Operational Decisions of the iEARN Assembly
Centre Membership of Assembly
Due to incorporation of iEARN International, all Centres must fulfil the requirements necessary to comply with the acts of incorporation. (2006)
Responsibilities of an iEARN Coordinator, Representative and Contact Person (2005)
There are three levels of representation in iEARN:
Center
Representative
Contact Person
Each of these subscribes to the Goals of iEARN as specified in our international constitution:
1. To develop friendly relations among youth of all nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples;
2. To encourage youth from all countries to learn and work co-operatively and collaboratively using telecommunications and other technology, to strengthen universal peace, to identify and take active part in resolving global problems facing the world;
3. To promote and encourage respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, culture, or religion;
4. To facilitate identification and sharing the different but complementary experiences of educational, academic and other national organizations with enduring educational infrastructures, and traditions throughout the world;
5. To share high-quality educational and other resources available in individual Member centres;
6. To provide a global infrastructure for a conceptual and action-based educational network that is open to all;
7. To share and transfer telecommunications technology, teaching methods and other resources with youth organizations, schools or individuals wishing to achieve the iEARN purpose and goals;
8. To assist in establishing training and support programs in each Centre;
9. To expand the network of financially and operationally sustainable iEARN Centres throughout the globe;
10. To work with umbrella organizations, academic bodies, universities, non-government organizations, and governments to establish a global community of concerned organizations and citizens with the express purpose of supporting the youth of the world in developing and implementing educational and humanitarian projects, especially projects of change and healing for the health and welfare of the planet;
11. To develop and maintain high-quality educational innovation;
12. To raise funds through local and global funding agreements to support these programs and goals.
In addition there are specific responsibilities for the three representative levels:
Center Coordinator
• Represents a Center, whose application to serve as a Center has been approved by the iEARN International Assembly and has the right to publicly state that s/he is representing iEARN
• Is a voting member of the iEARN International Assembly from an iEARN Center and takes an active part in Assembly meetings, discussions and decision-making
• Represents an NGO with legal recognition/registration in the country(ies) of its activities
• Submits an annual report in May on the activities and program of iEARN in his/her Center over the past 12 months
• Enables professional development for teachers in its Center
• Manages the process by which teachers in the area of the Center are given membership access to iEARN databases and forums
• Facilitates support for teachers and students to engage in collaborative project work in the area of the Center
• Serves as a liaison between the Assembly and the Center’s participating students and teachers
• When problems & issues arise from outside the Center that pertain to the Center’s participants, assists other Coordinators, Representatives and Contact Persons to resolve them
• Fulfils financial, administrative other obligations as determined by the iEARN Assembly
Representative
• Represents countries or parts of countries that are not currently involved in iEARN and/or they represent constituencies of young people or affinity groups which would like to be involved in the global iEARN and are not currently represented by a center or other Representative.
• A Representative has submitted an application and been approved by the iEARN International Assembly to serve as a Representative and has the right to publicly state that s/he is representing iEARN
• If not an NGO with legal recognition/registration in the country of its activities, is exploring the process for this to happen
• Submits an annual report in May on the activities and program of iEARN in his/her geographic area over the past 12 months
• Enables professional development for teachers in its area of operation
• Manages the process by which teachers in the area of operation are given membership access to iEARN databases and forums
• Facilitates support for teachers and students to engage in collaborative project work in the area of its operation
• When problems & issues arise from outside the area that pertain to the participants in a Representative’s area, assists other Coordinators, Representatives and Contact Persons to resolve them
• Fulfils other obligations as determined by the iEARN Assembly
Contact Person
• Has offered to speak to other educators about iEARN to assist them in becoming involved in collaborative projects in his/her geographic area
• Submits an annual report in May on the activities and program of iEARN in his/her geographic area over the past 12 months
• If possible, provides support for teachers in its area of operation
• Manages the process by which teachers in the area of operation are given membership access to iEARN databases and forums
• When problems & issues arise from outside the area that pertain to the participants in a Contact Person’s area, assists other Coordinators, Representatives and Contact Persons to resolve them
• Fulfils other obligations as determined by the iEARN Assembly
Protocol between iEARN International and Country Centres (1999)
This protocol is intended to clarify the relationship between iEARN International and its national Centers to enable a democratic, fair and effective way to work among us. This text is based upon the principles and rules established by our Constitution.
