Canadian Go Association Overview

1. Canadian Go Association Overview Some Canadian Go players may not be familiar with the Canadian Go Association and what we do. Our web site http://www.go-canada.org has more complete information, this document provides an overview. • MISSION • We have two key goals: • To represent Canada to the international Go community • To promote the growth of Go within Canada Representing Canada to the international Go community For the international part of our mission we register Canada in international Go associations, pay dues to these associations, and select Canadians to participate in International events. These events include the World Amateur, Prime Ministers Cup, World Mind Sports Games, World Youth, World Pair Go Championships, North American ING/Masters, North American Fujitsu qualifying. We also work with the AGA on events that ask for a North American representative and co-ordinate with the AGA on North American Go promotion in general. • Promoting the growth of Go in Canada • Within Canada we do the following: • Maintain databases of Canadian Go activities (clubs, players, events, etc) • Publicize the above (now mostly with email and the web site). • Select hosts for the Canadian Open each year • Run an annual online tournament the Winter Cup • Run an online League play event year round • Provide a ratings system 1

2. Canadian Go Association Overview • Provide assistance & grants to any Go promotional activities taking place in Canada. • 1) Starter kits for school and youth clubs (working with the American Go Foundation), and mentors for those clubs. • 2) A grant application process for items that do not fall under the school/youth umbrella. • 3) Help finding volunteers for some specific activity. (I.E the CGA may be contacted asking for a Go demo at an Anime conference. We would find such a volunteer, likely working with a local club). How we are organized We hold our annual general meeting at the Canadian Open each year. At that meeting volunteers are elected to serve on the CGA executive for two year terms. The executive communicates regularly online and finds other volunteers to help carry out CGA work. • Budget/Financial overview • We derive funds from three sources: • Membership dues. • Fees paid by Canadian International representatives receiving a free international trip, exempting the World youth. (These are 125 CAD per representative, and in a normal year there will be four such trips.) • Donations from Canadians who wish to support the CGA . • Our funds are now spent in mainly two ways: • International association dues. (These are approximately 800 CAD now, although they vary with the YEN-CAD exchange rate.) • Funding for school/youth program costs & grants. • (This year we have 1000 CAD budgeted for this.) 2

3. Canadian Go Association Overview In the past we spent a fair portion of the budget on publishing a gazette, but since we have moved to electronic communication that cost has gone away. If we have 200 CGA members we may collect approximately 2000 CAD, since many memberships are discounted from the base 15 CAD, (2 year membership, youth membership, club membership). With the travel fees this puts us approximately in balance. The CGA currently has funds of approximately 9000 CAD, saved up over many years. • If we can succeed in convincing more Canadian Go players to become and remain CGA members the additional funds might be spent as follows. • Additional grants for Go promotion. • Pay for Canadian Go content. (Professional game commentaries of Canadian tournament games, etc). • Remove the travel fees. These fees were introduced in 2004 when the CGA budget position was precarious. (As far as I know we are the only country charging a fee like this.) • Support for youth programs. Some examples we might emulate from what the AGA provides are. • Matching funds for paying teachers. • Sponsorship for events like youth Go camps. 3