The Group Analytic Society International Fund (GASiF)
Dear fellow members of GASi
We are writing to let you know about changes in the committee of GASIF. Gerda Winther stepped down as acting Chair at the beginning of the year after several years of committed and dedicated work for the fund. She held the role since 2018, considerably longer than she intended, bringing the committee and its workings through the difficult and uncertain times of the pandemic. Her stepping down marked the end of her formal participation in the organization of GASi. It was a long involvement in a variety of roles and always one of great enthusiasm, ενδιαφέρον(interest) and care. We, the new co-chairs, are not alone in expressing appreciation and gratitude to Gerda, not only for her valuable service on GASiF but for her overall contribution to GASI.
The workings of GASiF are summarized on the website and many members have made donations, much appreciated by the beneficiaries and the society as a whole. By way of a reminder, here is something of its purpose and brief history……
In 2015/16, inspired by the bursary systems of the AGPA (American Group Psychotherapy Association) and the IIGA (Israeli Institute of Group Analysis), Robi Friedman and Frances Griffith (then GASi President and Treasurer) proposed a similar fund for GASi. Joined by Earl Hopper and Gerda Winther and supported by generous seed donations, GASiF was created. It came into its own in the Berlin Symposium (2017) where about 60 people, supported with a bursary, were able to attend. A few generous sizeable seed donations were supplemented by the donations of many attending. The Symposium made a profit so that the 20,000 or so Euros which GASIF allocated could be returned to GASIF. A similar situation occurred for the Barcelona Symposium (2020). That is the general idea for GASi events.
In addition to supporting attendance at events, GASIF exists “…to develop and implement ways of providing financial support …for the realization of new and emerging group analytic work, projects and ideas. These might be research initiatives, translation and presenting at international events.”
GASi is currently working towards enabling donations to be made via the website in the hope that a culture will emerge where subsidising others is part of attendance at events and inherent in being a GASi member.
Thinking about all this and triggered by realising all that Gerda has given to GASi as a whole for over many years, in different ways, not least as President, the GASiF committee is continuing to reflect on the variety of ways that a member of an organisation such as GASi can contribute. We would like very much to hear suggestions for raising funds and for projects that might be funded.
On behalf of the GASIF committee,
Zoe and Joan