Since the historic inaugural KCOBA Summit held July 19, 2001 at the Liguanea Club in Kingston, Jamaica, three other Summits have been held, all in Jamaica except the most recent held in 2005 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. As the Toronto Chapter prepares to host the 5 th Edition of this event, it is appropriate to consider the relevance and effectiveness of these gatherings.
Summits in general serve as forums where stakeholders and other interested parties meet to discuss and resolve issues affecting their organizations, cities, countries and in the case of the United Nations, the world. In this regard, the KCOBA Summit is no different and is clearly relevant considering the fact that there is much work to be done to improve affairs at the school, despite the obvious progress being made.
The question of effectiveness is another matter. Reasonable people may disagree regarding the effectiveness of the KCOBA Summit. In reviewing materials from the past summits, it is clear that there is consensus regarding the issues if not the solutions. Those who subscribe to the view that the KCOBA Summit is ineffective, in some cases suggest that most of the promises and announcements are not kept or followed through. While others of the opposing view such as myself, point to the fact that some progress has been made with respect to the allocation of resources and the focus of the various Chapters based on agreements reached at the Summit.
Without question the events have been well organized and managed by the respective Host Chapters over the years. The Toronto Chapter expects to continue in this tradition. A key measure of the success and effectiveness of the Toronto Summit will depend in large part on the participation of the Principal who is expected to clearly outline the areas for priority attention and the agreement of the participants on the action plan to address these priorities. As the plans for Summit V are finalized, these will be shared with all Old Boys.
Since the historic inaugural KCOBA Summit held July 19, 2001 at the Liguanea Club in Kingston, Jamaica, three other Summits have been held, all in Jamaica except the most recent held in 2005 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. As the Toronto Chapter prepares to host the 5 th Edition of this event, it is appropriate to consider the relevance and effectiveness of these gatherings.