This page is intended to answer your questions about the upcoming annual general meeting, or AGM. Read below to find out how to vote, run, and get involved. If anything's not clear, please feel free to get in touch with our secretary at secretary@melbourne.ysa.org.au.

Positions avaliable

In order to run for and hold a Top Six position, you need to have served on the Committee before for at least one term, and be over 18 years of age at AGM.

The Top Six Positions are:

President

While the name is big and scary the main job of the president is delegation and keeping everything on track. While there are no major jobs that the president is directly involved in they need to make sure that everything that goes into running the organisation happens. Their vision is the directions in which the organisation takes for the future. 

Vice President (Events)

Vice President Events is similar to the previous position of social coordinator. VP events coordinates, plans and improve the socials and events that are held by YSA. While they won't run every social themselves it is their job to make sure that the event is being organised and that everything goes out on time so everyone can have the best time possible. 

Vice President (Science Outreach)

Vice President Science focuses on the science outreach of YSA. This involves all the coordination and cooperation which goes into creating the volunteering opportunities for YSA members. Such as contacting other organisations and communicating with those we wish to be involved with. Their bright ideas lead to the science events which we do in the future and allow us to promote science to all. 

Secretary

Secretary is mainly involved in the legal preceding of the organisation. It is their job to organise the monthly committee meetings so that they run smoothly, to keep minutes of these meeting so everything is kept honest and available for reference and completing other formal paperwork, such as the tax return which all organisations are required to do. 

Treasurer

The treasurers life is all about the money and spreadsheets.  The treasurer has the most constant job requirement, which is keeping track of how much we own, spend and gain. This allows us to plan opportunities for the future without running out of the funds to make these things happen as well as keeping the organisation afloat. 

Communications Officer

The communication officer tracks and manages our public image and contacts. This ranges from organising and proofing the writing of emails, to Facebook posts and Instagram stories.  It is their job to make sure that everything we send out matches our message and that the people we work with has a clear idea of what is happening. 

 

General elected member (GEM):

Ordinary members make up the rest of the committee. These positions offer a whole range of opportunities: from introductory positions to learn the ropes, to places for those ready to give a little more to a specific area or project.

Plus, these are open to all members of YSA to take on! You don’t need to be over 18 or have any previous experience, just keen to jump on the committee and have a go.

If you would like to know more about being on the committee, feel free to ask anyone who's currently on the committee and they'll be more than happy to help!

 

Before AGM

There are a few things that you can do before the day of AGM to make things run silky-smooth.

1. Renew your membership this weekend! If you're not sure whether your membership is currently active or not, simply log into TidyHQ to check (click the membership button in the bar) or email our secretary. If your membership expires between now and the AGM, don't worry, you can renew it now and the system will automatically extend your membership by 1 year from your old expiry date!

If it's still active, awesome! That means you're able to vote on any and all resolutions and ballots at the meeting, as well as run for a position if you choose to. If it turns out to have expired, don't panic! It's easy to renew by clicking the button below: Just a reminder, you need to be a member for 7 days prior to the AGM to be able to vote and run.

2. Nominate for a position! This is a pretty simple process: all you need to do is choose a position, find someone to nominate you (can be yourself or any other member of YSA), and two people to support (or 'second') your nomination. Then, send an email to our secretary that looks like this: 

Position: (Position you're nominating for)
Nominee: (Nominee's full name)
Nominator: (Nominator's full name)
Seconders: (Full names of both people seconding nomination)

Please note that if you would like to run for one of the top 6 positions, you must have served at least 9 months on the committee previously, and be over the age of 18! If you don't meet these requirements, we'd love to see you join us as a General Member - you'll get a chance to see how YSA works, get involved with all aspects of our organisation, and make a meaningful contribution!

3. Submit a proxy! If you can't be at the meeting but still want to vote, simply select another YSA member to be your proxy (just check if they're already holding proxies for people: two proxies is the maximum for any person to hold). You can also select the meeting's chairperson if you don't know anyone going. Then, use this form (or this one if you're selecting the meeting's chairperson) to put your proxy in writing, and scan and email it to our secretary no later than 10:30 on the morning of the AGM. If it is received after this time, it won't count (much like the relay quiz!)

4. RVSP for the event! For the sake of everything running smoothly on the day, it's super important to RSVP for AGM and the social that follows. You can do both on our event page. 

5. Review the minutes of the 2023 AGM, if you attended the previous AGM, so you are able to vote to confirm it as an accurate record of that meeting.

During AGM

During the AGM, we will be getting together, looking back on the last year, and electing a shiny, brand-new Executive Committee for 2024-2025. 

There's plenty of chances to get involved during the meeting: if you've been a member for 7 days, you get to have your vote on any and every resolution and ballot. You can also nominate for a position from the floor of the meeting if you choose to, so don't stress if you don't have a chance to send a nomination in. 

More Questions?

If you have more questions about any aspect of AGM, feel free to get in touch with our secretary at secretary@melbourne.ysa.org.au. You can also read the constitution, and minutes of previous meetings, on our documents page, here. For AGMs, the relevant sections of the constitution are parts IV and V of our constitution (General Meetings and Committee).