Chapter 1

General provisions

§ 1

1. The Association operating on the basis of this Statute is called Stowarzyszenie Rodzin Wieloetnicznych Family Voices.

2. The Association may use the name in English of the Association of Multiethnic Families Family Voices.

§ 2

The association is based in Warsaw.

§ 3

The Association operates in the territory of the Republic of Poland.

§ 4

The Association may operate in other countries, respecting the local law.

§ 5

The association is a legal person and is subject to entry in the National Court Registry.

§ 6

The association cooperates with national, foreign and international non-governmental organizations and other institutions. It may remain a member of these organizations on the basis of full autonomy.

§ 7

The Association's activities are based on the voluntary work of its members. It may hire employees and establish offices to carry out its activities.

 

Chapter 2

Goals and ways of achieving them

§ 8

Objectives

1. Representing the interests of multiethnic families in contacts with the media, state and private institutions.
2. Integration of multi-ethnic families with themselves and with other people in society.
3. Support for multi-ethnic families.
4. Increasing public awareness of cultural diversity.
5. Counteracting all forms of discrimination and racism.

§ 9

Ways to achieve goals:

1. Creation and implementation of projects consistent with the Association's goals.
2. Organization of meetings and events integrating the community of multi-ethnic families.
3. Organization of cultural events, shows, exhibitions, lectures and other types of events to raise awareness about the situation of multi-ethnic families and other social groups.
4. Conducting educational activities – lectures, workshops, trainings and other events aimed at educating about cultural diversity, the situation of marginalized groups.
5. Creating educational materials, books, articles, videos.
6. Conducting advocacy activities – striving for the shape of the law and other regulations to counteract all forms of discrimination.
7. Providing social, health and psychological assistance to multiethnic families living in Poland and other groups in Poland and abroad.
8. Support for marginalized groups in Poland and abroad.
9. Conducting collections to finance activities consistent with the objectives of the Association.
10. Cooperation with other organizations, public and private institutions in Poland and abroad, in order to achieve the goals of the Association.

 

Chapter 3

Members of the Association

§ 10

The members of the Association are divided into:

1. Ordinary
2. Supporting

§ 11

Ordinary member of the Association may be a Polish citizen as well as a foreigner, regardless of the place of residence.

§ 12

A supporting member of the Association may be a natural or legal person declaring financial, material or substantive assistance in achieving the Association's goals.

§ 13

1. Ordinary and supporting members are accepted by the Management Board by a majority of vote, after filing a written declaration. 

2. Membership is established on the day the Management Board adopts a resolution to accept it; the Management Board notifies the candidate about the resolutions on the acceptance or rejection by e-mail.

3. The founders of the Association who signed the list of founders attached to the application for registration of the Association, become its members as soon as the court's decision to register the Association becomes final.

§ 14

1. Ordinary members have the right to:

a) participate in the General Meetings of Members with the casting vote,

b) elect and be elected to the authorities of the Association,

c) take an active part in all activities of the Association,

d) submit postulates and motions to the Association's authorities and demand information on how to settle them, and evaluate the activities of the Association's authorities,

e) receive assistance from the Association's authorities in the implementation of statutory tasks,

f) use the Association's devices with the consent of the Management Board

g) use other rights resulting from the statutory activity of the Association with the consent of the Management Board.

2. Supporting members are entitled to exercise the rights of an ordinary member with the exception of active and passive election law, and at the General Meeting of Members they have only an advisory vote.

2. Supporting members assist the Association in carrying out its statutory tasks and comply with the provisions of the Statute and resolutions of the Association's authorities.

3. A supporting member of the Association is exempt from paying membership fees.

§ 15

Members are required to:

1. To care for the good and development of the Association.

2. Participate in the activities of the Association.

3. Obey the Statute and resolutions of the Association's authorities.

4. Pay fees regularly (excluding supporting members).

§ 16

1. Membership in the Association ceases as a result of:

a) the member's death or loss of legal personality,

b) leaving the Association submitted in writing,

c) exclusion from the Association.

