Where there is a Will,

There we have the Power

 

Where there is the Power

There we have the Future

 

“Will – Power – Future”

Esko Vepsä

 

To have the Future, we have to know where we are standing now and to understand that we have to understand the Past. Knowledge of History makes a man to understand the Future.

 

This place, where we are just now, was a little bit more than 300 years ago nothing else as a swamp, almost impossible to live because of floods twice every year covering the most of this area with waters from Lake Ladoga. This area was called as Ingermanland; the name coning from Ingered a princess, who got this land from her father. It can be understood as well as “no mans land” in Swedish: “ingen mans land”

 

Then it was happened something in the large country of Russia. Russians got Petrs the Great as Char. He wanted to open the Country to the rest of the world. For that purpose he had to change almost everything in the Russian way of life and thinking. The country was practically divided in to independent regions leaded by land lords, who had all the power in their territory. They wanted o keep the situation as it had been for centuries.

 

Peter the Great had a will, he got the Power to change the world. He opened his mind and his country to the ideas from the rest of the word. He started to build this marvelous city on the swamp to get a new capital to his country and to get the way to the seven seas for his nation.

 

 

In the History of this City there is an interesting timing:

 

“1709  –  1809  –  1917  –  1941/44  –  1988/91  -  2009??”

 

1709 the battle of Pultava, where Peter the Great finally secured his power and position.

Russia became a modern (relatively) joined the European members of Empires (Prussia, Austria, France, England and Russia)

 

1809 the war in the North, when Finland became o part of Russian Empire as an Autonomy

Strong growing around Saint Petersburg, when the Chars Alexander I, Nikolai I and Alexander II

Welcomed the knowledge of other nations in to Russia and developed a well working industrial economy by mixing that with the Russian knowledge and traditions

 

1917 the Great Revolution, which gave the knowledge of reading and writing to the smallest village in the most isolated part of this enormous country and the possibility to everybody to get education even to the highest level. The idea was the most democratic in the World, built on Councils from the villages up to the State top level.   

 

1941-44 we had the WW2, when this city was surrounded by the enemy, and suffered almost three years badly. This terrible era was teaching people to survive in the most extreme situations.

 

1988-91, when the communistic system collapsed and opened the boarders again. This was closing in a way the circle of Saint Petersburg and reminding the situation of Peter the Great by accepting ideas to cross the boarders, people to travel and co-operation to grow and be stronger.

 

What is this telling for us as Y’smen in Europe to day?

 

“ 1922  -  1928  -  1939/45  -  1947  -  2009??”

 

Our History is full of  critical points as well:

1922 the born of Y’s Men’s Clubs in USA

1928 landing in Europe in one of the smallest countries in the Continent, Estonia

WW2 almost killing the movement in Europe

1947 Y’s Men landed in Denmark with the fantastic result we can see today

Now the Movement is growing rapidly in India and Asia. Europe is having her strength and future in her new member countries: Russia, Poland, Baltic Countries and the Districts Donau and Transylvania of Region Denmark.  The strength of these New Member Nations we are having is still sleeping, but waiting to be waked up.

 

We have to recognize in the old member countries, how strong of week we are, that we have to accept these new members as full members in our movement. This we are doing by opening the doors to the leadership for them. We have to see what Peter the Great did in his time in Russia: to understand that how strong and good we are, we can always learn something from our brothers and sister abroad. This was painful for the landlords in this country 300 years ago. It may be painful for us, but the History is showing that this pain is healing pain. The Future is stronger and brighter after we have accepted this pain.

 

Let us invite members from these new member nations in to our Area leader Team, let us elect some representatives from our new member nation in the highest positions of our movement

 

The strength of our new member nations is in the local level. It is in their way to do the social work and community service, it is in the enthusiastic way of doing the things, which are new for them. It is in the Christian Emphasis in these countries.

 

Where there is a will, there is the Power

The will to change the things is giving us the Power to do it.

 

We are facing the Future of European Y’sdom as in the cross of roads. We are standing strong as we are, but other Areas are growing stronger and stronger. We are loosing our position as it has happened already for the North America, USA & Canada. Our movement is finding a new way by growing Asian and Indian leadership.

 

What will happen to the Christian Emphasis in the movement?

What will happen to the tradition we have from Paul William Alexander?

What will happen to this Y’s Men Movement we know today?

 

Let us make Europe stronger with the enthusiasm of our new member countries by co-operating over boarders. Lets build the new “Saint Petersburg” of European Y’smen o open the doors and windows to new ideas and new way of life in our clubs and regions.

 

 

 

 

Think about Y’smen in our new member countries!!

 

Young people

Well educated and hard working people

Strongly social and family orientated people

A lot of youngsters involved in to the club life and activities

The Christian Emphasis well presented in their life

 

Can we really think our Future as European Y’s Men without a strong involvement of these members have here?

 

Of course they need education and training, but so do we

Of course they need help and assistance, but so do we

Of course they need to be understood in a proper way, but so do we