Italian Association of Geography Teachers

STATUTE

Article 1

(Name and aims)

The Italian Association of Geography Teachers (AIIG) is a non-profit Association. It works to fulfil the following aims:

a. promoting the meeting of geography teachers from any educational background and course of study, in order to enforce the sense of common teaching responsibility and the cultural and professional solidarity;

b. promoting scientific and didactic specialization and refresher courses for geography teachers and the relationship with other subjects;

c. fostering the didactic research and experimentation in order to make teaching methodologies more and more effective, according to the needs and interests of students, schools and society;

d.                                                                         d.   protecting the teaching of geography in schools and institutions, keeping proper relations with the authorities and the competent organizations and encouraging every initiative addressed to give prominence to geography within school and university curricula;

                        e. spreading the geographic education and culture at any level, promoting exchanges and agreement with institutions and organizations involved in the teaching and training of the citizen;

f.  promoting the environmental and cultural knowledge and protection, in the framework of a proper geographic and ecologic education, according to a more functional management of the territory;  

g. promoting the mutual international knowledge and understanding, the respect for multiculturality and diversity and the rights of all the populations to development and progress;

8. keeping in touch and exchanging experiences with other similar associations in Italy and abroad, with particular reference to the ones belonging to the European Community; encouraging transnational projects, especially those ones devoted to the development of the European dimension.

As far as the above mentioned aims are concerned, the Association publishes the journal titled “AMBIENTE, SOCIETA’, TERRITORIO – Geografia nelle Scuole” (“ENVIRONMENT, SOCIETY, TERRITORY – Geography in the schools”), which is given out to its members for free, together with other teaching material; the Association organizes annual national conventions, refresher courses, conferences, group-work, training activities addressed to primary and secondary school students, educational trips all over Italy and abroad and other events, also in cooperation with schools, institutions and associations which share the same objectives.

Article 2

(Headquarters)

The Association’s headquarters is in Rome, with registered office at the Società Geografica Italiana (Italian Geographic Association), Via della Navicella, 12 - 00184 Rome.

Article 3

(Association Memberships)

Members of the Association can be:

 4.                             as “Active Members”: primary and secondary school teachers, university professors of geographic subjects and similar, connoisseurs or experts on the subject, schools and institutions with geographic aims and interests;

5.                             as “Relative Members”: Active Members’ relatives, who want to take part in the events promoted by the Association, without receiving the journal;

6.                             as “Junior Members”: young students who are not involved in professional activities.

7.                              

Members have the moral and actual obligations to cooperate to the fulfilment of the Association’s aims, taking part in the different activities and paying the annual dues.

Members are requested to pay the subscription dues also for the following year, if they do not inform the Association about their decision to withdraw from the contract within the month of June.

Article 4

(Branches)

The Association is made up of Regional Branches, that can be divided into Provincial, Interprovincial and City Branches.

Article 5

(Association Property)

The property of the Association consists of:

d.                             Subscription dues and other dues paid by the members;

e.                              Any contribution or donation from public and private institutions;

f.                               Any possible sum of money in excess, which has not been addressed to other activities of the Association.

Article 6

(Association Year)

The Association Year begins on September, 1st and ends on August, 31st of the following year, according to the school year. The journal is sent to the members every solar year.

Article 7

(Association Committees)

These are the Association Committees:

i.                                The Members Assembly;

j.                               The Central Committee;

k.                              The President;

l.                                The Secretary;

m.                           The Treasurer;

n.                             The Journal Director;

o.                             The Board of Auditors;

p.                             The Council of the Presidents.

Article 8

(Members Assembly)

All the members regularly paying the dues can take part in the Assembly. “Relative Members” can take part, but they do not have the right to vote.

The ordinary Assembly is held at least once a year, on the occasion of the National Convention, and it is considered valid at the first meeting, whatever the number of members taking part is. It has legal value, with the election of a President and a Secretary who deals with the recording of the proceedings.

