Statute of EAICY

§1
Name and Seat

1. The name of the Association is
   Evropská asociace institucí neformálního vzdělávání dětí a mládeže
   European Association of Institutions of Non-formal Education of Children and Youth
   Association européenne des institutions d´education non-formelle des enfants et des jeunes Европейская
   Ассоциация учреждений неформального образования детей и молодежи
   Europäische Assoziation von Instituten für informelle Bildung von Kindern und Jugendlichen
2. The seat of the Association is in Prague, Karlínské nám. 316/7, 186 00 Praha 8, Czech Republic.
3. The Association has been established for an indefinite time.

§2
Mission

1. The Association shall be based on the ideals of democracy and humanism, freedom and equality of people, in accordance with the UN and UNESCO documents, namely the Declaration on the Rights of the Child of 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989. The Association shall endorse the message of J. A. Komenský, the great European pedagogue and public figure of the 17th Century.
2. The Association shall implement these ideals during leisure time – an important and specific educational sphere – of children, young people and those adults, acting as their leaders and organisers. While implementing its mission via the member institutions of leisure time, the Association shall consider social, health, ecological and other aspects of life and contribute to preventive actions for children and youth by implementing its activities.
3. The Association shall promote active participation on activities of leisure time institutions, develop individual personal interests and positive life attitudes, as well as contribute to international cooperation and understanding, in compliance with the aims of the Helsinki process.
4. The Association shall stand as a voluntary international organisation. It shall be opened to all organisations, institutions and individuals working with children and young people with no regard to their political, societal, and religious or other focus, if only they have acknowledged the Association aims.
5. The Association shall act as an associate member of the Council of Europe and help to implement its mission.

§3
Aims and Objectives
In compliance with its mission, the Association shall follow these main aims and objectives:

1. Among children and youth of Europe,
   a) The Association shall support their healthy and versatile development, mainly by creation, support and coordination of leisure time programmes developed in important or critical spheres of their lives and education;
   b) The Association shall encourage and develop, strengthen and organise direct bi- and multilateral contacts among children and youth, their exchanges during main and other vacations, as well as other ways of collaboration.
2. Among adults – professional and voluntary leaders and organisers acting in the field of leisure time of children and youth,
   a) The Association shall encourage, support and organise their bi- and multilateral meetings, exchange of experience, seminars, conferences, courses, training periods, etc.;
   b) The Association shall encourage and develop information, learning, research and theoretical activities and standardise experience in the field of leisure time pedagogy. The outcomes of these activities shall be published in analytical and comparative studies, summaries of experience, informative and other publications.

§4
Membership

1. The Association shall be comprised of Full Members, Honorary Members and Observers:
   a) Any establishment, organisation, institution or an individual acknowledging the mission, aims and objectives of the Association, meeting the membership obligations, following the Statutes of the Association and acting in compliance with it, providing moral, activity or material support to the Association, shall become the Full Member;
   b) An individual contributing to the mission, aims and objectives of the Association in an exceptional way, shall become the Honorary Member;
   c) Any association, organisation, institution or an individual partly meeting the membership obligations in accordance with the Statutes and contributing to the mission of the Association, shall become the Observer.
2. The establishments acting in the field of leisure time of children and youth and the individuals supporting the Association may become its members. Under the term ‘establishments of leisure time’ the institutions of versatile or specific focus are understood, providing voluntary, regular or occasional activities to their visitors and enabling them to be spontaneously active.
3. Submitting an application and its registration by the Presidium shall qualify an applicant for the membership. If an application has been refused, the applicant may address the General Assembly to take the final decision on such application.
4. Membership shall terminate by withdrawal or by cancelation of membership. A member shall requests withdrawal in writing, addressing the Presidium a three-month notice. Membership shall be cancelled if a member acted contrary to the aims and objectives of the Association and/or if a member distorted the Statutes of the Association. Cancelation of membership shall be approved by the Presidium and confirmed by the General Assembly.
5. Rights of the Full Member:
   a) To take part on activities for children, youth and adults organised or coordinated by the Association;
   b) To propose ideas for future activities and to participate on their implementation and on decision making concerning these activities;
   c) To regularly receive information on activities of the Association and its bodies and to take an active part on the information processes within the Association;
   d) To vote and be elected to the Association bodies;
   e) To be present at any meeting dealing with activities of a member or with the proposals for future activities of the Association;
   f) To use equipment in possession of the Association;
   g) To invite other participants from among non-members to take participate on activities of the Association;
   h) To withdraw from the Association.
   
