_How did it come to this?
_
About ten years ago, the HAI Board showed
leadership and initiative by registering itself as a formal company and
charity. Members of the Association
formally endorsed these initiatives at AGMs and EGMs, and the Associations
rules, it’s Articles were also endorsed.
Almost all of this useful spadework for the future was the result of
efforts made by members in the Dublin
area. Whilst HAI had constituted itself
as a national organisation, the Board continued to meet regularly in Dublin, and Board
membership was dominated by people living in or near the capital. Having jumped
through the hoops of obtaining legal status for HAI as a company and charity, ordinary
members waited for the Board to instigate formal structures for regional involvement
and committees to undertake specialist work on behalf of HAI. Ten years later we are still waiting. There are no officially recognised regional branches
or permanent sub-committees - no formal structure to include every member who
wishes to be involved in the work of the organisation, no definite direction in
the shifting tide of national affairs, and without relevance to the communities
we live in. We remain a jellyfish type body, with no backbone, just a head –
the board.
We believe that the upcoming EGM will give the membership an opportunity to usher in a new era in the history of the HAI, one characteristed by innovative policies regarding membership involvement, membership promotion, public policies, and legal, administrative and financial support for regional branches.
We believe that the upcoming EGM will give the membership an opportunity to usher in a new era in the history of the HAI, one characteristed by innovative policies regarding membership involvement, membership promotion, public policies, and legal, administrative and financial support for regional branches.
The Reasons for our support of Andrew's call for an EGM
_ We support Andrew’s call to discuss the motions he details in his letter calling for an EGM;
Of particular importance to our agenda is motion number 5:
5. That this EGM appoints, and/or asks the Board to appoint, the following members onto the Board of the HAI: Aaron Keohane, Peter Ferguson; and also asks other HAI members to consider putting themselves forward as Board members.
It is our hope that should the EGM take place it could offer the opportunity for a new beginning for the Humanist Association of Ireland. The term “co-option” is a legal term which simply means election to the board outside of an AGM. Thus, elections will be taking place on the day for what could be up to eight or nine new members of the board. A few of the HAI members who lent their names to this email will be running for election on the day including; Aaron Keohane. Peter Ferguson, Micheál O'Riordáín and Bryan Wall (click on their names for a look at their manifestos). We would encourage anyone who wants to be part of an exciting new page in the history of the HAI to put their name forward for co-option on the day as we need enthuiastic people to support goal of reforming the HAI.
Of particular importance to our agenda is motion number 5:
5. That this EGM appoints, and/or asks the Board to appoint, the following members onto the Board of the HAI: Aaron Keohane, Peter Ferguson; and also asks other HAI members to consider putting themselves forward as Board members.
It is our hope that should the EGM take place it could offer the opportunity for a new beginning for the Humanist Association of Ireland. The term “co-option” is a legal term which simply means election to the board outside of an AGM. Thus, elections will be taking place on the day for what could be up to eight or nine new members of the board. A few of the HAI members who lent their names to this email will be running for election on the day including; Aaron Keohane. Peter Ferguson, Micheál O'Riordáín and Bryan Wall (click on their names for a look at their manifestos). We would encourage anyone who wants to be part of an exciting new page in the history of the HAI to put their name forward for co-option on the day as we need enthuiastic people to support goal of reforming the HAI.