Elections for the Governing Body 19-26 November 2015 Background information for voters and candidates
General information about the Governing Body The Governing Body (GB) is the international board of EYP. The GB directs the organisation and is responsible for the strategic development of the EYP. The Governing Body consists of six elected members and a representative of the Schwarzkopf Foundation, our international umbrella organisation. In its work, the Governing Body is supported by the Executive Director of the EYP, and is accountable to the Board of National Committees and to the alumni. European Youth Parliament
1
Elections for the Governing Body Elections for the GB are held every year, when three seats become vacant: National Committees elect two members and the EYP alumni elect one member of the Governing Body. National Committees have three votes each and the alumni have one vote each. Everyone who is interested can run for the Governing Body. In the 2015 elections, a quota applies whereby at least one teacher has to be elected. Teachers are defined as those who have teaching as a profession, who have accompanied a delegation to an International Session and who have participated in the teachers’ programme. The vote is held online and the National Committees and the alumni vote from the same pool of candidates. The candidate with the highest number of alumni votes is elected first and removed from the pool. The votes from the National Committees are counted second and the two candidates with the highest number of votes are subsequently elected in second and third place. If no teacher is elected under these normal circumstances, the teacher with the highest number of votes takes precedence over the other candidate in third place. In case there are not enough candidates to allow for a competitive election, the nomination period will be reopened once.
Role of National Committees and alumni National Committees and alumni are asked to nominate and actively encourage candidates to run in the elections, and to help raise awareness for the elections (voting period 19-26 November 2015). National Committees will receive a list of all eligible alumni voters in their country to help raise turnout. However, National Committees may not favour one candidate over another in their public statements. In contrast, individual alumni are more than welcome to campaign on behalf of candidates and to share candidates’ manifestos via email or social media. Please refer to the Policy on the Governing Body for other rules that apply during the elections.
Governing Body Mandate Period The GB members elected in autumn 2015 are elected for a term of two calendar years. Their term starts on the 1st of January 2016 and ends on the 31st of December 2017. The elected GB members are expected to serve the entire two year mandate.
European Youth Parliament
2
Work on the Governing Body Towards the beginning of the term, the GB selects a Chairperson among its members; agrees on an annual work plan; and usually also agrees on a task division or distributes portfolios amongst its members. The GB meets physically four times a year, usually over a weekend in Berlin. The GB members agree on the meeting dates together. Next to the meetings, the GB works via a joint e-mail list, and depending on the portfolios, each GB-member is also expected to work on his or her own tasks and responsibilities. A GB-candidate should: be able to make 3-6 hours per week available for GB work and reply to email regularly throughout the week; be able to attend four GB meetings per year, and one additional event (e.g. BNC Meeting; Council Meeting; International Session) value good advice, but be able to arrive at decisions based on own judgement; be willing to defend and see through ideas; have a broad idea of how EYP should develop as an organisation; have some experience in NGO management. Members of the GB cannot hold any positions on boards of National Committees, Candidate National Committees, or EYP Initiatives. Members of the GB can also not hold any officials’ positions at International Sessions for the duration of their term. Four EYP Councils assist the GB in specific fields. The four existing Councils are the Regional Development Council, Training and Alumni Development Council, Academic Council and Educational Council. More information about the Councils is available here.
How to run in the elections Anyone who is interested can sign up as a candidate for the GB elections. National Committees and alumni can also nominate candidates to encourage them to run. Candidates have to accept a nomination to indicate their willingness to run in the elections. A short video presentation about the elections is available here. To present yourself (or somebody else) as a candidate for election, you must send an email to elections@eyp.org by the 26th of October 2015. All candidates are required to submit a filled in questionnaire and a video to elections@eyp.org no later than 30th of October 2015. The questionnaire for candidates is attached to this call. Videos should be sent as a file to elections@eyp.org. The International Office will upload all videos simultaneously to our Vimeo channel. Campaign videos may be no longer than 3 minutes, and candidates should answer these two questions: Why do you run for the Governing Body? What will your aim and focus be during your term on the Governing Body?
European Youth Parliament
3
Election timeline The full GB election timeline in autumn 2015 is as follows: Call for candidates published: Monday 5 October Deadline for candidates/nominations: Monday 26 October Deadline for manifestos/confirming candidacy: Friday 30 October Publication of manifestos: Monday 2 November Campaigning period: 3-18 November Voting period: 19-26 November Results announced: Friday 27 November GB term starting: 1st of January 2016 The following preparatory deadlines apply: The International Office in Berlin will send out a list of eligible voters to each respective NC, for them to check it, by 16 October 2015; National Committees are asked to submit the name and contact details of the person vote on their behalf by 2 November; National Committees are asked to submit any possible additions of eligible voters from their National Committee by 2 November; The International Office we will circulate a possible updated list of eligible voters to all respective National Committees, based on the submitted additions by 9 November
European Youth Parliament
4