6. Obligations of the Full Member:
   a) To operate in compliance with the mission of the Association and spread information on ideas and activities of the Association within his particular domain;
   b) To develop international cooperation among leisure-time institutions of children and youth, as well as among leaders and organisers;
   c) Inform the Association on his own activities developed in line with the mission, aims and objectives of the Association;
   d) To pay the yearly membership fee on time;
   e) To support the Association morally and by means of material and/or human resources.
7. The Observer shall enjoy all the rights and meet all the obligations equally to the Full Member, but the right to vote and be elected to the Association bodies (point 5d above). The Observer may use equipment in possession of the Association only against payment (point 5f above) and he shall not be obliged to pay any membership fees (point 6d above).

§5
General Assembly
The Association bodies are: the General Assembly, Presidium and Control Commission.

1. The supreme body of the Association is the General Assembly comprising of Full and Honorary Members entitled to vote, as well as Observes and other invited guests not entitled to vote. The individuals (physical persons) may only represent one-third of the total number of members. The General Assembly approving foundation of the Association is the Founding General Assembly and its participants are the Founding Members.
2. The General Assembly shall deal mainly with the following questions:
   a) Approval of the Association Statutes and other background documents, including changes to these documents;
   b) Approval of programme documents, work plans and budgets concerning the following period;
   c) Approval of the Yearly Association Status Report covering the prior period and the Report on Results of the Association Spending and on its control;
   d) Election and removal of members of the Presidium and the Control Commission;
   e) Decisions on honorary membership;
   f) Decisions on closure or merging of the Association.
3. The General Assembly shall take place once every two years. Upon the Presidium authorisation, the General Assembly shall be convened by the Association President eight weeks prior to its date, in writing and with information on its programme included.
4. An extraordinary General Assembly shall be convened by the Presidium at the latest eight weeks after
   registering a request for convening, if:
   a) Members coming from at least three different cities in two different countries so requested and specified the reasons behind as well as proposals;
   b) The Association interests so require.
5. All decisions shall be valid if secured the votes of a majority of the physically present members.
6. A secret ballot shall be taken during elections of members of the Presidium and the Control Commission. Voting shall be valid if secured the votes of a majority of the physically present members.
7. The regional balance, the continuity principle and the appropriate rotation of the Association bodies’ members shall be taken into account during elections. Each member shall have one vote.
8. Proposals for the General Assembly shall be delivered to the Presidium of the Association four weeks prior to its meeting, at the latest.
9. The protocol of the General Assembly shall be drawn and it should contain mainly the program, proposals presented and decisions taken. It shall be signed by the President.

§6
Presidium

1. In times between the General Assembly meetings the Association shall be represented and its activities developed in line with the Statutes and other background documents shall be managed by the Presidium, in which each member state may be represented, without limitation as to the number of members. The Presidium members are elected for two-year period. If any Presidium member representing a member institution leaves this institution during his/her term, this member institution shall designate his/her successor until the end of the mandate.
2. The Presidium meetings shall take place twice a year, and more frequently as necessary. The meetings are convened by the President.
3. The individual members (physical persons) may only represent one-third of Presidium members. If necessary, the Presidium members may coopt new members during their term, but only up to one-third of members elected by the General Assembly.
4. The Presidium members shall pursue their tasks as members of various committees, provide information and coordinate activities in their countries or in a region specified by the Presidium, in which they also shall represent the Association.
5. The President, Vice-Presidents and the Secretary General shall be elected and recalled by the Presidium members in voting by secret ballots or by show of hands. The Secretary General may also be recruited following the procedure approved by the General Assembly. The President is a statutory representative of the Association. The President may be elected only from among the Vice-Presidents. The President, the Vice-Presidents and the Secretary General shall be elected for a two-year term and no one may serve for more than two consecutive terms. If any of them leaves the institution he/she represents in the Presidium of the Association, the new election shall take place. The Presidium members elect one First Vice President and two Vice-Presidents. Only the First Vice-President may stand as the President candidate during next elections. The President or the Presidium by a majority of votes shall decide, which of the Vice-Presidents represents the President in his/her absence.
6. The main tasks of the Presidium:
   a) To implement decisions of the General Assembly and elaborate reports on activities and spending of the Association;
   b) To prepare and convene the Presidium meetings and implement the decisions taken;
   c) To establish working groups, sections or expert groups, nominate their coordinators or leaders and invite them to the Presidium meetings, if necessary;
   d) To take decisions on the use of assets and on maintenance of property of the Association, except on the closure of the Association;
   e) To establish an office acting as the Association executive body and nominate its manager. To define duties of the Office, provide job description for the employees and delegate them the tasks resulting from the meetings of the Association bodies. To check and evaluate fulfilment of these tasks. The Presidium shall also approve internal rules of the Office;
   f) To award each member a membership card.
7. The main tasks of the President:
   a) To convene and chair meetings of the Presidium and the General Assembly;
   b) In cooperation with the Secretary General, to decide on the agenda of these meetings;
   c) To represent the Association at functions, to which it shall be invited.
8. The main tasks of the Vice-President:
   a) To assist the President while ensuring the administrative matters of the Association;
   b) To coordinate and develop activities related to fundamental aims and objectives of the Association;
   c) To represent the Association at international meetings, to which he/she shall be nominated;
   d) To prepare and present the Presidium proposal related to annual and strategic activities plans.
9. The Secretary General shall cooperate closely with the Office. His/her main tasks are:
   a) To bear responsibility for final versions of minutes drawn at meetings held under the auspices of the Association;
   b) To approve all draft documents presented during meetings of the Presidium and the General Assembly;
   c) On behalf of the Office, to coordinate and supervise day-to-day operations of the Association.

