44 years. That's actually quite a long time. It's probably a mistake to assume that every American Esperantist will always have the money to attend a Euro UK.

One mistake that most non-Americans make is to assume that all of us in the USA are wealthy. I certainly am not. I make $14,000 a year right now. So paying a kotizo for a UK of $250 is a big chunk of money. Then you still have to buy one or maybe two airline tickets or a plane ticket and a railway ticket, pay for a taxi, a hotel and restaurant food. We ate one meal a day in our hotel room in Lille and went to less expensice restaurants for the one meal out. We didn't buy any souvenirs. I admit I splurged on a 6 Euro book for my husband and I bought an Esperanto flag (36 Euros). We washed our clothes in the hotel room sink. We didn't do any ekskursoj or the banquet - that was WAY out of our range.
At our LK here we hope to have free coffee and tea and there is a kitchen in the conference building that Esperanto USA can use for free - I volunteer to cook (I have a culinary degree). Though the University of Miami is not within walkind distance from downtown (the dorms and conference rooms are all in the same building) there is inexpensive public transportation in Miami (PeopleMover, MetroRail, TriRail).
Dennis Keefe and I arranged the venue and we kept our eyes open for pricing. He is also not a rich Uncle Sam, by no means. I know that a lot of movie stars and famous people in the USA are rich, but the majority of us are not.

erinja:Se, I am having trouble understanding you. Maybe we should move this discussion to the Esperanto forums.

Yes, we are in the different thinking mode. Moving the topic to the Esperanto section serves no purposes too. If the Esperanto speakers have rooted in their minds, Esperanto is friendship, my conclusion is from the various UK theme, they would still harp on that just as Esperanto is a peace language pictures are circulating in FB groups. They do not think why North Korea and South Korea are still in loggerheads. Don't the two countries are speaking the same language ?

erinja:The Esperanto conventions have more in common with a science fiction or a trade show than with an academic conference with presentation of papers. There is a day of each convention focused on education and another based on academic topics, where people do present academic-style presentations in Esperanto on research or other academic topics.

Does a wise Esperanto speaker, especially the busy researcher would go to the congress for a day of presentation and see s/he work never publish in any review of Esperanto ? Be wise get the old trade mark out and throw in the new ideas. Professional Esperanto congress should be held more often, like KEAST, not dumping everything in a bag and say I have all you wanted here. I only know of this professional event of Esperanto until now, any others to inform me ?

erinja:But the main purpose of the large international conventions is (a) to give the UEA board a time and a place to meet, and to interact with other Esperanto speakers,

Are we living in the internet age where periscope is a hot tool in every corner but the board of UEA still have to travel to meet the people.Are UEA committee members politicians that they have to meet the voters and meet the people session?

erinja:(b) to give the various international Esperanto clubs a time and place to meet, most international clubs have their annual meeting at UK,

Again, I am asking, are we living in the internet age that the youtube allows to live telecast the events now.

erinja:(c) to give Esperanto speakers from all over the world a time and place to meet and get some things done (a lot of active Esperanto speakers spend much of their time at UK at meetings rather than doing tourism or attending concerts),

Just because a handful serious discussion, wasting time and money to be together rather living in the age of internet, teleconferencing are every now.

erinja:(d) to give a time and a place for a lot of Esperanto speakers to meet.

If the local esperanto clubs and associations cannot organise good activities monthly or quarterly, would that once a year thing boost the usage of Esperanto daily ?

Sorry, I have to move another part as the space of writing is limited. To exchange ideas with your long respond is not an easy thing.

Roch:» se:It should be called the universala kongreso en turismo.

Well, there already been a "pasporto" time, if I'm not wrong. Maybe they now, are more wealty (thinking baby boomers, here.)

Tourism isn't a bad industry in itself, when talking money and jobs, if one wants to mix it with esperanto, why not!?

Yes, of course, but why should your travelling programme be planed by UEA, this year in A, next in B country. Why not many people interested in Cambodia, the world NO 1 spot of Angkor Wat. There is an Esperanto Tourism group to guide you. But the response of the Esperantujo is very bad and I do not know how long the esperantists there can last without a proper meal just to wait for the esperanto speakers to visit Cambodia.

http://etk-amiko.blogspot.com

erinja:Don't go to UK if it's not your thing but it isn't going away. We need a large meeting of Esperanto speakers. All of the various Esperanto clubs (vegetarians, cat lovers, atheists, bicyclists, entrepreneurs, etc) are not going to suddenly decide to all attend the Tibetan Esperanto Congress to have their annual meeting, and then that would be a big problem if this club chose the Tibetan congress and that club chose the Bulgarian congress and a third chose the South African congress, and the UEA held their annual board meeting in San Francisco. You could not possibly attend all of those congresses if you wanted to attend all of those meetings.