2. Exclusion from the Association may occur in the event of a member's breach of the provisions of the Statute, failure to comply with the resolutions of the Association's authorities, failure of the Association member's activity for more than one year, failure to pay membership fees for more than one year, or infringement of the Association's interests, for example by quarreling members.

3. The resolution on exclusion is adopted by the Management Board. A member may appeal against this resolution to the General Meeting of Members, within 30 days of its delivery with justification.

4. Members of the Association, including members of the Management Board, may be employed by the Association.

 

 Chapter 4

Association authorities

 

General provisions

§ 17

1. The authorities of the Association are:

a) General Meeting of Members;

b) the Management Board;

c) Audit Committee.

2. The term of office of the Management Board is 3 years. If a new person joins the management board during the 3-year term of office, their term of office ends along with the authorities who were appointed for this term.

3. The term of office of the Audit Committee is 3 years. If a new person joins the audit committee during the 3-year term of office, their term of office ends along with the authorities who were appointed for this term.

4. There is no limit to the number of terms of office for members of the Management Board and the Audit Committee.

5. Members of the Management Board and the Audit Committee are elected by the General Meeting of Members by secret ballot.

6. Members of the Management Board and the Audit Committee are elected from among the candidates -members of the Association who have given their oral or written consent to be a candidate.

7. If the composition of the Association's governing bodies is reduced during the term of office, their composition may be supplemented by co-opting by other members of the body which has been reduced. 
 In this way, no more than half of the body's composition may be appointed.

§ 18

1. Membership in the Management Board or the Audit Committee shall cease as a result of:

a) the end of the term of office, and at the moment of expiry of the term of office specified in § 17 p. 2 and 3, The day of the General Meeting of Members at which the Management Board submits is considered report for the last year of operation,

b) termination of membership in the Association,

c) a written resignation from participation in these authorities,

d) dismissal by the General Meeting of Members at the request of the majority members of the Association.

2. In the event of failure to elect a new Management Board and Audit Committee at the General Meeting of Members referred to in p. 1 lit. a, and the current Management Board and the Commission Audit departments perform their duties until the new authorities are elected.

3. The election of the new Management Board and the Audit Committee must be made no later than in within 3 months from the expiry of the term of office of the previous authorities of the Association. In case failure to elect new authorities within the period specified in the preceding sentence on each of the members of the Association is obliged to notify about this fact the body supervising the activities of the Association.

 

General Meeting of Members

§ 19

1. The competences of the General Meeting of Members include:

a) setting direction and strategies,

b) considering and approving the reports of the Management Board and the Audit Committee,

c) discharging the Management Board and the Audit Committee for the period covered report,

d) electing of the Management Board,

e) electing of the Audit Committee,

f) dismissal of members of the Association's authorities,

g) supplementing the composition of the Association's authorities,

h) adjudicating on appeals against resolutions on removal from the list of members in an accident provided for in § 16 section 3,

i) determination of the amount of the membership fee,

j) making changes to the Articles of Association,

k) deciding to dissolve the Association.

§ 20

1. The Ordinary General Meeting of Members is convened once a year by the Management Board and is devoted in particular to the matters listed in § 19 p. 1, lit. a, b, c, d and e.

2. The Extraordinary General Meeting of Members is convened by the Management Board:

a) on its own initiative,

b) at the written request of the Audit Committee,

c) at the written request of 1/3 of the members of the Association.

3. The Management Board is obliged to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of Members in order for the examination of the appeal against the resolution referred to in § 16 sec. 3 and to complete the composition of the Association's governing bodies within 30 days from the date of submission of the appeal in question or from the date of the reduction in the composition of the governing bodies.

4. The General Meeting is called by the Audit Committee in the event that:

a) The Management Board will not convene an Ordinary General Meeting of Members within 30 days from the end of the year from the previous Ordinary General Meeting of Members,

b) The Management Board will not convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of Members within 30 days

from the date of submission of the application referred to in paragraph 3 points b and c,

c) The Management Board will not convene the Extraordinary General Meeting of Members in cases and the date specified in paragraph 4.

