ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION „OPEN THE DOORS"

I.General  provisions

§ 1
[Association]

Association „Open the doors”  hereinafter referred to as Association- it is a registered Association , possessing legal  personality and bringing together persons afflicted with mental disorders and others , whose aim is to promote the activities of the Association.

§ 2
[area of activity;  a registered seat]

1. The association conducts its activities in Poland and abroad.

2. A  seat of the Association is the City of Cracow.

§3
[the mode of representation and  contracting  financial obligations]

In total, there are two members of the Management  Board  , who  are entitled to represent  the Association and to contract  its  financial obligations- including the  President or the vice- President and another person from the rest of the Management Board members.

§ 4
[a stamp]

The Association has a right to use a stamp with an encircling  inscription -Association ‘Open the doors” in the middle “Management  Board” and an oblong stamp with the inscription“ Open the Doors”- the Management  Board.

II. Aims and methods of acting

§5
[aims]

The aims of the Association are the following:

1. Mutual assistance.

2. Acting against stigmatization of mentally ill persons.

3. Cooperation with different organizations from  the country and abroad , directed towards:

-Creating sheltered work places
-Acquiring flats for sheltered flats
-Organizing different forms of recreation for the mentally ill persons.

4. Educational activity in patients’ communities, their families and local communities.

5. Protection of the rights and  dignity of people suffering from mental illnesses.

§6
[methods]

Association realizes its goals in particular by:

1. Supporting indirect  contacts, meetings and other common actions of the mentally ill, their families and therapists.

2. Initiating and participation in radio and tv programmes and in press releases , aimed at  the advancing  the level  of knowledge and understanding  of the issues   connected with mental  disorders.

3. Participation in and organization of  conferences in  the country and abroad.

4. Appointing , if necessary, other organizations   to realize its statutory goals, and participation in national and international organizations of related aims.

5. Accumulating  financial means for the realization of its goals, as well as by economic activity.

III. Members

§7
[acquiring the membership]

Each natural person as well as a foreigner living abroad, who:

a) is 18 years old

b) accepts the goals  of the Association

c) was admitted through the resolution of the Management  Board can be a member of the Association.

§8
[member’s rights and duties]

1. A  member has a right to participate in the current transactions of the  Association as well as they have  an active and passive  voting  rights  to elect its organs.

2. Each member ‘s duty is to observe the Articles of Association, resolutions of the Association organs  and  to pay their regular membership fees.

§9
[cessation of membership]

Membership ceases by :

a) death

b) written resignation submitted to the Management Board

c) exclusion by the Management Board due to a serious violation of the  Articles of the Association, the  resolutions of  the Association organs   or its interests.

d) The  Main Board is obliged  to notify a  given member about their deletion or exclusion  giving the reasons and indicating the right to lodge an appeal to The General Meeting within the  time limit of 30 days  from the date of service  of an applicable resolution or  decision.

e) to people who have been refused the right of membership we apply the rules provided in the preceding point.

§ 10
[Supportive and honorary members]

1. A supportive member can be a natural person or a legal person who  significantly supports the Association organizationally and financially.

2. An honorary membership is  granted to natural persons  particularly distinguished in realization of the aims and ideals of the Association

3. Supportive members are admitted and are  unanimously granted  the honorary membership by the  Management Board.

4. Supportive and honorary members  can participate in the transactions of the Association and report their  comments and proposals . They cannot be members of the Association

5. Cessation of supportive or honorary membership ensues pursuant to  the rules defined
in § 9.

IV.  The Supreme organs of the Association

§ 11
[supreme  organs and their term]

The supreme  organs of the Association  are the following:

a) The General Meeting,  called at least  every three years

b) Management Board , elected for a three year period

c) Audit Committee, elected for a three year period

§ 12
[competences of the General Meeting]

1. General Meeting is the highest authority.

2. The range of activities of  the General Meeting comprises the following:

a) Passing Resolution of the principal guidelines  of the Association

b) Reviewing – approving the reports and plans submitted by the Management Board or by the Audit Committee and granting or refusing  to grant a vote of approval to the Management Board.

c) Reviewing the motions of the members or the organs of the Association .

d) Election of  members of  the Management Board and the Audit Committee from  among the members of the Association in a voting by secret ballot , as well as their dismissal.

e) Exclusion of the member pursuant to §9c. Divestment of  honorary  membership or expulsion of the supportive member

f) Adopting the resolutions on the amendment of Articles of the Association or on the  dissolution of  the association pursuant to the provisions from chapter VII.

g) Adopting other resolutions in significant Association matters.

