In November we held a working meeting with the purpose of keeping our club vibrant and in line with the interests of our members, based on the results of the recent member survey. Members of the management team set up sign-up tables for new Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that had been proposed in the survey.
The proposed new SIGs with enough interest to get started soon are listed below. If you would like to join or learn more about any of these specific topics, please click on the coordinator link for that particular topic (below). Note that in some cases these are interim coordinators who are helping to get the groups established.
New Wine Club:
With the four existing wine clubs already full, a new one attracted lots of interest and also filled up quickly. The new wine club will meet once a month and the host will decide the theme. Participants will bring wine and an appie to go with it. If you are interested in joining a list for a future wine club, please let us know by clicking here.
New Book Clubs:
There is also interest in starting two new book clubs:
- If you are interested in a traditional book club and did not have a chance to sign up on November 1, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
- If you are interested in a reading group that differs from the traditional book club, consider this group – tentatively called The Eclectic Reader – whose members are attracted to books that don’t fit nicely into a single or even multiple categories. To learn more, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
Walking Club and Hiking Club:
Those who signed up for the new Walking Club are looking forward to getting out and exploring the local area in and around Oceanside. Some indicated they would prefer level and easier walks but a number of people are interested in some more challenging walks. As a result we are now proposing a separate Hiking Club. In the New Year some specific trails and areas will be identified to put on the agenda. If you would like to join the Walking Club or learn more, please contact the coordinator by clicking here. If you are looking for more challenging walks and would like to join the Hiking Club, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
Kayaking Club:
This club will get going in the early spring. The first step will be to survey the group as to their level of competency and, if needed, to start with a beginners or introductory program. For those with sufficient experience, an early spring tour in the Oceanside area is planned, possibly leading to a larger adventure such as a 2-3 day trip to the Broken Group Islands. To sign up or learn more, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
Camera Club:
This group won’t get going until March, but if you are interested please sign up now to receive further information. Whether it’s “phone” photography, conventional picture-taking or making videos, this group has some accomplished photo/videographers who can share ideas and help people with their image capture (as well as how to store, save and use images). To sign up or learn more, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
Tech for Dummies Club:
No Dummies here, just folks who need a little help with technology, anything from help with smart phones and tablets to e-mail, uploading photos, using the web or understanding how files are stored on computers, and more. The meeting themes will be set by the members, based on their interests, and guests with special skills will be asked to attend on occasion. If you would like to join or learn more, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
Games Club:
Significant interest in a Games Club, with most interest expressed for learning Mah Jongg, Table Crib and Mexican train. Members will be notified to determine their interests further. To learn more or sign up, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
Hospitality Themed Clubs:
The November 1st meeting generated a lot of interest in the following 4 proposed SIGs:
- Cooking Club
- Dinner Club (home)
- Dinner Club (restaurant)
- Appetizer Club
Several people signed up for more than 1 of these hospitality clubs, so as a next step the coordinator plans to invite everyone who signed up for dinner(s) and/or appetizers to come together at one meeting to discuss next steps. If you would like to join or learn more, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
Arts and Entertainment Group:
A new Arts and Entertainment SIG is being developed, covering the categories of concerts, theatre, movies, art galleries, lectures and art lessons. The coordinators would like to receive specific suggestions of events that are of interest, including specific details such as dates, times, price, location. Events will be communicated to the group via emails, as well as in the Probus e-News and at Probus meetings. To learn more or sign up, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
TED Talk Group:
This group will meet to discuss TED talks of interest. As a nonpartisan nonprofit foundation, whose main goal is spreading ideas and sparking conversation, the TED talks (over 2400) cover a huge survey of topics which are posted on their website: www.ted.com and are viewed free of charge by millions of people worldwide. The foundation believes that the ideas of the most inspired and inspiring thinkers change attitudes as well as lives.
Meeting details including format will be decided by the group participants. If you would like to join or learn more, please contact the coordinator by clicking here.
Other Ideas for new SIGs:
A number of ideas from the survey did not receive sufficient interest to move forward at this time. These include gardening, skiing/snowboarding, dance, singles, bridge, home music listening (HiFi), Raspberry Pi /single board computers and open source software. However there are still opportunities to express your interest in these topics or to propose other new ideas for SIGs. Your interest in new SIGs is always welcome and encouraged. Feel free to send us your suggestions by clicking here.