Article 1
In accordance with iEARN's Constitution (see Article 6 of Constitution)
Our organs are:
The Assembly
The international Secretariat
Article 2
In accordance with our Constitution the International Secretariat has the primary responsibility for the day-to-day decisions concerning the international operations of the organization
That means:
to represent iEARN in front of any international organization or in any international event.
to subscribe agreements with bodies, enterprises or organizations in order to enable the achievement of our goals.
to propose the annual budget of iEARN International
to manage our International Budget.
The Secretariat shall also provide enough information to the Centers to enable the evaluation of iEARN and its major activities.
International Secretariat can discharge some of its duties into subsidiary organs or into specific centers in order to increase its effectiveness or economic rationality.
Article 3
About iEARN Centers
In order to provide information which may be helpful for the Assembly beyond what is established in our Constitution, Centers shall:
Communicate to Secretariat and to the Assembly their changes of coordinator.
Communicate their most relevant agreements with external bodies, organizations, specially if they are enterprises or Administrations via the Assembly.
In accordance with part of their resources (human, funds) to help the organization to reach their purposes in according with what is being established by the Assembly.
Encourage their members to cooperate in projects or with subsidiary organs in the international level.
Join the Assembly meetings being they face-to-face or on-line (see articles 14 and 15)
Submit an annual written report to get known what's on in each Center.
Subject to the principles of iEARN, each center has full right to control its own affairs including making agreements. Where a center approaches an organization which have implications for iEARN International, permission will be sought from the Assembly.
iEARN Name
That iEARN Centers adopt iEARN as the common way of printing the name. That a 12-month change-over period occur after which it is desired that all references to iEARN be expressed in this way. (2002)
Project listing on web pages
That any listings of projects on iEARN individual Country web pages should have the name of the coordinating/initiating country/countries beside them with a link to that countries web site. eg. Lewin (coordinated by iEARN Australia and iEARN Pakistan) (2002)
Copyright
iEARN is a family and its products should be available to enhance the work of its members. However, when sections of published work are copied for educational use, it is important to acknowledge the source. One recommendation (which seems to be consistent with broader copyright guidelines) is that the use of complete publications or extensive quotes requires permission from the source. (2001)
It is the responsibility of the Project Coordinator/author to communicate clearly on the original source to the reader when material requires permission for further use. In the case of commercial use, our policy is that permission be required for legal reasons for the integrity of iEARN. When something is for commercial use, the product needs to be approved by the Assembly which is responsible for the proper release from the authors, etc. (2001)
That all materials that are used in publications should be credited properly to the original contributor whether it be a student, parent, teacher, project, magazine, book, or organization. (2000)
e-commerce Ventures
That iEARN does not take part in any e-commerce ventures or any similar ventures which would require the iEARN network to be used for any sort of advertising or promotion of a particular supplier or company. This does not refer to using sponsors' logos on project/country web sites or publications but that the iEARN network is not used as a vehicle to actively encourage members to purchase particular goods or use a preferred company and gain monetary benefit by members using that company or purchasing particular goods. (2000)
Scholarships for Annual Conferences
That a group consisting of the coordinator of Host centre, a member of the Secretariat and a member of the Assembly should be formed with the following responsibilities: call for applications for funding, receive applications for funding and make decisions about the applications. (2000)
For any centre which raises funds for participants from a particular country/language/project (outside their own country), then the centre which raised the funds should work with the coordinator of the Host Centre and the relevant person from the particular country/language/project to distribute the funds. The assembly should be notified of any funds raised through this means. (2000)
That the country hosting each Annual iEARN Conference should provide a scholarship for the Youth Representative to attend annual conference. Any country hosting the annual iEARN Conference should incorporate a scholarship to cover the costs of transportation and conference fees for the youth representative. (2003)
Vision and Goals of iEARN
To use the vision and purpose statement wherever possible in order to keep all iEARN folks aligned with the purpose and goals. (2002)
To adjust the project template to state the vision and goals of iEARN at the beginning of the project template as follows:
"The vision and purpose of iEARN is to enable young people to undertake projects designed to
make a meaningful contribution to the health and welfare of people and the planet." (2002)
That the Assembly agrees upon a common language, to be used in all communications that describes iEARN. That we use and promote the following concepts when we describe iEARN (of course, each language may have different ways of doing this)
a) Global human network learning through the Internet
b) Collaborative, project-based learning as part of the educational process, and directly to person involved
c) Making a meaningful difference contributing to the health and welfare of people and the planet. (2003)
Rules for soliciting donations
If a Centre solicits donations to iEARN online and / or in printed form, or has a link "Donate to iEARN" on a Centre or a project Web page, then at least two options should be presented to a prospective donor.
