Constitution
This Constitution defines the structure, the purpose, and governance of the York Indian Cultural Association.
It outlines our objectives, membership framework, leadership roles, and decision-making processes —all designed to uphold transparency, inclusivity, and service to our diverse community.
Constitution of York Indian Cultural Association
1.0 Aims and Objectives 1.1 To promote good citizenship in a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multilingual and multi-faith society via its members. 1.2 To increase awareness regarding Indian culture and history either independently or jointly with other organisations with similar aspirations. 1.3 To establish links and liaise with other groups and organisations who have similar objectives as the YICA.
2.0 Powers 2.1 Power to raise funds and to invite and receive contributions, provided that in raising funds, the Management Committee [MC]/Trustee shall not undertake any substantial permanent trading activities and shall conform to any relevant requirements of the law. 2.2 Power to co-operate with other organisations, charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities operating in furtherance of the objectives or of similar charitable purposes and to exchange information and advice with them. 2.3 Power to establish or support any charitable trusts, associations, or institutions formed for all or any of the objectives; such financial commitment is not more than 10% of the cash assets in one financial year. 2.4 Power to appoint and constitute such advisory committees as the managing committee may think fit. 2.5 Power to take all such other lawful actions as are necessary for the achievement of the objectives.
3.0 Membership 3.1 The membership of the YICA will be open to anyone who agrees with its aims & objectives as stated above and if the MC approves the membership application. The membership of the YICA shall be open to all, subject to the provisions hereinafter contained for the termination of membership, and shall consist of the following categories: 3.2 Full Members: Any person over eighteen years (18) shall be eligible for full membership on payment of due subscription, where applicable, hereinafter provided. 3.2 Subscriptions The annual subscription of membership shall be such sum as fixed from time to time by the MC, and shall be due on the first day of January in each year, subject to ratification at an Annual General Meeting. 3.3 Privileges and limitations of members: (a) Members shall have the right to take part in all the cultural, social and educational activities of the association. They shall have the power to vote and/or be nominated for election of the MC. (b) Only the MC has the power to make any public announcement or to take any public action including any publication on behalf of the association. No individual member shall take any such action in the name of the association. (c) When a person has been accepted, they shall be a member of the association and shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound by the rules and bylaws of the association. (d) The Membership of YICA can be withdrawn if that member: • Brings the YICA into disrepute as judged by the MC. • Discontinues renewal of their annual membership.
4.0 Management 4.1 The affairs of the YICA shall be managed by a MC elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. 4.2 The MC shall comprise the following officers: Chair, Vice Chair, General Secretary, Social and Events Officer, Treasurer, Digital and Communications Officer and upto three additional officers, for example from an existing Founder Member, as deemed necessary by a majority of the MC. 4.3 Nomination of office bearers a. Any Full Member may be nominated for any of the offices of the Organisation. b. Nominations shall be included in the notice for the Annual General Meeting. c. All nominations shall be supported by a Proposer and a Seconder who shall each be a Full member, and shall be given in writing on the appropriate form to the General Secretary at least twenty-one clear days before the AGM. d. The General Secretary shall give written notice to each member at least fourteen days before the AGM, and such notice shall contain the names of all nominees, proposers and seconders, who shall be Full members of YICA. 4.4 All MC decisions shall be by majority vote with at least four members of the MC attending for quorum. 4.5 In an extraordinary situation, the Chairperson, in consultation with at least one other member of the MC, can make an urgent decision. 4.6 The MC shall have the right to co-opt expert advisor[s] and/or invite them as observer[s] to any Committee Meeting, as it thinks fit. 4.7 The MC shall have the power to appoint such Sub-Committees as may be deemed necessary and may determine their terms of reference, powers, duration and composition. All acts and proceedings of such Sub-Committee shall be reported back fully in writing to the MC one week in advance of the next MC meeting. 4.8 The Treasurer will provide Yearly Financial Accounts one week in advance of the AGM. Such accounts should be circulated amongst all members. 4.9 No person shall hold the same office, whether on the MC or a Sub-Committee, for more than two consecutive terms. 4.10 The immediate past Chair of the YICA should be ex-officio member of the MC for a period of one term, or until the next AGM as the case may be, to ensure continuity. 4.11 Unless otherwise stated, a decision of the MC shall be by way of simple majority of those present and voting. 4.12 The office of a Member of the MC shall be vacated if that member: •Brings the YICA into disrepute as judged by the MC; •Resigns his/her/their office by notice in writing. 4.13 If a vacancy of an office bearer becomes available, the MC shall make an interim appointment from within the membership until the next AGM. 4.14 The MC shall meet at least once a quarter. Four members of the MC shall be quorate. 4.15 An Extraordinary General Meeting of the MC may be called at any time by: the Chair or the General Secretary or three full members of the MC upon fourteen clear days’ notice in writing being given to all other Members, and such Notice shall give details of the matters to be discussed and no other matters will be discussed. 4.16 The MC shall meet for the dispatch of business and adjourn and otherwise regulate the Meetings, as they think fit. •Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a simple majority, each member of the MC having one vote. •A Minute Book shall be provided and kept by the MC and the General Secretary (or in his/her/their absence, a member of the MC) shall enter therein a record of all proceedings and resolutions of each Meeting or at some subsequent Meeting when the Minutes shall have been duly confirmed. 