Tag: Activities

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We’ve missed you!

Dear members,

On the 10th of June we heard some long-awaited news…Coronavirus restrictions on club activities and in-person meetings are being partially lifted!

This means that we will be activating our alternative program scheduled for June and creating more in-person events for July and August. While we’ve enjoyed Zooming with you, nothing replaces the connection of being with one another in person.

We won’t be resuming our full program immediately. First of all, limits in the numbers of participants allowed restricts us to 10 people at each event in June and we don’t yet know what July rules will hold.

And second of all, we have decided to move forward slowly to keep our members safe. Even though we have flattened the curve, the virus is still out there and spreads quickly in large groups.

With that in mind, this summer we will only be scheduling events that are small and mostly outdoors. We will also continue with some of our virtual events to protect our more vulnerable members.

Thank you for sticking with us in this strange time; stay safe and stay healthy!

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CLUB ACTIVITIES IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL DISTANCING

As we announced last month, we have started using Zoom for online club activities. In this post you can find out more about that decision and how to best use the program.

The decision to use Zoom was made based on its ease of use and high quality connections. We looked into the security issues, the most serious of which have been fixed. Security experts say now that with the use of best safety practices (some of which Zoom has added into their software), it is safe to use for social events.

Members do NOT need a Zoom account to participate!!

Here’s how it works:

Zoom works best on a computer/laptop and it is where you can be the most anonymous. Everyone who RSVPs will be given a meeting link with an embedded password. Simply click on the link to join as a guest in your web browser automatically. You do not need to download any software – if you get a message asking you to install software, click on “just open in my browser” at the bottom.

If you would like to use a mobile device, you WILL need to install the Zoom app for the link to work. Tablets are ok but phones are not recommended as you will not be able to see everyone without lots of swiping.

Looking forward to seeing all of your faces again soon!

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ANNOUNCING VIRTUAL MEETINGS WITH ZOOM!

Starting this month we will be using our new club Zoom Pro account to use for some of our regular meetings, including book club and German conversation.

Members can look for information about which virtual meetings are available in the monthly newsletter. We are looking forward to seeing your shining faces again soon!

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ANNOUNCING OUR NEW HOSTING POLICY

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Happy New Year to all of our members, past and present!!!!

We are pleased to announce an exciting change in our activities planning and hosting routine for 2018, in hopes of getting more of you involved in the club!

In the past, our activities coordinators have planned and hosted the majority of our special events for members. This year we will be adjusting that formula slightly and our activities coordinators, Alex and Michelle, hope to be doing more planning and coordinating and less actual hosting.

For this to work, we need YOU to step up and volunteer to host an IWCS special event.  Alex and Michelle are ready to provide planning help and already have plenty of ideas, but they need hosts!

As motivation we are offering this fantastic new perk to our paid up members: If you host a tour or workshop, the IWCS will cover your member portion of the fees up to €15,00*. For example, if you host a tour of a museum exhibition, we will pay for your entrance ticket, which is the usual part that members pay for museum tours. This means you get to do fun things with your fellow club members FOR FREE!!

What will you be asked to do as a host? 

In addition to being a reliable and welcoming presence on the day of the event (trying to be the first one to arrive and acting as the contact person for the museum or tour guide, and helping to keep the members organized and moving during the tour), we will put your contact information in the private Facebook event and newsletter, so members know who to find on the day of the event.

If the activities coordinators are doing the organizing for your event, they will handle the RSVPs and any questions that come up prior to the event. If you would like to organize the event yourself, they will be happy to walk you through all of the steps!!

If this sounds like a great deal and you are interested in being a member host, please fill in the contact information below and Alex or Michelle will get back to you soon to coordinate where and when you can help. You can also grab one of them in person at an upcoming IWCS event and let them know you would like to participate.

*Please note that this offer is only good for the member portion of tours and workshops and will not apply to dinner events. Policy also does not apply to members of the current steering committee.

 

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HELP WANTED: ACTIVITIES COORDINATORS

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Are you new in town? Or been here a while? Bored and looking for something to do? Good at organizing? Social and friendly? Interested in seeing more of Stuttgart and Baden-Württeberg? Love your IWCS friends or need to make more? Need to update your resume?

If any of the above apply to you and you are interested in helping out the IWCS, we are currently looking for new recruits to help our leadership team plan fun outings for our club members.

Historically, we have elected one or two members each year to the IWCS board who have been responsible for planning all IWCS special events for an entire year. This year we’ve been fortunate to have the two Michelles to do that for us, but sadly neither of them have time right now to continue their awesome work.

So we are looking for some new volunteers to step forward and help do the planning. We would be thrilled to have two full-service members doing it all, but if you can only do part of the job, that’s ok too! The more people planning, the better! We would also be thrilled to have a large or small organizing team that works together.

Here is the job description – if you can do any (or all) of these things and would like to put your talents to work for us, message Emily using the form below.

  • Generate ideas for events – what kinds of tours and outings do you think would be interesting for our members? (Skills: creativity, online research)
  • Organize and host events each month – those jobs can also be split between people who do the behind the scenes organizing and others who attend the event and act as a host. Other members can be recruited to host events so one or two people don’t have to do it all. (Skills: planning, phone calls and emails in English and/or German, use of Facebook groups; hosts should be friendly and punctual)
  • Overall coordination of our events calendar – one person will need to act as the coordinator to make sure that we have two events planned for each month at least three months in advance. That person should also be able to attend our every-other-month leadership meetings in the evening. (Skills: organization, Facebook and Google calendar use)

No matter if you can only organize or host one or two events in 2018, no offer is too small – we are happy for any and all help!!

 

[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″ /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″ /][contact-field label=”Comment” type=”textarea” required=”1″ /][/contact-form]

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Happy New Year!