(a) Donate to this specific iEARN Centre
(b) Donate to iEARN International
Such online solicitations may include other options for the donor - if the centre soliciting donations so decides. (2003)
Contributions to iEARN International
If a Centre enters into partnership outside iEARN or submits application for funding which has implications for iEARN International and includes more than one Centre or country, then - whenever possible and compatible with the terms and conditions of the partnership - it should do one or both of the following:
(a) include in the budget proposal an item for iEARN International overhead;
(b) identify which additional line in the budget may be a source of contribution to iEARN International (e.g cost of connectivity and/or Web hosting to enable virtual collaboration, physical exchanges, attending the annual conference etc.) (2003)
Annual Contribution Fee
iEARN Assembly has established an annual Centre contribution. Centres are a) "expected" and "strongly urged" to make the contribution, b) to make a portion of it, along with an explanation, if they cannot contribute, or c) to explain to the Assembly if they cannot contribute. Contributed funds are deposited in the iEARN International account. iEARN International funds are controlled by iEARN Assembly; small expenditures (less than USD$500) may be made by the EC and reported to Assembly; other expenditures are approved by a formal EC Recommendation or by a vote of Assembly. An annual budget will be prepared by the EC and a financial report made in the EC Annual Report in the annual conference. Centres that are not able to pay this amount may be partnered with other Centres so that they can discuss together budget issues and share ideas for fund-raising. (2006)
Policy for soliciting and deciding applications to host the annual iEARN International Conference and Youth Summit.
The policy for soliciting applications to host the Assembly will be according to the following procedure: Announce in February 1, with a deadline of June 1, with a decision to be made at the Assembly meeting for the Conference 24 months prior the conference. (2003)
Criteria for the Youth Representative
1. Ability to write and speak in English in order to contact all most of the students in iEARN.
2. Experience with iEARN projects/programs. The nominee should at least have one year experience with iEARN projects/programs so that he/she can give help and opinion about different issues related to youth participation in different projects
3. Having an action plan that he/she will try to carry out during acting as the Youth Representative.
4. The nominee should be active on the forums especially the youth forum.
5. Have a regular access to the internet in order to follow up with different events, discussions or problems in iEARN.
6. The ability to attend the annual conference and the youth summit.
7. Full understanding to the duties and responsibilities of the Youth Representative post, and the ability to work with the local youth representatives (LYR) and other iEARN youth to achieve the best for the students and deliver their needs to the Assembly.
8. The iEARN youth representative be for a term of 2 years, with elections to be made every October
(2004)
Procedure for dealing with Assembly Members/representatives who are not meeting the obligations of Assembly/iEARN membership
Currently obligations of Assembly Members are listed in:
(1) iEARN Constitution
(2) Operational decisions of iEARN Assembly (these can be found in the iEARN International Annual Reports)
(3) Guidelines mentioned in the application forms for iEARN Centre and Representative
These may be affected by other decisions which might be made by the Assembly)
Procedures
A. INITIATION OF PROBLEM DISCUSSION
It should start with a written statement from a person or group in iEARN expressing that they are not happy with some specific situation in which the Assembly Member or country representative was involved.
The written statement should go to the Assembly member/representative and should include what happened, when it
happened, how it impacted the person or group and suggestions for how the situation should be improved.
The Assembly member /representative should respond to the person or group as soon as possible - preferably in 2 weeks and not more than 4 weeks.
