Creating a new JEF section

starting off…

To create a new section of JEF in your town, your university or your school is not difficult. All you need is some commitment, some time and many ideas!

step 1: Find people!

1. Tell some friends about JEF or ask people in school or university, that seem to be interested in Europe…

2. Highlight the benefits of joining JEF: interesting debates about Europe and politics with nice people, meeting people from all over Europe travelling to JEF-seminars in different European countries!

3. BE NICE!!!!

step 2: Build a “team”

1. Name a coordinator

In charge of the first steps

2. Choose the “Team”-members

At least three people responsible of the finances, day-to-day work & PR

3. Introduce the membership form and the membership fee

This will help them feel member of a big organisation, rather than being part of a friendship circle.

step 3: Have regular meetings!

- „Stammtisch”

- Café Europe

- Working-Groups

- Team-meetings

step 4: Events

Panel Discussions

A good opportunity to discuss controversial issues with some experts and many other young people interested in politics

Talk-Shows

It is more like a confrontation, find speakers that fundamentally disagree on a topic!

Campaigns

Share your ideas with citizens in your city and convince the politicians, other youth organizations and the press of your demands

Calendar

Very useful!

step 5: inaugural meeting

*Statutes lay down the rules-of-procedures and the rules of the game for your section. In the statutes you decide which political body your section will get and how these bodies will work together.

*Elections In order to be accepted as organisation, you also have to elect your board. The board should include the following positions: President, Vice-Presidents, Secretary-General, Treasurer and other board members

step 6: Keep contacts!

Make sure that you stay in contact with the JEF-Secretariat in all phases of founding a section!!

step 7: Creating local sections

If you are the first and only section in your country, you might want to set up sections in other regions. A good starting point is a JEF-member of your section that moved to another city or a friend in another city that is interested in JEF-work.

Another possibility to form a new section is to contact a group or organisation that is already dealing with similar topics as JEF.

Step 8: Annual meetings

Yearly Congresselect a new board and set new political and organisational priorities for the work of the next years

Federal CommitteeIf your JEF-section exists out of several regional or local sections you it might be useful to organise a Federal Committee. In the Federal Committee representatives of all sections meet regularly (for example four times the year) and discuss political and organisational questions.

step 9: Office

A place from where:

you can take calls, people can call you, you can receive faxes, and the Secretary General and the board members can work on their projects

step 10: Watch the turn-over!

It’s very important to motivate new members to take over positions with more responsibility and lead the section in the future.

that’s it

thanks for your attention : QUESTIONS?

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