23/08/2022
Every year, our Soliswiss General Assembly and, after a two-year break, the Congress of the Swiss Abroad organized by Swisscommunity (ASO) took place in mid-August; in other words, an eventful, exciting week for our office. We are happy to share our brief review with you. If you have any questions or would like more detailed information or documentation, please feel free to contact us at the office in Bern, by phone or e-mail.
Soliswiss General Assembly
Many thanks to all who took the time to join us in Bern for the General Assembly on August 16, a beautiful late summer Tuesday!
22 people were on hand at the Allresto in Bern and 12 were represented by members who were present. In addition to the regular agenda items such as the annual elections, approval of minutes, etc., this year the deferred rate increase was up for debate and vote. The best way to read about the motivations that led to this proposal and agenda item is to read our blog article. The rate increase was unanimously approved, a vote of confidence that we are very pleased with. Likewise, the members of the Board of Directors were elected in globo for another one-year term.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Board of Directors, which has shown great commitment to our cooperative and always has an open ear for our concerns. We are happy to have so much expertise and power on the board!
Thanks to the unanimity, we were able to keep the General Assembly short as usual and – after a break due to Corona – we were finally able to enjoy an aperitif with our members, the Board, the auditor and the guests. Instead of “Käsekuchen”, we had tartelettes filled with hummus, minced meat pockets, skewers and cheese rolls filled with feta. The Allresto Congress Center spoiled us with Lebanese appetizers, thank you very much for that!
So, the official part of the afternoon was already over at 4pm and we were all the more happy to toast and discuss with our guests. Thank you all, for your trust and for using your right to vote – be it on site or with a proxy! If you have a suggestion or idea during the year, we are always open to it and happy to receive it.
Congress of the Swiss Abroad 2022
Two days later, i.e. on August 18, we as the office continued our journey to Lugano. With bag and baggage we started the wonderful journey across Switzerland to prepare our congress stand for Friday. Already before the meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad started the next morning, we could welcome the first visitors of our stand. The theme of this year’s congress was “What challenges for our democracy?” – a multi-layered topic that was addressed in presentations by various experts.
During the two days of the congress, we had many interesting and inspiring conversations at our booth and were able to welcome one or the other familiar face again. Our almond-bears were also there, which were popular and used up in no time. It was good to see each other again after a two-year break from the congress, to learn new things, to revisit old plans, to exchange ideas about needs, to ask how we as a cooperative can provide support, to make new acquaintances and, last but not least, to exchange ideas with the other stand operators. The range of services for Swiss people abroad is growing.
For us it was once again a highlight, an eventful, exhausting, enriching and enormously beautiful week. Now we are working at full speed to process all the information, to send one or the other package with a goodie and our brochures, to thank you, to hold discussions and to make further plans so that you as a Swiss abroad are well advised.
Many thanks to all who visited us at our General Assembly in Bern and at our stand in Lugano.
Cover image: Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Article images: evz