Constitution of Camaroonians in

North Somerset (ACNS)

Preamble

Mindful of:

·        Our Nationality and the desire to commune together as a family

·        The fact that we are thousands of miles away from our country and living in a foreign land

·        Our common goals and objectives

We the members of the aforesaid association hereby agree as follows:

Article 1 – Name of Association

·        It shall be called Association of Camaroonians in North Somerset and abbreviated as ACNS

·        It shall be open to all Cameroonians above the age of 18 living in the North Somerset

·        The motto of the Association shall be ‘We are One’

·        The logo of the Association shall be a flying eagle

Article 2 - Objectives

·        To promote the benefit of members and inhabitants of North Somerset without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, nationality, age, disability race or political, religious or other opinions

·        By associating with inhabitants of North Somerset  and the statutory authorities , voluntary and other organizations in a common effort to advance cultural education, exchanges and to promote facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants

·        To promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the general public and in particular those of Cameroonians in North Somerset

Article 3 – Membership

·        Any Cameroonian and their spouse living in the UK can be a member providing they agree with the aims of the Association

·        A voting member shall be a person who has paid his/her annual non refundable membership fee and agrees with the aims of the Association

·        A voting member is expected to try to attend all monthly and extraordinary meetings.

·        Voting membership lasts for one year starting from date of registration

Article 4 – Executive Committee

·        An executive committee voted on by the membership at the Annual General Meeting shall manage the Association

·        The Term of Office shall be for one year with a maximum term of 2 years

·        No members of the same family can be members of the committee at the same time

·        In the case of emergency an extraordinary meeting can be called to elect a committee member

The Executive Committee shall comprise of the following Officers:

The Chairperson

·        Shall preside over all meetings

·        Shall with agreement from the Committee represent the Association together with any appointed member(s) when external matters arise

·        Shall be a signatory to the Associations’ Bank Account

·        Shall be a custodian of the Associations properties

·        Shall have a casting vote on any issue

The Deputy Chairperson (optional)

·        Shall perform all the functions of the Chairperson in their absence

·        Shall with agreement from the Committee represent the Association together with any appointed member(s) when external matters arise

The Secretary

·        Shall minute all meetings

·        Prepare and present minutes to all meetings

·        Shall with agreement from the Committee represent the Association together with any appointed member(s) when external matters arise

The Treasurer

·        Shall be the Association’s Finance Officer

·        Shall be a signatory to the Associations account

·        Shall be responsible for the stringent management of the Associations finances

·        Keep records of all financial transactions of the Association

·        Report on accounts at every formal meeting and provide an annual financial report to the Association at the Annual General Meeting

·        Shall with agreement from the Committee represent the Association together with any appointed member(s) when external matters arise

The Social Committee Chairperson

·        Shall take the lead in all the activities of the Social Committee

·        Shall be responsible for organising social and cultural activities

·        Shall be responsible with the Treasurer for managing the Social Committee Funds

·        Fundraise for Social and Cultural Activities

·        Shall with agreement from the Committee represent the Association together with any appointed member(s) when external matters arise

The Social Committee Deputy Chairperson (optional)

·        Shall work with the Social Committee Chairperson

·        Shall take over the duties of the Social committee chairperson if they are unavailable

Furthermore it is agreed that the Social Committee Chair and Deputy shall if possible be one male and one female.

The Protocol Officer

·        Be responsible for maintaining order during meetings

·        Shall with agreement from the Committee represent the Association together with any appointed member(s) when external matters arise

In addition the Social committee can recruit and co-opt members in support of its goals. These may be voting or non-voting members.

Article 5 – Executive Decisions / Resolutions

·        The committee can make urgent decision on behalf of the Association provided it meets the Aims of the Association and falls within the realms of the Constitution

·        At least 2/3 of the Executive committee need to be present before a decision can be made

·        The Committee shall implement any resolutions or decisions made by the Association’s membership

·        The Committee shall make decisions on the operational running of the association provided it meets the Aims of the Association and falls within the realms of the Constitution and 2/3 of the committee members are present at the meeting

Article 6 – Aims

• To inform and support the Association to access services available to them and to highlight a gap in those services to the relevant Authorities

• To provide a Social Network that enables us to celebrate in our shared Cameroonian culture and heritage

• To develop awareness about our host community and perform social / cultural exchanges that raise the profile and prestige of all Cameroonians

In addition the Association will need to fundraise in order to meet those aims.

Article 7 – Finances

·        The Association shall determine the membership fee annually at the Annual General Meeting

·        The Association will have a bank account with at least two signatories

·        The Association shall endeavour to pay out of pocket expenses to members when performing duties at the request of the committee

·        In certain hardship cases the fees can be waived at the discretion of the committee

Article 8 - Voting

·        Each registered member will hold one vote

·        Voting issues must be put to the committee in the first instance before asking for an Association vote

·        Decisions will be made by the majority of votes made by members

·        Once decisions are made it is expected that it will have the support and backing of the Full membership.

Article 9 - Donations

·        Members and non-members may voluntarily contribute or donate money or property to the Association

Article 10 – Absenteeism

·        Any Committee member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without a valid or tangible excuse will loose their position,

Article 11 – Misappropriation of Funds, Property

The Association shall use whatever procedures to recover funds / property misappropriated by members only after an attempt to recover assets amicably

Article 12 – Personal Benefits

• A committee member cannot benefit financially from the Association

Article 13 – Compensation

·        The Association will try to compensate members who assist in organising activities including fund raising on behalf of the group

Article 14 – Decisions

·        Decisions made by the Voting Membership can only be changed by another full vote at the Annual General Meeting

Article 15 – Annual General Meeting (AGM)

·        The Association will hold an Annual General Meeting

·        The AGM is open to all members and the public

·        The committee will step down prior to the meeting to allow elections to take place

·        The Annual Financial report will be available

Article 16 – Protocol

·        Members should not speak on behalf of the Association without the prior knowledge of the Committee

Article 17 – Relationship

·        The Association will look to liaise with other Cameroonian Associations within the United Kingdom and other minority groups within Weston super Mare

Article 18 – Amendments

·        Any article herein will only be amended when two-thirds of the voting majority are in attendance

·        A member may only propose an amendment through the committee

Article 19 – Dissolution

·        In the case of the winding down of the Association any funds left in the account shall be donated to another Cameroonian group in the United Kingdom

·         In the event that none exists then the funds can be donated to another Ethnic Minority Group with similar aims.

The Chairperson’s signature below indicates that the constitution has been endorsed by the majority of voting members and is effective from the date of signing.

Signature…………………………………………………………………………..

Name……………………………………………………………………………….

Date…………………………………………………………………………………

Official Stamp