These are the duties of the Assembly:

h.                             The election of the Central Committee and the Board of Auditors;

i.                                The approval of the report produced by the President, concerning the final balance and the estimated balance;

j.                               Suggesting proposals for the activity plan concerning the following year;

k.                              Appointing the Honorary Members and the Honorary President;

l.                                Any changes to the Statute;

m.                           The analysis of other items on the agenda;

n.                             Expelling any Member who fulfils aims and directions in contrast with the ones of the Association.

The meeting of the Assembly is summoned by the President through proper communication on the journal.

Article 9

(Central Committee)

The Central Committee is made up of 9 members; this number can be increased up to 12 members, according to the next article; the office lasts 4 years.

 The Committee appoints its President, two Vice-presidents and the Secretary. Moreover, the Committee appoints the Treasurer, preferably among the Councillors.

If among the first nine elected members not all the school levels are represented (primary, lower and higher secondary school and university) by on duty or retired teachers, the member with the highest number of votes for each school level will be appointed.

The Central Committee is summoned by the President at least twice a year and an extraordinary meeting can be summoned upon request of one third of its members. The meeting is considered valid with the presence of at least half the councillors and deliberates by absolute majority. In case of an equal number of votes, the vote of the President will make the difference.

In the meetings of the Central Committee can take part, upon the President’s invitation, experts whose advice is considered useful to particular purposes.

If, for any reason, the number of the Committee members decreases to less than nine, the integration takes place appointing the first member who was not elected.

If, for ay reason,  the delegation of a school level is missing, the first member belonging to that school level, who was not elected will be appointed.

The procedure for the election of the Central Committee is established by the Regulation.

The following are the duties of the Central Committee:

a.                              Drawing up the Association activities annual plan;

b.                             Coordinating the activities of the Branches and assuring the respect for the rules provided for in the Statute;

c.                              Ratifying the election of the Regional Committees;

d.                             Appointing, among the members, the Director and the Editorial Staff of the Journal;

e.                              Promoting the national Conventions, choosing venues, dates and subjects; appointing the Organizational Committee and approving the programme;

f.                               Promoting educational trips and other events at a national level;

g.                             Suggesting the Honorary President and the Honorary Members;

h.                             Deliberating on extraordinary expenses.  

The Central Committee can delegate some of its duties to a smaller Committee, made up of the President, the Vice-presidents and the Secretary.

justification for the absence, will lose their office as Councillor.

Article 10

(President)

The President is elected within the Central Committee and is the legal representative of the Association. His/her office lasts four years, for not more than two agencies in succession. The President keeps the relationship with the Ministry of Education, University, Research, with other Ministries, with the Italian geographic institutions and with other related associations in other countries.

The President summons and acts as a chairman of the meetings of the Central Committee and the Council of the Presidents; summons the Members Assembly and deals with the execution of the resolutions; every year produces to the Members Assembly a report about the life of the Association; addresses communications to the members through the journal, using proper editorials to this aim; upon resolution of the Central Committee, the President authorizes the Treasurer to spend the money on extraordinary expenses; assures the respect for the Statute and the Regulation. In case of problems, the senior Vice-president will act for the President.

If, for any reason, the President should leave the office, the Central Committee will summon new elections.

Article 11

(Secretary)

The Secretary is appointed by the Committee. The Secretary works in cooperation with the President; keeps the administrative records; draws up the proceedings of the meetings of the Central Committee; keeps in touch with the secretaries of the different Branches; updates the list of members and the register of the Regional and Provincial Committees.

The Association Office helps the Secretary in the carrying out of his/her duties. The members of the Association Office are appointed among the members, in variable number, by the Central Committee.

Article 12

(Treasurer)

The Treasurer deals with the collection of the dues paid by the Branches to the Headquarters, and the collection of any other dues addressed to the events promoted by the Association; deals with the payment of ordinary and extraordinary expenses; deals with the bookkeeping and with any legal fulfilment; draws up the financial reports to be approved by the Central Committee and by the Members Assembly; sends the bookkeeping to the Board of Auditors for the relevant procedures.