B. EFFORT TO FIND SOLUTION BETWEEN THE PARTIES
After that there are two possibilities:
(1) The problem is solved to the satisfaction of both parties.
(2) One of the parties is still dissatisfied.
C. IF THE SOLUTION BETWEEN THE PARTIES IS NOT FOUND
In case (2) the dissatisfied party should explore all possible ways of finding a solution within the local community or country, for example addressing the Center Board of Directors, Facilitation Team or others.
If the problem has not been solved by appealing to local bodies, then there are two options in order of preference;
(1)Both parties agree on submitting one document to the Executive Council describing the problem, and attach to it the previous correspondence – as completely as possible.
Then the Executive Council must analyze the situation by communicating with both parties trying to clarify the situation and work towards a common solution
(2)The person or group addresses the Executive Council describing the problem and attaches to it the previous correspondence - as completely as possible.
Then the Executive Council must analyze the situation taking the following steps:
- Request a written document from the second party describing its opinion (the second party would have 2 weeks to respond);
- After having received written opinions from both parties, the Executive Council might consider gathering additional information from third parties about the situation.
- If deemed necessary the Executive Council might consider taking other steps, for example deciding to send a representative to investigate the situation locally.
If the problem is not solved by the steps above, the Executive Council will within a period of two months present to the Assembly a report about the situation including recommendations for final steps, or (if the EC needs more time to investigate) an update and projected timeline. A copy of this report will be sent to all parties in question. Assembly members will have the opportunity to ask additional questions of the Executive Council, but the EC. has the right to decide how much information is appropriate to share.
D. URGENT SITUATIONS
In the case when a situation requires urgent action an Assembly Member seconded by at least two other Assembly Members may request an immediate investigation of by the Executive Council. As soon as possible but no later than two weeks the Executive Council will inform the Assembly.
E. POSSIBLE ACTIONS BY THE EC AND/OR ASSEMBLY AFTER THE INVESTIGATION
The actions will depend on causes of the problem discovered in the investigation/analysis such as
- lack of resources
- lack of skills or knowledge
- lack of time
- internal (within a center/country) problems or interference
- external problems or interference
- lack of commitment
- conflict of interest
- criminal activity
- unethical behaviour
- others
Every attempt should be made by EC and/or Assembly to be positive and proactive.
Possible actions:
(1) Send an official letter of dissatisfaction.
(2) Give the parties a specified period of time to solve the problem or to show progress towards solving the problem by the deadline.
(3) Provide the parties with an analysis of the problem along with guidelines/suggestions for finding a solution with a deadline for solving the problem or showing progress towards its solution.
(4) Specify expected outcomes and a deadline by which these outcomes should be realized.
(5) Recommend to center/country replacement of the coordinator/representative.
(6) Make an immediate recommendation for the expulsion of a center or representative as described in the iEARN Constitution.
NOTE: Information gathered or provided in the process described above should preferably be communicated among EC/Assembly members by e-mail messages rather than published in online forums or on the Web.
If the deadlines mentioned in 2, 3, and 4, above are not met, recommending expulsion is one option.
Members’ Rights
a). Each member of iEARN has the individual right to have confidential discussions with the Executive Council.
b). All iEARN Members have the right to communicate with the Executive Council and expect mediation if required and an appropriate and timely response.
c). Once the Executive Council has made a recommendation to the Assembly, there is a constitutional time line within which any member of iEARN can participate in discussion by submitting opinions and questions of clarification to the Executive Council or to any member of the Assembly.
d). All members of iEARN have the right and ability to provide input into decisions facing the Assembly.
e). The Executive Council has the role to act on behalf of the Assembly and Members of iEARN, as defined by the iEARN International Constitution.
(2004)
Inappropriate Communication
All offensive and demeaning communications which include personal attacks, insults and unsubstantiated accusations, be archived with access only to Assembly members.
(2004)
Collaboration/Partnerships
iEARN International has formally entered into collaboration or partnership with the following:
WorLD Program and Schools Online in the "Alliance for Global Learning." (1999)
Schools on Line (2000)
ThinkQuest (2000)
SchoolNet Africa (2002)
World Education Corps (2004)