The association is run according to a provisional constitution that consists of 28 articles that cover the goals, vision, recruitment processes and all laws that govern internal deals.
Article (1) Association Description
The Syrian Association is an international network of Syrians interested in supporting the issues of Education in Syria and the Syrian students around the world.
Article (2) Mission
To build a better future for Syria by contributing to the development of education in Syria and supporting the Syrian students to complete their higher education at a high academic level.
Article (3) Vision
To become the largest supporting body for Syrian students around the world and capable of contributing effectively to the development of education in Syria by 2030.
Article (4) Objectives
- Support Syrian students to complete their academic and higher education and enter the workplace.
- Connect Syrians around the world by networking in order to support students and education.
- Disseminate and Transfer academic and professional knowledge among students.
Article (5) Targeted Groups
Syrian students around the world; particularly focusing on the age-groups that are about to go to university, are currently in university or freshly graduated. In particular, marginalized groups, including internally displaced people, refugees, special needs and women.
Article (6) Members
- Co-Founders are the members who attended the first constituent meeting of the Association on 21/11/2018 and agreed on establishing the Association.
- Founding partners, are the members who:
- attended five of the eight constituent meetings that have been conducted between 14 January and 14 March 2019.
Or
- contributed to the establishment of the Association by carrying out managerial tasks and establishing departments and teams, and making a strong impact during the establishment stage, which had spanned to the date the Association’s launch on 26/11/2019
In addition to that:
- They continued with the Association until its launch on 26/11/2019
- Active members (Volunteers): they perform daily duties, attend regular meetings and take on responsibilities within the Association, whether they’re co-founders, founding members or others.
- Associate Members: They are members who want to support the Syrian Association when they have the chance. They do not have any obligations or duties for the time being. The association’s relationship with them is based on support and consultation.
Article (7) Scope
International, with focusing on Syria and neighboring countries
Article (8) Thematic areas
- First, completion of education
We support Syrian students to complete their higher education, we also help students who have dropped out of school so they can proceed towards higher education.
- Second: Academic knowledge
We help Syrian students with choosing the proper major for them and graduating with a high degree of academic knowledge.
- Third: Scholarships
We support Syrian students in applying for scholarships to obtain high-level education, and then transfer their skills and knowledge to Syria in order to contribute to its development.
- Fourth: Languages
We help Syrian students to develop their foreign language skills, which can help them to succeed in their academic and professional lives.
- Fifth: The Labor market
We support Syrian students to develop the skills needed in order to enter the labor market.
Article (9) Services and Programmes
- Consulting Services
The Association advises students by answering their questions or helping them find what they are looking for in academic and scientific fields.
- Mentoring projects
The Association constructs projects aims to mentor students in their academic and professional lives, whether to return to universities, develop their academic knowledge, or get scholarships, and so on.
- Create content
The Association creates written, visual, and audio content for students on various educational topics.
- Online courses and workshops:
The Association designs and offers online workshops and seminars that target students with different educational topics.
- Networking and campaigns:
The Association conducts several activities to engage Syrian students, academics and professionals, organize campaigns that support education matters, and establish cooperation with international organizations that support the education of the Syrian students.
Article (10) Values and Internal Culture
The Syrian Association has six core values embedded in its organizational culture and work methods. These values define how we interact with each other and are considered rules that all members of the Association must follow:
- Professionalism
- Long-term Orientation
- Altruism
- Inclusiveness and Support
- Openness and Critical thinking
- Entrepreneurial
Article (11) Guiding principles
The Syrian Association has guidelines that govern and guide how we work with the community that we are serving, they are acting as beacons to show us the way, which we will always strive to maintain it. These three basic principles are:
- Non-discrimination: The Syrian Association was founded for the purpose of developing the education in Syria and supporting the Syrian students worldwide, regardless of their background. The Syrian Association does not apply any discrimination based on grounds of race, religious beliefs, social class, political opinions, community, or others.
- Commitment to supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the fourth goal “quality education”.
- Support and empower marginalized groups, particularly those with special needs, women and girls, refugees abroad and internally displaced people.
Article (12) Association Management
The Association is managed by a CEO who runs the Association in cooperation with three committees and four executive departments:
- Management committee, whose members are composed of all managers of the divisions and departments to discuss all matters of the Association.
- Planning committee, whose members are all managers of the departments, which shall develop the annual plans and oversee them.
- The Organizing Committee, whose work consists of the CEO, Human Resources Director, a co-founder with a related experience, and an external consultant; the Committee organizes the Association’s work through developing procedures, policies, job descriptions of each role and the revision of the organizational structure.
- The Programs Department, consists of 6 divisions: Advisory, Mentoring, Webinars, Content management, Campaigning and Networking, and Business Development.