§7
Control Commission

1. The Control Commission comprises of at least 3 members, who shall be elected for the two-year term by the General Assembly, together with the Presidium members. Its Chair shall be appointed by the Presidium, based on the proposal of the Control Commission. The individuals (physical persons) may comprise maximum one third of its members.
2. The Control Commission shall monitor and check: the use of budgets, the Association income and expenditures, the purpose and lawfulness of contracts, agreements and resulting economic operations, the spending of materials and finances. It shall elaborate monitoring reports on the Association spending.

§8
Internal Functioning

1. The Association functioning shall be in compliance with these Statutes as well as with decisions of the General Assembly.
2. Working languages in the Association are English, French, German and Russian.
3. All resolutions shall be adopted by a majority of votes of physically present members of the respective body. The resolutions on the Statutes changes, merging or closure of the Association shall require two thirds of votes of physically present members.
4. In order to accomplish long and short term tasks, the Association may invite experts from among non-members to participate in working groups, sections or expert groups.
5. If agreed within the managing bodies, the Presidium meetings, seminars and other activities may be hosted by member organisations in their respective countries.
6. While pursuing its aims and objectives, the Association shall cooperate with institutions and their associations of similar focus, operating at national or international level.
7. Youth Council comprised of representatives of member institutions shall be functioning in the framework of the Association.
8. The Association shall use the label (emblem) approved by the General Assembly.

§9
Office

1. The Office, representing an executive body of the Association, shall provide organisational, administrative and technical support to activities developed by the Association – its bodies, working groups, sections and expert groups.
2. Office Manager shall be responsible for this executive body of the Association. He/she shall ensure administrative and technical issues connected to sources and personnel, as assigned by the Administrative Board.
3. Relationships towards the host organisation shall be defined in the contract signed between the Association and the host organisation.
4. The seat of the Office shall be placed in the country of official registration of the Association. An office branch may be opened in the country of origin of the current President.

§10
Management and Assets

1. The Association shall raise the material and financial sources by the following means:
   a) Approved yearly membership fees;
   b) Results of own activities and services provided at national and international level in return for part or full payment;
   c) Voluntary contributions of the members or other persons/bodies;
   d) Gifts provided by individuals, associations and other collegiate donors and sponsors.
2. Yearly membership fees shall be approved by the General Assembly.
3. Assigned by the Presidium, the Office shall agree on the particulars in the form of a written agreement, signed both by the Office and by the respective member. The membership fees shall be payed annually by 30 April.
4. The assets shall be owned by the Association as a whole. Its bodies shall efficiently manage these assets, protect it by every possible means and develop it, for the benefit of aims and objectives of the Association.
5. Management of the Association shall be ruled by relevant provisions of the binding rules valid in the Czech Republic.

§11
Merging and Closure

1. The General Assembly shall decide on closure or merging of the Association.
2. In case of closure, an appropriate disposal of financial and other assets shall be sought in compliance with the Statutes of the Association. The settlement shall be ensured in proportion to the assets provided by the members.
3. Unless otherwise provided by the General Assembly, the three statutory representatives of the Association shall act as liquidators.

§12
Final Provisions

1. The Association shall function within the Czech Republic upon registration USL-674/L/91 by the Ministry of Interior of the Czechoslovak Federal Republic, dated 19.8.1991.
2. The Statutes of the Association shall be written in Czech, English, French, German and Russian versions, being equally authentic.

These Statutes have been approved by the General Assembly held in Prague on 22 November 2014.