Nieuwsbrief december 2.0

It's back, bigger and better

Allright, I know what you're thinking: another newsletter? So soon? What was wrong with the last one? Well, mea maxima culpa. Last week there was too much content I could't be arsed to deal with, so that's why I'm spamming you a second time. As opposed to the title (pure clickbait) this newsletter is not bigger nor better than the previous one. It's existence is born out of pure necessity. We still have to tell you about some pretty cool events the Activity Committee has cooked up and we'd like to discuss the future of UBoulder. Also, we'd like to share a whole lot of useless stuff with you. You'll find the useless stuff strategically spread throughout the newsletter.

So yeah, continue reading.
 

Will you bring in our fortieth member?
How cool would it be if UBoulder enters the new year with forty members? Especially since we only came into existence half a year ago. As we speak (or rather: you read) the counter hits 38. That's why I'm asking you, oh sweetest member, to help us out for a bit. Ask around, spam your colleagues and talk to new climbers at the boulder gym while rocking your new UBoulder shirt. All means are justified (including extreme force and/or waterboarding, as long as the board can plausibly deny it).

Of course, we'll reward you for your efforts. The one who brings in the fortieth member, gets a well meant patting on the back or a sweet smile from a board member of your choosing. Great deal right?

Nothing like old war propaganda make people psyched for mundane tasks

UBoulder needs you!

For our halfth birthday it's time for a look to our humble roots. Where do we come from (Utrecht, duh), where do we want to go (Fontainebleau, duh) and how do we get there (with a rental van, duh)?

But let's get serious for a minute. If we've learned anything from the past half year (which is not the case, but for this newsletter's sake, let's presume it is), it's that volunteers are absolutely vital for our survival. Cool activities like cocktailnights, the UBoulder gym tour and Sinterklaasbouldering are all cooked up and executed by the activity committee. Without them, UBoulder wouldn't be half as social as it is today (we, the board, are quite anti social).

And that's only the beginning. Next Spring, UBoulder organizes six whole bouldering trips abroad. That is a sizeable logistical challenge. We need your help to bring this challenge to a succesful end. Every bouldering trip someone has to do the groceries or pick up and bring back the rental van. So far, our fabulous Jelmer did this. But what happens when he's unavailable? It's important that we can fall back on you. So please: go all in for once and offer to help out with picking up the rental van, groceries or baking a cake.

But wait, there's more. UBoulder is looking for volunteers. You can volunteer for anything. Whether it's organizing a crazy good party, helping out with the weekly training sessions or if you've got a great idea: we'd love hearing from you. So chat us up when you see us in the gym, spam our mailbox or put an idea in our digital idea box.

If you'd like to be of more substantial help, look for our professional jobs without labour agreement or pay, no company car or bonus. You can find all the vacancies at www.uboulder.nl/volunteers/. You're more than welcome!

- More war propaganda to make you extra enthousiast -
 

Talking about volunteers, the Activity Comittee is getting out of hand!
Before we lock ourselves away with our alcoholic family, the Activity Committee organizes some really sweet and cool things. Below is a comprehensive list of the awesomeness.

1. Uboulder Gym Tour to Kei next saturday (15 December). You can sign up till Wednesday (which is tomorrow), so be quick!
2. Game night on December 18th. Do you go crazy when playing games? Great, me too. Drop by and share your enthusiasm. Location and time are still unknown factors, but it'll be somewhere in the evening, somewhere in Utrecht.
3. UBoulder Gym Tour to Rijnboulder in Arnhem on January the 15th. Next month we'll unleash hell, glory and sweet sends at tourstop #2. Rijnboulder apparently is really cool so I can't wait to check it out! Do yourself a favor and block this date in your calendar.

Behind the veil unveiled: meeting with SportUtrecht

Giving a training, organising a bouldering trip, pushing a printed t-shirt into your hands, all of those are tangible and visible things within UBoulder. But we do so much more that you don’t even know about. And thankfully, this way you can boulder and make friends in peace. We do find it important to tell our members about what we are up to. No only so you gain trust in the workings of the club, but maybe even more because you also have good ideas with which you can help us out.

Earlier this month Thomas and Jelmer went to SportUtrecht to chat for a bit. Just about dinner time we arrived in an almost empty office with just two employees, the other already went home. “But we’re used to that as sports club advisers. Clubs are run by volunteers and those have to work during the day. Many appointments are in the evenings.”

Clubs can contact SportUtrecht for advice about accomodation, communication, subsidies, member recruitment, organisation of events, policy, volunteers, legislation, …, basically everything about the club. SportUtrecht will monitor us and will check other clubs or parties that are interesting for us to cooperate with. We will go to SportUtrecht to brainstorm about specific problems, and once in a while to have a progress review.

More specifically, we went home with:

• Knowledge about SportUtrecht and what they can help us with
• Contact person at SportUtrecht who will help us
• Instructions for subsidy which we have to submit before the end of the year
• Instructions about the course confidential referral advisor (two UBoulder members have signed up for this)
• Instructions about requesting VOG’s for volunteers
• List with media contacts that we can reach out to for promotion
• Unfortunately no cookies, we forgot to grab those

HKHG - UBoulder
www.uboulder.nl