Shouldn't the hobby clubs have their own choice to decide where they should hold their meeting ? Just 30 or 40 is a small amount but this is a hobby group. Nothing to be a shame of, why need the large of people together but they cannot talk in the same hobby ?

erinja:I am hardly a big fan of the UEA but they do have specific funds dedicated to supporting the Esperanto movement of poor countries, they support classes and provide resources to small associations. They rely on locals to come up with projects and apply for support, so rather than complaining that the UEA doesn't do enough to support regional movements, the solution is to plan an event in your region and apply for support.

I was a big fan of UEA as its glamourous light shone in UN and UNESCO, even until I printed out the 2013-2017 five-year plan, I still delightedly live with hope UEA could change one of the corner to use Esperanto as the common language. When I read the AMO reports all over the world, I realised I need to join with others,to give UEA and the Esperantujo a push to wake them up from the traditional management mode.

erinja:If you feel that whoever is speaking for your local Esperanto movement is not a good representative, then you should improve your Esperanto and become active so that it is you speaking for the movement and not that person. I personally see Esperanto culture as international so it is not a problem for me if I am represented by someone who lives in my country but isn't originally from there. Our Esperanto-USA president was born in Cuba and came to the US in 1994. I do not know his citizenship and I do not care. But if you don't like the direction that your local movement is taking, the solution is to become active yourself, not to complain about others. Let them do what they want to do (you can't control other people in any case), and you work on what is important to you.

There is no Esperanto club or association in my place nor the association in my country, thus the question is not here.

Bemused:
se I see from your many posts that you are passionate about the spread of the Esperanto language.

However expecting that "someone (in this case the UEA) should do this" or "someone should do that" will achieve nothing except to make yourself and possibly others feel frustrated and upset.

If you do not like what someone is doing ignore them, and think of ways that you personally can implement or encourage the things you would prefer.

Thanks, but UEA is still the body to show to the world. It is the inner part is rotten and repair must be made.

The association itself is still a germ for all. Just as a company employed the bad management team.

robbkvasnak:There has not been a UK on the North American continent since 1984 in Vancouver and not in the USA since 1972 in Portland (44 years ago), so almost half a century. The one previous to that was 1910 in Washington. There has never been a UK in Mexico (sigh).

I remembered that the rules for organising the universal congress is 3 times in Europe and 2 times out of Europe within five years. But the new webpage of UEA deleted that information.

In short, within ten years, 6 times will be in Europe and 4 times to be shared among other places in the world. Is that fair ? When Esperanto speakers are talking about equality.

That is the reason I suggest UEA should stop organising the UK, focusing their energy into improving their relationships with other NGOs in the world, at the same time to remind them to respect the UNESCO 1985 resolution to use Esperanto.

Of course, with less UK on, the regional and country congress perhaps may increase.

Besides, other NGOs in Esperanto should be formed like the climate change, human right etc

As my personal feeling, most esperanto speakers now are language lovers but not too many in the professional field thus it is not possible to forma online college of Esperanto to participate in the MOOC sector.

se:

Bemused:
se I see from your many posts that you are passionate about the spread of the Esperanto language.

However expecting that "someone (in this case the UEA) should do this" or "someone should do that" will achieve nothing except to make yourself and possibly others feel frustrated and upset.

If you do not like what someone is doing ignore them, and think of ways that you personally can implement or encourage the things you would prefer.

Thanks, but UEA is still the body to show to the world. It is the inner part is rotten and repair must be made.

The association itself is still a germ for all. Just as a company employed the bad management team.

Perhaps the members of the UEA are simply exhausted, or lacking in motivation.
Perhaps they would welcome enthusiastic new members who have new ideas.
Perhaps instead of criticising the UEA from the outside, you could consider joining them, and influencing the actions of the organisation from the inside.

Bemused:

Perhaps the members of the UEA are simply exhausted, or lacking in motivation.
Perhaps they would welcome enthusiastic new members who have new ideas.
Perhaps instead of criticising the UEA from the outside, you could consider joining them, and influencing the actions of the organisation from the inside.

The point is that the UEA is rather Eurocentric, despite being a 'world body' and Se is in Malaysia. I don't think they're quite open to people just knocking on their door and offering to put their house in order - not that there's much chance anyway of coming several thousand miles to do so.

All such organisations are willing to accept 'foot soldiers' who carry out the activities prescribed by the core group of officiers, with not much say about whether or not you think it's productive work. A little like political parties.
I live in the same country as the UEA base and I wouldn't be able to invest unpaid time into activities; who can in this economic structure?

se: Thanks, but UEA is still the body to show to the world. It is the inner part is rotten and repair must be made.

se:The association itself is still a germ for all. Just as a company employed the bad management team.

I can understand your anger even if if wouldn't name like you do. In my opinion current UEA board doesn't (want to) realize that Esperanto community is widespread language minority which of course doesn't mean to moan like sacrificial lamb.

Somewhat UEA reminds me to that story about dull dinosaur herd not knowing (or want to know) about upcoming meteorite impact. But thats not what concerns me much. For sure regional E-o events also will work without UEA existing. Thats count for me like E-o user.