On Friday, December 9, and Saturday, December 10, the America Regional Meeting welcomed staff and volunteers from the Priories of the USA and Canada, and St John Associations of Barbados, Bermuda, Jamaica, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. The meeting was marked with significance as it was the first face-to-face meeting in four years and the first following the adoption of the Order’s global strategy.
The meeting focused on how the America region could become a mutually beneficial network, as well as what is currently working well, and what needs to be improved within the Priories of the USA and Canada, and the St John Associations.
The gathering allowed for personal interaction that was very much missed after a period of over two years of restricted world travel. After all, we’re one St John looking out for one another.
The two America Priories USA and Canada—and each Association from the Caribbean provided an overview of their organisations, including their history, strengths, and challenges, during the meeting.
From the individual overviews, it became apparent that there were similarities in the strengths and challenges of each organisation. All organisations agreed that being proud of the quality of service they provide to their communities was a strength and that sustainability, including recruitment and retention of youth, was a challenge.
To conclude, attendees of the meeting agreed that building momentum and increasing interaction are critical to regional success. A further online meeting will take place in March 2023, with the intention to meet again in person in June or July 2023.