- The Human Resources Department, which consists of four divisions: Recruitment, Personnel, Engagement, Associate Members.
- Media and Communications Department, which consists of three divisions: The Digital Media, Visual Content, Editing and Translation.
- IT Department.
Article (13) The CEO’s Responsibilities
The Daily management of the Association, including organizing the work, handling problems, coordination between the various parties, ensuring the continuity of association and ensuring that all the results of the association’s work meet the required quality and professionalism level needed. The responsibilities of the CEO are further detailed in the attached General Management Character.
Article (14) Committees’ Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the committees are detailed in the attached Committees Charter.
Article (15) Departments’ Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the departments are detailed in the attached Departments Charter.
Article (16) Decision-making
- Team-level decisions: Team-level decisions are made after internal consultation and consensus
- Committee-level decisions: Committee-level decisions are made after consultation and voting according to the principle of two thirds
- Association-level decisions: If a committee decided that all members of the association will participate in the voting on an issue, the voting process will be based on the principle of half + 1, unless the constitution states otherwise.
Article (17) Quorum of Committees
- Any committee must consist of at least three people.
- By the presence of two thirds of the committee’s members, a quorum is considered valid for taking decisions.
- When the quorum is not valid, the meeting may be convened but decisions cannot be taken.
- When a person doesn’t attend the committee meeting, he/she will have lost his/her chance to vote
- The number required to complete the quorum is rounded (up or down) to the nearest integer.
Article (18) Assigning & Dismissing the CEO
- The CEO is assigned for the first time by the active members of the Association with the approval of two thirds. The CEO is dismissed based on the demand of 50% of the active members, or two thirds of the Management Team.
- The HR director receive the request and facilitate the process.
- If the CEO is dismissed or resigns, he/she shall stop his/her duties after his/her dismiss immediately, and the Management Team assigns one of them as an acting CEO in order to handle the Association’s affairs s until a committee is formed according to Article (22).
- The acting CEO and the Management Committee have no executive functions until the assignment of a new CEO according to Article (22).
Article (19) Assigning & Dismissing the Departments Managers
Departments Managers are assigned by the CEO according to the recruitment policy adapted by the Association, or dismissed according the adapted dismissal policy.
Article (20) Assigning & Dismissing the Divisions Managers
Divisions managers are assigned or dismissed by Departments Managers according the adapted dismissal and recruitment policy
Article (21) CEO’s Term of Office
The CEO’s term of office is two years. After two years the nomination for CEO position is open, and multiple people can run for the position.
Article (22) Nomination and Assignment of CEO other than the First Time
At the end of the first two-years of the Association’s administration, the assignment of a new Executive Director shall be as follows:
1. A committee shall be composed of at least three co-founders/ founding partners (No one should be joining the committee if nominating himself/herself)
2. They start receiving nomination requests for 15 days after advertising internally and externally.
3. Applications shall be examined and the people’s qualifications are compared with the job description of the CEO and the applying terms, interviews shall also be made. If more than one person meet the terms got nominated, a debate must be held before all members of the Association, the debate is administered by the Nominating Committee.
4. After that, the voting will be carried out by all active members of the Association. Voting duration will last for 5 days.
5. If one person is nominated, he/she needs the approval of two thirds of the members. While if more than one person is nominated, the one who possess the most votes gets assigned as the CEO.
6. If one person is nominated and has not been approved by two thirds of the members, the process must be repeated again, if the results were the same at the second round (the same person is the only nominee and hasn’t been approved by two thirds), he/she gets assigned as the CEO.
7. Any person who meets the applying terms is eligible for nomination, including the former CEO.
8. The position of CEO can’t be held by the same person more than twice.
9. The assignment of the new CEO shall be finished by a maximum period of one month from the date of the expiration of two years, or two months if the events of clause (6) had occurred, and the former CEO should handle the affairs until this process is over.
10. In order to have a valid election, more than 60% of the association’s active members shall vote.
Article (23) Resignation of the CEO
In the event of resignation of the CEO, the management team assign an interim CEO to handle the association’s affairs until a committee is formed as mentioned in the previous article (22).
Article (24) Amendment
Two thirds of the active members must approve any amendment to the constitution.
Article (25) temporary disabling of articles
Two thirds of the active members must approve any temporary disabling of clauses of the constitution.
Article (26) Licensing
In case that the association got registered as a charity and a new constitution got adopted, this constitution will be annulled.
Article (27) Matters not included in the Constitution
Any matter that’s not included in this provisional constitution shall be handled by the management team according to the principle of two-thirds voting.
Article (28)
This association is not entitled to interfere with religious beliefs nor political matters. We are not affiliated with any political party, and we don’t have any political relations.