After the fantastic energy of the Flamingo meeting in Reno, I started
thinking about what the organization can do to serve professional jugglers.
Now that the Flamingo award is so well organized, what can we do for
jugglers at large, young and "adult"? Several ideas came to mind:
INTERNATIONAL CONTACT: I'm going to the EJC in Denmark (Aug. 5-13) and
will take some flyers to give female jugglers alerting them to the existence
and purpose of the Flamingo Club.
INSURANCE: Many performers lack medical insurance. Our group may be of
the size that would qualify for a plan that is good for artists. This would
obviously take a bit of research, but their are other groups, like body
workers and dancers, who have found such plans.
CROSS-PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING: Do you have another job? (Confess, we
won't laugh at you.) Are you a filmmaker, photographer, physical therapist,
pr person, writer, graphic designer, prop maker, printer, bus driver, agent,
costume designer, carpenter, travel agent, translator? Would you be willing
to offer your services gratis or for a discount to other female jugglers?
This could result in some concrete career help for Flamingos pursuing
careers in the real world, and judging from Reno, there will be more of
these soon!
LIAISON: We did not discuss "issues" at the Reno meeting, but these come
up in the profession and at conventions. If something happens at a
convention that is abhorrent to women, we might consider having a liaison to
relay our point of view to the board in hopes of improving future events.
It's great to have the focus on encouraging youth, but let's not lose sight
of the original mission...to improve the overall picture and take a wack at
discrimination and misguided points of view. That is not the original
wording, I just made it up, but that was the spirit of the first meeting.
Why are there so few women in shows and competitions, and why do so many
feel they have to wear sexy costumes? If a year arises in which there are NO
women in the Public Show, as was the case in Reading, the Flamingo club
should make a scene about it (in a civilized fashion).
T-SHIRTS: Maybe we can sell these, rather than necklaces, since guys can
wear them too and they would help raise awareness. Does anyone make them or
have an "in"?
NON-PROFIT: This question was raised: should the Flamingo's become a
non-profit? This bears looking into from several angles. Non-profits need
boards, and we've just seen what a mess that can lead to. If it's not
absolutely necessary to become a non-profit, I wouldn't. We're not dealing
with liability issues here, and being an affiliate means we're connected to
the IJA, which is good for presenting awards at conventions. For
non-profits, so much work goes into maintaining the organization; it could
take up the entire annual meeting. It's true that donations would be tax-deductible,
but if we're talking about selling that doesn't matter. Since the IJA is
already non- profit and we're an affiliate, don't we fall under the IJA's
jurisdiction as far as donations go--does the non-profit status extend to
affiliates? Interesting question, one that may not have come up before.
-- Cindy Marvell
