On Friday the 15^th of October, the IARU R1 Conference & Workshop addressing the future of amateur radio has started. Almost 140 delegates are taking part the upcoming week, till the 24^th of October, in several break-out sessions where they will work as teams on defining visions and ambitions for amateur radio, strategic objectives, with as end goal, actions, milestones and deliverables. This is just a selection of what they will be doing.
During yesterday’s opening, Don Beattie G3BJ, IARU R1 President, was highlighting:
“From time to time, a number of you have expressed your concerns to me about the position of amateur radio today, views which are shared by the EC
You have said that we need to improve our public relations. You have said that we need to form alliances with other organisations in related fields and so strengthen our position. You have said that we should be recruiting into Amateur Radio people from other related interest groups. All of these are very valid comments, but they risk overlooking one important point. The amateur radio we talk about today is very often the amateur radio of the past. “ Don continues, and mentions that we need a shared vision of what amateur radio is becoming or needs to become.
“We will not have solved all our problems by next Sunday. We must see this event as the continuation of a process which we started earlier this year with the SWOT analysis (referring to the SWOT analysis session on 24 March 2021) and which will continue for several years to come. But it will help us to set the direction for work on the development of the hobby over the next ten years”

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