5. The body convening the Ordinary General Meeting or the Extraordinary General Meeting of Members should notify all members of the Association in writing with acknowledgment of receipt of the date and the proposed agenda no later than 14 days before that date.

6. The agenda may be changed by the General Meeting of Members or expanded.

§ 21

1. If p. 2 does not state otherwise, the General Meeting of Members adopts resolutions by simple majority of votes regardless of the number of members entitled to voting of members present at the General Meeting.

2. Resolutions on amending the Articles of Association and dissolving the Association's General Meeting of Member are taken by an absolute majority of votes in the presence of at least half the number of members.

3. If the General Meeting of Members cannot adopt the resolutions referred to in p. 2 due to the lack of the required quorum, another General Meeting is convened within one month, at which these resolutions can be adopted by an absolute majority of votes, regardless of the number of eligible members present vote.

 

Board of the Association

§ 22

1. The Management Board is appointed to manage the entire activities of the Association, and also represents the Association outside.

2. The Board of the Association consists of 2 – 5 members.

3. The number of members of the Management Board is determined by the General Meeting of Members.

4. Members of the Management Board may receive remuneration for their functions.

§ 23

1. The responsibilities of the Management Board include:

a) managing the current activities of the Association,

b) representing the Association outside,

c) implementing the resolutions of the General Meeting of Members,

d) accepting and removing from the list of members,

e) managing the assets of the Association,

f) establishing the Association's budget,

g) making decisions in other matters, if it results from the provisions of the Articles of Association,

h) defining the main directions of the Association's activity program,

i) making decisions on other matters related to the activities of the Association, not reserved for the competence of other bodies.

§ 24

1. Meetings of the Management Board are held as needed, but not less frequently than once a quarter.

2. Resolutions of the Management Board are passed by a simple majority of votes in the presence of at least half of its members. In the event of a tied vote, the President's vote is decisive, and in his absence, the vote of the Vice President.

 

Revision Committee

§ 25

1. The Audit Committee consists of 2 – 3 members, including the chairman and secretary.

2. The number of members of the Audit Committee is established by the General Meeting of Members.

3. The Audit Committee is constituted at the first meeting after its election.

4. The Audit Committee may not include members of the Management Board.

§ 26

1. The Audit Committee is the Association's internal control body.

2. The responsibilities of the Audit Committee include:

a) conducting financial management checks at least once a year,

b) inspection at least once a year of the assets and their management methods property by the Management Board,

c) control of compliance with the statute and implementation of the resolutions of the General Meeting Members by the Management Board,

d) submitting to the General Meeting the report and motions in the matter granting discharge to the Management Board,

e) convening the General Meeting of Members in the case specified in § 20 sec. 5.

 §  27

1. Meetings of the Audit Committee are held as needed, however not less frequently than once a year.

2. Resolutions of the Audit Committee are passed by a simple majority of votes in the presence of everybody at least half of its members. In the event of a tie, the vote is decisive the chairman, and in his absence, the vote of the secretary.

Chapter 5

Assets and funds of the Association

§ 28

The assets of the Association are created from:

1. revenues from membership fees;

2. proceeds from donations, inheritance and bequests;

3. income from subsidies;

4. revenues from statutory activities;

5. public donation;

6. income from the property of the Association;

§ 29

1. The Association may conduct paid public benefit activities in order to achieve its statutory goals.

 

Chapter 6

Representation

§ 30

Two members of the Management Board jointly are entitled to make declarations of will on behalf of the Association, including in property matters.

 

Chapter 7

Final Provisions

§ 31

A resolution on amending the Association's statute is passed by the General Meeting of Members by a simple majority of votes, in the presence of at least half of the members entitled to vote.

§ 32

1. The resolution to dissolve the Association is made by the General Meeting of Members by a simple majority of votes in the presence of at least half of the members entitled to vote.

2. When adopting a resolution to dissolve the Association, a liquidator is appointed and the method of liquidation and destination of property is specified.

 

 

 

 

The above statute was adopted at the Founding Meeting on 22.08.2020