Article 13

(Journal Director)

The Journal Director is appointed by the Committee. The Journal Director carries out the scientific directions suggested by the Committee, periodically reporting to it. The Journal Director deals with the organization and the publication of the journal. The Journal Director fosters the posting of contributions and coordinates the Editorial Staff appointed by the Committee. The Journal Director deals with the planning of the journal, in cooperation and in close relationship with the President. 

Article 14

(Board of Auditors)

The Board of Auditors is made up of three “Active Members” and two substitutes, elected every four years in the occasion of the Central Committee renewal, according to the procedures provided for in the Regulation, also among non-members.

The Board of Auditors appoints its President and Secretary and the meetings take place at least once a year to check the financial reports, about which, the Board of Auditors must report to the Assembly, with notes and proposals, that will have to be approved.

Article 15

(Council of the Presidents)

The Council of the Presidents is made up of the Regional Presidents. It is a consulting body and is summoned by the National President at least once a year, in the occasion of the National Convention, or in other particular occasions which may be important to the life of the Association.

Article 16

(Branches and Regional Committees)

The Regional Branches are directed by a local Committee and are autonomous from the administrative and organizational point of view, according to the aims of the Association and to the rules of the Statute.

The Regional Committees are made up of 5 members, whose office lasts four years. Each Regional Committee elects its own President, Vice-president and Secretary and appoints its Treasurer. Members of the Regional Committee may also be the Presidents of the Provincial Branches, who will become members by right from the meeting following the attribution of the offices. If within the Committee not all the school levels are represented (primary, lower and higher secondary school), the missing representatives must be substituted possibly during the first meeting.

The Regional Committees are summoned by the President at least twice a year, at the beginning and end of the activities, and extraordinary meetings can be summoned upon request of half the members.

The procedures for the election of the Regional Committees are provided by the Regulation.

These are the duties of the Regional Committees:

a.                              Representing the Association from the legal point of view and promoting the activities of the Association at a regional level, in connection with the Central Committee and the National Presidency;

b.                             Collecting the annual dues; sending the members’ addresses to the National Secretary in good time; sending the dues owing to the Headquarters to the National Treasurer, according to the directions given year by year by the National President;

c.                              Establishing and coordinating the Provincial, Interprovincial or City Branches;  

Article 17

(Provincial, Interprovincial and City Branches)

The Provincial, Interprovincial and City Branches are established by the Regional Committees in provincial or interprovincial areas where at least 20 “Active Members” reside.

They are directed by a three-member Committee, elected by the Members Assemblies together with the Regional Committees renewal; the office lasts four years. The President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer are elected within the Branch.

The President of the Branch is member by right of the Regional Committee.

The Branches promote the activities of the Association within their territory, in close connection with the Regional Presidency. They collect the Association dues, and send them to the Regional Bodies; they manage the funds given by the Regional Committee. They have to send the account and the report of their activities to the Regional Committee.

Article 18

(Association dues)

The annual Association dues are the same for all the “Active Members”. There is an extra charge for the mailing of the journal to the members residing abroad. The dues are reduced for “Junior Members” and “Relative Members”, according to the resolutions of the Committee. The dues include the journal and the right to take part in all the activities organized by the Association at a national, regional and provincial level.

Article 19

(Honours)

The Central Committee proposes the appointment of the Honorary President and the Honorary Members to be approved by the Assembly. The appointment includes the right to receive the journal for free.

Article 20

(Offices free of charge)

All the offices of the Association are free of charge, except for the refund of the expenses met on behalf of the Association, balance permitting.

Article 21

(Dissolution of the Association)

The dissolution of the Association can be requested by the Central Committee for justified reasons and must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Members Assembly. In case of dissolution, the Assembly resolves on the destination of the property of the Association to another geographic institution, keeping into account its aims.

Article 22

(Changes to the Statute)

This Statute can be changed by the Members Assembly by a two-thirds majority of the voters.

For anything not provided for in the Statute, make reference to the Regulation, which is drawn up and can be changed by the Central Committee.

The Regulation establishes the general procedures of the Association in each activity. For what is not provided for in the Regulation, it is up to the Central Committee to take the proper resolutions.