Working on a national board on an honorary basis is a big responsibility. No matter whether they hold the position of the president, the treasurer or a board member – in many associations the members of the national board are personally responsible for leading employees, encouraging the growth of the association, supporting Kolping Families and for professional project work. And all of this is happening while they are doing their ordinary jobs and are taking care of their families.
How to cope well with all those challenges was one of the items on the agenda of the training course for national board members led by General Secretary Dr. Markus Demele in Costa Rica in July. Participants from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic met to discuss the challenges they are facing in making their work for the association a success and to learn more about the history of the association.
One core principle is that all over the world Kolping has always been courageous enough to start or accept something new while remaining true to the principles and values of the association. This awareness and the self-assurance resulting from the resolutions adopted at the International Convention in Lima in 2017 motivated all participants to continue with their committed work for Kolping Families in their countries.
Kolping Costa Rica used the opportunity of this workshop to present the work of many small Kolping businesses to the international group and many local residents on the central market square in San Isidro de El General. Bishop Gabriel Enrique Montero Umaña OFMConv was not the only one to be impressed by the large variety of activities in Latin America.
Next year there will be a training course for other countries in Latin America where there are Kolping Families.
