Message from Maurits

Dear All!!

First of all  I would like to congratulate us and each other for another beautiful conference. Congratulations are a Greek habit after a conference, I don’t know if it is used elsewhere. Anyway I like it, for a conference is also something we make together.

It was no secret everybody somehow was anxious to see if everything could work out after a difficult, and unexpected start.

But with Cam at the web and the money part, Angela with everything, the commission on the institution,  and me in the phone with Greece every day the last many months, we made it.

And it was a wonderful conference. Beautiful surroundings, good hotel, great translators, (to much) Greek food and an interesting noisy and charming city.

We heard many good keynotes, many great workshops and a lot of talks, sightseeing and a great party in the end, of course with Greek dance, Sirtaki.

It is alway a shame not everybody can be there every time, but we hope to see you, maybe in Kansas City, MO next year.

We also decided that we will have a conference on Iceland in 2016 and maybe in Maryland in 2017.

We had both a board meeting and a General Assembly, as we have to, according to the statutes. Some topics were discussed and we made some fast working committees, so we can work with new subjects on our way. You can read more in the minutes included.

This was the second conference without John and of course we thought about him, especially in this situation, because we have been together with him on so many occasions like this.

But we made a great conference together, in spite of missing him, and I found everybody worked hard to carry on. It is really important , especially for the new members in our society, that we can concentrate us on Gentle Teaching, with John as a founder of course. We must give space, so the new ones feel at home, even though they never met John.

I think we did this very well.

I will write an official letter to Iceland, and also an official letter to the organizing institution in Thessaloniki , to the general Secretary of social affairs and to the assistant mayors of the city, who all attended a short period of the conference, and who supported the conference.

It is also great that the institution could make the conference break even, also with your help. A special thanks you for that.

Thanks to all of you present, you did great! Thanks to Angela and everybody else working so hard to making this happen.

Hugs