Chairperson's Address at the RFI AGM, March 2007

The Chairperson welcomed everybody to the meeting and was delighted to see so many members present.  She expressed how busy and hard working the committee had been since the last AGM and how far Reiki Federation Ireland has progressed.

She thanked the committee for their work throughout the year. The past 12 months have been a very busy time for Reiki Federation Ireland.

During this period the committee had 13 meetings, attended the launch of the Report of the National Working Group on the Regulation of Complementary Therapists on 15^th May 2006, an Extraordinary General Meeting on 16^th September 2006, at which our members agreed to Reiki Level 1 Teaching Guidelines, an Extraordinary General meeting on 3^rd February2007, at which our members agreed to Reiki Level 11 Teaching Guidelines, attendance at a meeting with the Reiki Association of Ireland on 13^th January 2007, attendance at HETAC Consultative Seminar on 23^rd January 2007, organizing our Reiki Touching Lives Conference on 4^th February 2007 and attendance at the FICTA Annual General meeting and attendance at FICTA meetings. Up to 31^st December 2006, when our books were closed off for Audit purposes, we had processed 205 members, between applications for membership and membership renewals. Today, we have 222 members.

The Chairperson acknowledged and thanked the following committee members who resigned during the year. Carlo Valle - our former Assistant Membership Secretary.

Nick Abel - committee member. Majella Fagan, our former Hon. Secretary and Rachel Conlan, our former Sub-Editor. Today, at the close of this AGM, the following committee members will resign, Patricia Sheehan, who served as our PRO for the past 4 years. Maura McGinley, our FICTA Representative, Sandra Nelson, our Editor. Sandra, our outgoing Editor, has kindly agreed to train in her replacement and produce the June issue of our Newsletter, Reiki Today, if necessary. Maura, our outgoing FICTA Representative, has very kindly agreed to remain our representative, along with Mary Tuohy at future meetings with the Reiki Association of Ireland. Once again, the Chairperson thanked the outgoing committee members for their vision and valuable input into Reiki Federation Ireland. The Chairperson reminded members that this is your Federation, we are merely caretakers. She beseeched members to join the committee and ease the burden and workload of the current committee members.

The Chairperson asked, would any member present or any member of RFI with whom you are friendly be interested in taking on any of the vacant positions i.e.

› PRO
› FICTA Representative
›  Editor
›  Sub Editor

The requirements for these posts are :

   › First Degree Reiki
   › If possible computer skills
   › Availability to attend RFI committee meetings, which are currently held on the
     second Thursday of each month, in Dublin
   › Must have attended one AGM of RFI.    

Thanks was also expressed to  Mary Tuohy, our Vice Chairperson and Membership Secretary, who since last April has given free use of her therapy rooms for our committee meetings, her generosity of spirit was  much valued and appreciated.

It is essential for Reiki Federation to have new blood involved. Change is the only constant in life and as things are changing, we in Reiki Federation Ireland need to be flexible enough to move with change and stay fresh. We need to be a Federation that is vibrantly alive with the kind of energy needed, to be the force you want and our sector needs. When we embrace change, it is we who are enlarged.

However, as you will have guessed the key to our success is you, your involvement and commitment,as this is about ALL of us. How we grow and develop ourselves within Reiki Federation Ireland is an indication of how Reiki will be measured here in Ireland. The committee meets on the 2^nd Thursday of every month in Dublin. Our meetings start at 7pm and finish about 10pm. If you are available and you would like to share your time, talents and energy with Reiki Federation Ireland, we'd love to hear from you. We'll pay you mileage of 50 cent per mile and a 5 euro lunch allowance. Non committee members are welcome to attend committee meetings.

Important matter to be clarified. We are not an accreditation body. Membership of RFI does not allow you to put RFI or MRFI after your name, as this may imply accreditation. You may of course say member of RFI on your business cards, headed notepaper or website.

Great changes are occurring or about to happen in the complementary health sector. Now that our Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney has published the recommendations of the National Working Group on the Regulation of Complementary Therapists, we need to prepare for its implementation. The focus of this report is the regulation of complementary therapists/practitioners and, as such, does not heal with the efficacy of the therapy practiced. At the launch of this report, Teri Garvey, Chairperson of the National Working Group stated that we now have an expanding area of integrated health care, where allopathic medicine and complementary therapies interact and work in tandem and where the client or patient can avail of the benefits of both sectors. She stressed the need for training and said every therapist practising a complementary therapy should be competent, qualified, insured and a registered member of a relevant professional association.

