We are excited to share our recent board meeting trip to the beautiful city of Amsterdam, which took place from Friday to Sunday 14-16th of June. The weekend was packed with productive meetings, delicious gluten-free food, and some exploration of the city. Here’s a recap of our weekend.
Friday: Arrival and Strategic Insights
On Friday, our board members gathered from across Europe. Aline arrived from Switzerland, Paula from Germany, and Amalie from Norway. We dove straight into a meeting with Gill Brennan, the Board Director of AOECS. Gill, who holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Management, provided invaluable insights that helped us refine CYE’s strategy and goals. We focused on several key areas:
- Enhancing Communication Strategies: Improving our outreach and engagement with the coeliac youth community.
- Engaging More Youth Boards Across Europe: Finding ways to connect and collaborate with youth boards throughout Europe.
- Promoting Gluten-Free Options in Airports: Advocating for better gluten-free food availability in airports to ensure safe travel for coeliacs.
After a productive session with Gill, we treated ourselves to some delicious gluten-free Italian cuisine, setting the tone for a fantastic weekend.
Saturday: Summer Camp and Exploration
On saturday we met up with Marissa and Dana from the summer camp team. They walked us trough the agenda and gaves un an update on the summer camp. Let us say that it will be incredibly exciting and an amazing experience for all attendees. We met up at a 100% gluten-free restaurant called Wiled and the moon.
In addition to our planning session, we also had the chance to explore a bit of Amsterdam. We wandered through picturesque streets and enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the city. Of course, we made sure to indulge in more yummy gluten-free food, discovering some fantastic local spots.
Sunday: Strategy and Constitution Work
On Sunday, we continued our strategic work, building on the initiatives discussed with Gill. We implemented Cascade, a tool to help us manage and track our progress more effectively. Additionally, we started looking into reworking our constitution to better align with our evolving goals and the needs of our community.
This final day of our trip was productive, and we left Amsterdam feeling motivated and ready to carry on our work back in our respective countries.
GF places visited:
Cafe Piazza – had a GF menue
Wild and the moon – 100% GF
Puccini – had GF sandwich
De Italiaan – GF options
Craft Coffee & Pastry – 100% GF (be prepared to stand in the queue for a while, but it is so worth it!)