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Maine State Youth Council By-Laws
State Youth Council By-Laws
Adopted by the State Youth Council Mid-Winter Retreat, Feb. 2000,
Rev. 09/2005
Purpose
Youth Comprise, organize and lead the State Youth Council (SYC) of the Maine Conference United Church of Christ to empower the youth of the conference by providing resources, leadership opportunities, and sponsoring statewide youth activities.
Membership
Members of the State Youth Council must be in high school (grades 9-12) and /or ages 14-18 and affiliated with a church of the Maine Conference United Church of Christ.
Leadership
The Executive Committee of nine(9) members(President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer-Historian, three(3) Members at Large, a representative to the Coordinating Council, and the Electronic Multimedia Coordinator will act as a representative coordinating and decision making body between regular SYC events and meetings.
1. The Executive committee shall be elected at the business meeting during the Mid-Winter Retreat for a one (1) year term, February to February.
2. Executive committee members must be members of a church of the Maine Conference United Church of Christ.
3. It is recommended that SYC members participate in SYC events for one year before seeking election to the Executive Committee.
4. It is recommended that Executive Committee members be representative of different areas of the Conference.
5. Members may serve up to, but not exceed, three (3) years on the Executive Committee.
6. The Executive Committee shall meet as often as needed between regular SYC meetings.
7. A quorum of the Executive Committee must consist of five (5) members.
8. The Executive Committee may present recommendations to regular SYC meetings.
9. The Executive Committee shall elect new State Youth Council Advisors.
President
The President shall organize and conduct all State Youth Council and Executive Committee meetings. The President shall facilitate communication and organization between Executive Committee members, the offices of the Maine Conference and other Conference entities. The President shall ensure that the duties of the Executive Committee and its members are carried out.
Vice President
The Vice President shall assist with the duties of the President and shall assume those duties in the absence of the President.
Secretary
The Secretary shall keep full and accurate minutes of all State Youth Council and Executive Committee meetings.
Treasurer-Historian
The Treasurer-Historian shall be responsible for documenting all financial transactions authorized by the Executive Committee; maintaining communication between the Executive Committee and the Treasurer, Director of Finance, and Bookkeeper of the Maine Conference; and presenting the Executive Committee with a Treasurer's Report at each of its formal meetings. The Treasurer-Historian shall retain existing records, and synthesize new records of State Youth Council Events.
Coordinating Council Representative
The Coordinating Council Representative shall attend the monthly meetings of the Coordinating Council and act as a liaison between the two councils.
Members at Large
Members at large shall be responsible for general input in the actions of the Executive Committee, as well as fulfilling specific tasks determined by the Executive Committee.
Electronic Multimedia Coordinator
The Electronic Multimedia Coordinator will run the State Youth Council website, as well as monitor the message board to ensure its proper use by the State Youth Council. They shall also perform whatever Misc. electronic tasks the Executive Committee asks of them.
Advisors
There shall be at least three adult State Youth Council Advisors, one of which is an authorized minister of the United Church of Christ. They will attend SYC and Executive Committee meetings to advise and assist SYC and the Executive Committee as necessary. To the extent possible, there shall be a balance of gender and clergy/lay personas Advisors
1. Advisors must be twenty-five (25) years of age and members of a church of the Maine Conference United Church of Christ.
2. Candidates for an Advisor position must be approved by the Youth Ministries Advisory Team.
3. Among the advisors, there shall be one vote on the Executive Committee used only to break a tie vote among the Executive Committee members.
4. Advisors may recommend other persons for specific leadership tasks as needed (e.g. chaperones, workshop leaders, etc.)
5. The term for each Advisor shall be three (3) years. They may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms, but may be re-elected after at least one (1) year off.
Meetings/ Events
1. The State Youth Council must hold a business meeting at least once a year, one of which shall be included at the Mid-winter Retreat.
2. State Youth Council meetings shall be communicated to all active SYC members and the churches of the Maine Conference. These meetings may be held at the following sponsored events: Fall Convention, Mid Winter Retreat, or Beach Day.
3. Meetings are open to all active SYC members, regardless of whether or not they attend the retreat.
4. All participants attending events sponsored by the SYC will follow rules found in the policies appropriate to the event. These policies may be amended by the Executive Committee and must be approved by the Commission for Community Life.
Succession
If any Executive Committee member and/or Advisor(s) fail to attend two consecutive meetings without just cause, or no longer meet the membership/advisory regulations, they shall be subject to review and possible dismissal by the remainder of the Executive Committee.
The order of succession after the President is:
1. Vice President
2. Secretary
3. Treasurer-Historian
4. Coordinating Council Representative
5. Electronic Multimedia Coordinator
6. First Member at Large
7. Second Member at Large
8. Third Member at Large
The order may be amended by the unanimous consent of the Executive committee to suit an individual situation.
Amendments
These by-laws may be amended by no less than a 2/3 vote at a regular SYC meeting. All proposed changes must be approved by the Commission for Community Life.
By-Laws should be reviewed by EC at least once every four years.
Revised Annual Meeting 2005