4.17 Responsibilities The MC shall be empowered to conduct the general administration of the YICA. The responsibilities of the key Office Bearers shall be as under: a.Chair The Chair shall represent the YICA on all formal occasions and shall be the Chair on all business meetings of the YICA. The Chair shall have a casting vote: his/her/their decisions concerning the conduct of the Meeting and his/her interpretations of the constitutional problems shall be final. He/she/they shall be an ex-officio member of all sub-committees. In the absence of the Chair, the Members present shall elect a Chair of the Meeting when he/she/they shall have the rights of the Chair. b.General Secretary The General Secretary shall be responsible for conducting the affairs of the Association, and shall convene, in consultation with the Chair or their absence three members of the MC, for any committee meetings as deemed fit and also be responsible for maintaining records, minutes of the meetings etc. The General Secretary shall conduct all correspondence unless specially delegated to other members by the MC. The General Secretary shall keep regular Minutes of the Meetings, and have custody of the books, and upon his/her relinquishing office and whenever required by the MC, hand over all property and books of record to any person delegated by the MC. S/he/They can be ex-officio member of all sub-committees, which may be appointed. c.Treasurer The Treasurer shall be generally responsible to the MC and the Members of the YICA for the accounts of the YICA, and shall not spend any funds of the YICA for purposes other than those in accordance with the objectives of the YICA without the approval of the Chair. The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping an up-to-date inventory of all the assets of the YICA, and such inventory shall be available for inspection upon request by any member of the YICA. d.Other office bearers: their roles in the organisation shall be decided by the MC. For example: Digital and Media Officer, Events Officer, etc e. Limitations on responsibilities With exception of the Chair, unless they bring YICA into disrepute, no person can: •represent the YICA or •negotiate on behalf of the YICA or •use the name/status of the YICA , or •use the YICA platform/YICA Social Media Platforms [ FB and any other] for furthering personal views/projects Unless by written agreement of the Management Committee. Any person so authorised by the YICA to represent it shall not withhold from the Management Committee any information related to the agreed representation.
5. Annual General Meeting [AGM] 5.1 The AGM shall be held in the last week of April each year to coincide with the financial year. 5.2 The AGM shall be deemed quorate if: •10 members including 3 members of the MC ,or •2 members of the MC and 25% of the membership are present. 5.3 If the AGM is not quorate, it will be suspended and meet automatically after two weeks. 5.4 The Chair or, in his/her/their absence, the General Secretary of the Organisation shall preside as Chair at an AGM. 5.5 The membership shall be informed two weeks in advance of the date and location of the AGM. 5.6The functions of the AGM will be: • To receive , and if approved, to adopt the Annual Report and a Statement of Accounts to the end of the preceding year. • To elect Members of the MC and Officers of the YICA. • To deal with any special matter which the MC desires to bring before the Members, and to receive and consider questions from the Members 5.7 An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) may be called by a notice to the General Secretary in writing at least 28 clear days before the date upon which the AGM is sought to be called, and such notice must be signed by: • A majority in number of the MC, or • At least 25% of the paid-up members of at least three months' standing and must state fully in the form of a Resolution the matter upon which the request is made. • The General Secretary must, in the case of such notice being given, give at least fourteen clear days’ written notice to all Members, and such notice shall contain the names of all Members seeking the Extraordinary General Meetings to be called and the Resolution sought to be passed. • No business shall be transacted at such Meeting other than that specified in the Notice and no amendment to any Resolution proposed at the Meeting shall be allowed.
6.0 Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws 6.1 The MC may, if it thinks fit, make proposals for the amendment of the Constitution provided that: 6.2 Any such proposal shall have no effect unless it has been passed at the Annual General Meeting by a majority of at least two-thirds of the Voting Members present, such an amendment shall not have the effect of the YICA ceasing to be a secular organisation.
7.0 YICA Funds 7.1 The YICA funds shall be maintained by the Treasurer at reputable banks approved by the Management Committee (MC). Any such account shall be in the name of the YICA. 7.2 Cheques shall only be drawn jointly by the Treasurer and, either the Chair or the General Secretary with the authorisation of the expenses having been made by the MC. 7.3 The income and property of the YICA, whence-soever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objectives of the YICA and no proportion shall be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of divided bonus, or otherwise by way of profit to any member of the organisation, provided that nothing herein shall prevent the payment in good faith of reasonable and proper out-of-pocket expenses. 7.4 The Organisation shall have power to obtain, collect and receive money and funds by means of contributions, donations, subscriptions, deeds of covenant, legacies, grants or any other lawful method, and to accept and receive gifts of property of any description. 7.5 In case the organisation is dissolved, all left over funds after all dues have been paid, shall be donated to York Lord Mayor’s Charity. 7.6 No monetary collections/collection in kind, can be made in the name of the YICA unless a written authorisation of the Managing Committee is in place.
8.0 Dissolution 8.1 The YICA may at any time be dissolved by a resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of those present and voting at an Extraordinary Meeting called by the Chair or MC of which at least thirty-five clear days notice in writing shall have been sent to all members of the YICA.