On the matter of regulation of the complementary sector, Teri Garvey stated that voluntary self regulation is the way forward. Self regulation is a process in which individual therapies develop their own training programmes and standards. This process will need support. HETAC in consultation with the relevant therapy organizations will validate the training courses. Just a short quote from Margaret Kelly, Department of Health and Children representative, at the HETAC Consultative Seminar on 23^rd January 2007, she recommends that practitioners/teachers of the same therapies consult on teaching methods. There will be facilitated work days to help the process of self regulation. As the cost of having a course validated in 7,000 Euro, she said it makes sense for organizations practicing the same therapy to consult on teaching methods and share the costs. HETAC are recommending that Reiki would be a level 6 on the HETAC scale. HETAC do not have expertise in Complementary Therapies, so they will have to buy this expertise. Any member of RFI who wishes to be part of this expert group can send their C.V. to HETAC. We have submitted our agreed Reiki Levels 1 and 2 Training Guidelines to HETAC along with our proposed Practitioners Module, stating that the Practitioners Module is a work in progress and requires the agreement of our members.

In her address at the launch of the National Working Group report, the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, said many people in Ireland are now using complementary therapies on a regular basis and she wanted to take a practical approach to help the public to choose wisely. Her department intends to support voluntary self regulation within the sector. She favours a marrying of allopathic and complimentary medicine. Ms. Harney also launched an information leaflet for the public, titled "Complementary Therapy - An Information guide for the public". This information leaflet is available free of charge from doctor's surgeries and chemist's shops. A copy of the National Working Group Report can be downloaded from www.dohc.ie. On pages 85 to 92 are printed Reiki Federation Ireland's training recommendations. We were the only Reiki Association to make a submission to the National Working Group. As mentioned earlier, Reiki Training Levels 1 and 2 have been agreed by our members at our two EGM's. The Practitioners Module document will be the only item on the agenda at our forthcoming EGM to be held on Saturday 22^nd September 2007. You will be notified in our June issue of Reiki ToDay of the time and venue.

And continuing on this theme, the Chairperson quoted from a document received from FICTA which states:"For therapies that have more than one regulatory body, some coming together around teaching standards will be important if the therapy as a whole is to benefit from regulation. This is not about organizations merging, rather it is about organizations negotiating shared standards and requirements while retaining their independence and diversity".

There will be no loss of identity or ethos for Reiki Federation Ireland, just finding common ground. Harmonization and unity are essential to the development of strong, voluntary, self-regulating systems. We are currently in discussion with the Reiki Association of Ireland on a mutually agreeable definition of Reiki and we hope to discuss with them training standards and how best to implement the National Working Group Report recommendations. Just as bridges must be built between countries and cultures, so too must bridges be built to span our perceived differences within the Reiki Community in Ireland.

Reiki Federation Ireland has and will continue to represent our member's interests at FICTA meetings. The AGM of FICTA will take place in this hotel on 19^th May 2007 and RFI members are welcome to attend. Maura McGinley, our outing FICTA Rep. Will update us on the latest news from FICTA and HETAC.

After lunch today, we will divide into groups and have our Reiki Level 3 Teaching Guidelines Discussion Forum. All the data collected today will be collated into the Reiki Level 3 Teaching Guidelines. We would hope to present this document to you, for your approval, at an EGM which will be held in either early December or February next year.

Would any of our members be interested in undertaking some research into Reiki in Ireland? Perhaps a grant could be obtained from the National Lottery for undertaking this project.

On the way in you were given a Feedback Questionnaire Form, can you please complete this form, that way we will know what you the members want from Reiki Federation Ireland. Thank you for your cooperation.

We would also like to see an expansion of Reiki Circles, say at least one in every county in Ireland. If you organize a Reiki Circle, you can advertise this fact free of charge in our Newsletter, Reiki Today.

This year we sought a second insurance quotation for Practitioners/Teachers public liability insurance. Members requiring insurance now have a choice as to which company they will place their business with. Full details of Public Liability Insurance rates available to RFI members were outlined in our December issue Reiki Today and the contact details are available on our website www.reikifederationireland.com

 The Chairperson thanked Tom Kearns for undertaking the mammoth task of compiling the History of Reiki. Under General Questions on our Agenda, Tom may wish to say a few words on the History of Reiki.

We, the current committee of Reiki Federation Ireland have a responsibility to hand this Federation over to future generations in a healthy and effective condition. It's the small things, done well that make the difference and this work ethic is called for now more than ever.

In conclusion, the Chairperson earnestly asked members to seriously consider joining the committee as at next years AGM, both Mary Tuohy (Vice Chairperson/Membership Secretary) and herself, Brigid Maher (Chairperson), the last two remaining members of the original working group must step down, as they will have been on the committee for four years plus a year before our first AGM.

Thank you for listening.