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Dear Members,

I am beyond thrilled to still be on this journey with you in 2017, twelve years after our club’s founders first had the idea to start a group like this.

But if we want to grow and thrive, we are going to need a little help from all of you. Here are four easy things you can do to make this club a success in 2017 and beyond:

  • Come to the Annual General Meeting on March 21st and have your say. We need your feedback and ideas about the club.
  • Host an event at your home. We have been sorely missing smaller meet ups and meals in intimate settings.
  • Come up with your own small idea for a fundraiser. One of the goals laid out in our charter is to support the Frauenhaus and the best way to do that is with money. One member held a clothing swap. Another is hosting a makeup party. What could you do?
  • Join us at the Annual Charity Event on May 6th. It’s loads of fun and even if you are limited in the amount you can donate, just being part of the crowd helps us help the Frauenhaus.

Got all that? Save the dates (March 21st and May 6th) and think of something small to host.

We are looking forward to it!

Emily B.

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The IWCS German Conversation Group

 

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Free image courtesy of 123rf.com

The IWCS German Conversation Group was created with a simple concept in mind: to help break down the barriers of the German language that most foreigners face when coming to live in this country, without the pressure of a classroom!
Instead, we get together once a month in a coffee shop in Stuttgart and present our questions and doubts to each other. And our complaints as well, about how insanely difficult it is sometimes to wrap our tongues around some German words.
All levels of German are welcome, from the “just arrived and only know how to say Guten Tag” to the more fluent. There will always be either a German native speaker or an advanced speaker present, to make it a little easier for everyone!
So bring your questions, or even exercises if you have some and let’s win this battle against the Deutsche Sprache!
 
The IWCS German Conversation Group is a monthly focus group for members only. Please refer to your member newsletter for details about the next meeting.

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Tour of Kessler Sekt Factory for Members and Families

Kessler sekt cartoonKessler Sekt Factory Tour in Esslingen
Saturday, May 4th starting at 13:00
Cost: 10€  per person, paid in advance and non-refundable
RSVP to host Christy Miller using the form below

OPEN TO ALL IWCS MEMBERS AND THEIR SPOUSES OR PARTNERS (not appropriate for children)

With Spring and Summer right around the corner, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with a tour of Sektkellerie Kessler!

Kessler is Germany’s oldest sparkling wine producer, founded in 1826, and we are lucky to have it right here in our own backyard.  We have arranged for an English language tour that will take us to the depths of their vast medieval vaulted cellar.  Learn about the art of sparkling wine production, sample some bubbly and enjoy another great IWCS event!

The cellar tour will last 1.5 hours and be followed by a tasting of up to 3 of Kessler’s delicious offerings. There is a maximum capacity of 25 people for this event, so get your paid reservation in soon!

Kessler Sekt is located at Marktplatz 21, 73728 Esslingen am Neckar
Nearest Station: 10 minute walk from S1-Esslingen

To reserve your spot and make your payment, please use the contact form below. Once she has put you on the RSVP list, Christy will send you our bank details.

[contact-form to=’cjmiller0731@gmail.com’ subject=’RSVP Kessler Sekt tour’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

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Third Annual IWCS Bowling Tournament

Strike! Get your bowling shoes ready! For the third year running, the IWCS Bowling Tournament is back for another round of laughter and gutter balls.

Before bowling, we will hold our monthly evening get together at the Arena. They offer tasty Swabian dishes, burgers, pizza and salads. Dinner is planned from 19:00 to 20:30.

After dinner, all interested members and prospective members are welcome to participate the bowling tournament. Your shoe rental and one game of bowling will be paid for by the club. As we did last year, we will have teams of 4 to 5 members each. The winning team and the individual high scorer will take home “gold medals” and the 2012 Trophy, respectively.

THIRD ANNUAL IWCS BOWLING TOURNAMENT
Tuesday, October 16th starting at 20:30 (dinner beforehand at 19:00)
Location: Bowling Arena, Am Sportpark 9, 70469 Stuttgart-Feuerbach
Nearest Station: Sportpark Feuerbach (U-Bahn)
Prospective members welcome

To RSVP for the bowling portion of the evening, please fill in the contact form below and organizer Ryoco Ichihashi will make sure to reserve enough lanes.

Please RSVP for the dinner portion of the evening using the email link in the newsletter or on Facebook.

[contact-form to=’ryoko.ichihashi@gmail.com’ subject=’RSVP 2012 Bowling Tournament’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

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Canstatter Volksfest 2012

The IWCS is excited to announce that we have once again reserved a table for 20 in the Sonja Merz Wasenzelt! This event is for members only and is partially sponsored by the IWCS.

The Canstatter Volksfest is the second-largest beer festival in the world after Munich’s Oktoberfest and will be taking place for the 167th time this year. For more information about the Volksfest in English, please visit their website.

Places in our tent can be reserved on a first paid, first served basis. Tickets are only 5€ per member and include a 10€ gift certificate towards food and drink as well as your reservation. Dirndls are highly recommended, but not mandatory.

To reserve your spot, please fill out the RSVP form below and you will be put on this event’s pending payment list and sent an email with our bank information.

Hurry! There are only a few spots left!!

Event: IWCS Outing to the Cannstatter Volksfest
Date: Thursday, October 11th starting at 17:00*
Hosts: Laura Lenz and Irena Wilke
Location: Cannstatter Wasen, Bad Cannstatt
Nearest Stations: Bad Cannstatt (S-Bahn), Cannstatter Wasen (U-Bahn)
Your RSVP must be accompanied by transfer of fee due for your reservation to be confirmed!

*We need a minimum of 4 people to be at the table no later than 16:00 to hold it. If you can make it that early, please let us know in your RSVP!

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