its final formhad been distributed and all National Committees wereurged to complete and return the forms to Eva Balke sothat a synthesis could be presented to the World Councilin Jerusalem. The hope was expressedthat this would giverise to a joint OMEP/UNESCO publication.

Education for Peace Enquiry - the report waspresented by Maria Dunin-Wasowicz who informedmembers that the Polish Committee would present a copyof the report to each National Committee, much ap­preciation was expressed at this gesture.

Human Resource Bank - Margaret Weiser (USA)reported that eleven countries had provided names ofmembers well-known for their expertise. As has becomethe custom time was provided for Regional Meetings andfor Meetings of Commissions.

The Commission on Statutes proposed amendingArticle 111 of the Rules dealing with the election of theDeputy World President; to define the tasks peculiar tothe President and to amend the procedures relating to theelection of the World President. The World Councilapproved these proposals for submission to the WorldAssembly.

Mrs Susan Harttung was unanimously voted

INT. J. OF EARLY CHILDHOOD, 1985, 17,2

co-ordinator of the Nominations Commission and wouldproceed with forwarding information on the lists of poststo be filled at the next World Council and arrangementsfor elections including closing date for nominations.

Mrs Curtis presented the Report for the InternationalJournal in the absence of Margaret Roberts. Itwas agreedthat a meeting with the new Editor Professor OttoWeininger was vital and it was hoped that this would takeplace in August.

A Publication Commission was set up with Mrs Curtisas co-ordinator and a number of proposals for futurepublications were presented. Mrs McKenna (past Editor)underlined the need to distinguish between the EditorialCouncil of the Journal and any parallel body set up forother publications. It was agreed that Mrs Curtis woulddistribute a questionnaire to delegates by means of whichthey could make known their feelings about the futureof the International Journal. The proposal for a perma­nent Publications Commission was adopted.

The co-ordinator of the Membership Commissionreferred to the five types of membership that operatedin OMEP and spoke of new contacts with Singapore andZambia. Nepal, New Zealand and Cameroun were work­ing towards Preparatory status and in the meantime MrsKala Lobe Kutta (Cameroun) was given the status ofIndividual Member.

A Working party was set up to look at the proposalfor a Commission on Poverty with Mrs Carmen Fisceras co-ordinator. It was decided that there should be aWorking Party within the Programme Commission togive special consideration to the problem of poverty, sothat OMEP's programme might be increasingly orientedto the most under-privileged groups of children.

Evangeline Ward, co-ordinator of the ResolutionsCommission, detailed the procedure to be followed topresent Resolutions to be voted on the General Assembly.The importance of first-class translations of resolutionswas emphasized; also the need to formulate resolutionswhich were as relevant as possible to OMEP's specificeducational role.

The co-ordinator of the Programme Commission, IvanIvic, briefly listed the projects already in progress whichrequired to be pursued and brought to a conclusion. Newproposals were needed to be presented to the WorldCouncil in Jersualem.

The President gave further details on the proposedEuropean Charter on the Rights of the Child.

The Deputy World President, Candide Pineault, askedfor further comments on her document, Text of Pro­cedures', which had started at the Lisbon Meetings.

The World Treasurer, Heribert Morsberger, gave adetailed analysis of the financial situatiion and theFinance Commissionpresented proposals for the 1986

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Budget which were approved. The Regional Vice­Presidents present read reports on activities in theirRegions and copies of these will be circulated with theMinutes together with the Presidents comments.

The World President gave a full report of her activitiesand visits since the last meeting of the World Council.

Future MeetingsForward plans are always important and the health andvigour of OMEP was demonstrated by a number ofgenerous offers of hospitality for future meetings. Thenext meeting of the World Council would be in Jerusalemin 1986 and Lyn Jasik reported that initial publicity andfurther details had been posted to National Committees.Norway had invited the World Council to meet in Osloin 1987. The 40th Anniversary in 1988 would becelebrated in Prague, the city where OMEP was founded,following an invitation from the CzechoslovakianNational Committee.

Mrs Audry Curtis, on behalf of the U.K. NationalCommittee issued an invitation for the holding of the1989 World Assembly in U.K. and this was received withexpressions of satisfaction.

The President thanked all present for their help in com­pleting the Agenda and the interpreters for their excellentwork. Before closing the meeting -thanks and apprecia­tion were expressed to the members of the SpanishCommittee for all they had done to contribute to thesmooth running of the meetings and the hospitality fordelegates.

Future of the International JournalAt the conclusion of our three year period of Editorshipand production of the International Journal in U.K. wewould like to take this opportunity to convey our thanksto members of the Editorial Committee for their interestand collaboration, also to Journal Representatives andMembership Secretaries who have so loyally forwardedlists of subscribers AND their subscriptions, withoutwhich the Journal would cease to exist! Also warm thanksto our two Associate Editors and, of course, to our manycontributors for articles nad photographs. Last but cer­tainly not least, grateful thanks to our invaluable team'behind the scenes', to Mrs Shirley Roche, our part-timeSecretary; Mrs Sue Miller, our translator and Miss JoanRose, our typesetter, all of whom have given their ser­vices with great generosity over the past three years.

AND NOW our very best wishes to the Journal's newEditor, Professor Otto Weininger and his team of helpersin Toronto into whose capable hands we pass on OMEP'sInternational Journal. I think we can say we have learnta great deal from the experience and certainly now havea far clearer appreciation of what is involved in the pro­duction and circulation of an International Journal notleast being the importance of TIME, ENERGY ANDENTHUSIASM!

Margaret Roberts