Working Regulations
U.A.C.L.A. MISSION & GOALS
Throughout the past two decades, it has become the norm for the Armenian community in Los Angeles to commemorate the Armenian Genocide under a united leadership, a body comprised of representatives of leading Armenian organizations. In general, the participants of this body have been from the main national political parties, the religious denominations, and the representatives of the most active cultural and compatriotic organizations of the community.
In 2010, the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was commemorated with a united leadership under the banner of the United Armenian Council for the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. In an effort to be more productive, the participating organizations concurred that the activities of the Council should not be limited to organizing functions only for the month of April. On the contrary, the Council should actively organize commemoration-based events throughout the year and in advance of the upcoming year’s Genocide Commemoration activities.
With the assumption of its new role, the United Armenian Council for the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide examined the scope of functionality of its responsibilities and its immediate plans and adopted the following goals:
Throughout the past two decades, it has become the norm for the Armenian community in Los Angeles to commemorate the Armenian Genocide under a united leadership, a body comprised of representatives of leading Armenian organizations. In general, the participants of this body have been from the main national political parties, the religious denominations, and the representatives of the most active cultural and compatriotic organizations of the community.
In 2010, the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was commemorated with a united leadership under the banner of the United Armenian Council for the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. In an effort to be more productive, the participating organizations concurred that the activities of the Council should not be limited to organizing functions only for the month of April. On the contrary, the Council should actively organize commemoration-based events throughout the year and in advance of the upcoming year’s Genocide Commemoration activities.
With the assumption of its new role, the United Armenian Council for the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide examined the scope of functionality of its responsibilities and its immediate plans and adopted the following goals:
- Organize the main official community-wide Genocide Commemoration event.
- Organize seminars/workshops dedicated to the Armenian Genocide
- Prepare Genocide related educational campaigns
- Plan and coordinate activities that represent pan-Armenian interests, which serve the overall Armenian interests and which enjoy the complete support of the participating organizations.
WORKING DIRECTIVES
In an effort to best organize its activities, the Council decided to adopt a set of working regulations that clearly identify
1. The representation of the participating organizations within the Council structure
2. The leadership structure and the decision making process
3. The implementation of the decisions
4. The financial capacity of the Council
PARAMETERS OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
Any active association or organization is welcome to become a member of the Council and to participate in its meetings and its ventures. Any member organization of the Council has the right to participate in the Council’s General Meetings, held every two months, and to participate in its decision making process.
Any representative of an organization has the right to present an inquiry regarding an agenda item of the meeting and
- request clarification of an issue,
- propose a change, and
- make a comment on a proposal.
LEADERSHIP AND BASIC DECISIONS
Aside from the General Meeting, , Council’s Executive Board holds semi-monthly meetings to discuss in detail the proposals presented at the General Meeting and the possible implementation of the proposed items.
Council’s Executive Board is comprised of:
- the representatives of the Armenian political parties, religious denominations, pan-Armenian organizations,
- designated activists of the participating organizations,
- as well as, the chairpersons of the ad-hoc committees or working groups.
- The administration is comprised of a secretary, a treasurer and a corresponding secretary
- The chairmanship is comprised of three chairpersons who take turns leading the meetings
WORKING GROUP STRUCTURE
In an effort to organize the activities on a proficient manner, the Council assigns specialized working groups. The working group leaders become full-fledged members of the Executive Board.
The following are entitled to be part of the working group
1. Unlimited number of representatives from the participating organizations
2. Intellectuals, professionals or experts who could be invited to participate in a working group
FINANCIAL CAPACITY OF THE UNITED ARMENIAN COUNCIL
The status of a participating organization within the Council becomes legitimate if the category of the membership is identified and the annual dues are determined,
1. The organization that does not renew its membership and does not pay its annual dues will lose its membership
2. The organizations are allocated a membership fee based on their status. The following is the fee schedule:
Annual Membership Fees
Political Parties: $1,000
Religious Denominations: $1,000
Diaspora-wide Armenian Organization: $500
Community-wide Cultural Societies: $500
Community Associations/Organizations: $300
Professional Associations: $300
Compatriotic Unions/Associations: $250
Youth and Student Groups: $100
GENERAL RULES
1. An organization is entitled to be part of the General Meeting of the Council if:
a. The organization has at least 25 members
b. The organization has been legally registered at least for three years
c. The organization has an elected executive board
d. The organization is recognized through the media
e. The organization pays its annual dues
2. Any proposal presented is final when it is discussed at the Council’s General Meeting. Any proposal adopted by the Council must be presented to the Council’s Executive Board for implementation, after assessment of the proposal’s functionality, the time-table, and the budget. Thereafter, the projects planned by the Council Executive Board are transferred to the respective ad-hoc working groups or the sub-committees.
3. These working regulations can be amended during Council’s Annual General Meeting in January.
4. The membership roster of the Council’s Executive Board could change during the Annual General Meeting of the Council or at any time during the course of the year.