§ 13
[convocation and the mode of voting of the General Meeting]

1. The General Meeting calls The Management Board at least  every three year.

2. If necessary, The Management Board calls The Meeting, , on the strength of its own resolution within the time limit of 30 days from the motion issued by Audit Committee, and if  failing to do so in appropriate time  The General  Meeting can be convoked by the Committee

3. The Board notifies  the members  in writing of the convocation of the General Meeting, stating its time, place and planned agenda.

4. The Meeting adopts resolutions  on the basis of an  ordinary majority of voters , irrespective of the number of  votes cast.

§14
[competences of the Management Board]

1. A five- member Management Board directs the Association and executes the resolutions of the General Meeting  especially  the following:

a) Represents the  Association in external relations

b) Approves an  annual  working schedule and the budget of the Association  

c) Establishes the amount  and the principles of  payment of  membership fee.

d) Maintains essential documentation, especially financial records.

e) Determines  the address of the registered seat

f) Confers honorary  membership and admits supportive members pursuant to § 10.

g) Adopts a  resolution on accession  to  an international organization whenever it may bring benefit in  the realization of  the goals of an Association.

h) calls the General Meeting pursuant to  § 13.

2. The Management Board itself elects  from among its members the  President their of , who coordinates its  transactions as well as its  vice- President, treasurer and secretary.

§15
[competences of the Audit Committee]

1. An Audit Committee  composed of no fewer than 3 persons is a controlling organ which:

a) conducts , once a year , an inspection of the management Board  substantive and financial activities in terms of  their  appropriateness, reliability and legality and especially the conformity thereof with the resolutions of the Articles of Association , decisions of the General Meeting, as well as conformity  with the resolutions of the Board while immediately  preparing an  account of the said inspection.

b) Submits motions  to the Management Board resulting from  the findings  of the inspection  conducted

c) Revokes resolution  passed by the  Management Board which are  contrary to the law, the  Articles of  Association or resolutions of  the Supreme Organs

d) If necessary, asks the Board to summon the General Meeting   pursuant to

§ 13 p.2 , while  on conditions defined therein  summons the said Meeting  by its  own initiative

e) Submits the account of its activities to the General Meeting and  on the basis of its annual reports  motion substantiated  for the granting or not granting of a  vote of approval  to the management Board , unless the Meeting is held more often than a year from its previous assembly.

2. The members of the Audit Committee are eligible to participate in the sessions of the Management Board with consultative opinion.

3. The Committee itself  elects  its  President from  among its members ,  the said President directs its  transactions

§ 16
[sessions, voting, supplementing  the composition  of the Management Board and the Audit Committee]

1. The meeting  of the Managemnet Board boards  or of the Audit Committee  are held as often as if may be required  , yet  no  rarer than once every three months, and at least once a year.

2. Decisions are taken at meetings  with ordinary majority  of votes  in the presence of the at least  half the number of  members of the  Management Board or in a Committee.

3. New persons from the members  can be summoned on emptied place in Board or in Committee- on condition that  the majority in the composition of organ will be constituted by persons elected by the General Meeting . If it is not possible , and the number of members of the organ has fallen below the statutory  level , the Board   immediately summons the General Meeting.

V. Possessions

§17
[ingredients]

The Assets  of the Association   are created by the following :real properties, movables and financial means.

§18
[sources]

Possessions is formed by:

a) Membership fees

b) Donations

c) Public generosity

d) Subsidies

e) Legacies and charity bequests

f) Revenues from the assets  held by the Association

g) Incomes from the statutory activities- including economic activities.

VI. Change of the Articles of Association, dissolution  and liquidation of the Association

§19
[resolution on the change of the Articles of the Association or on self dissolution]

The resolution on the change of the Articles of the Association or on self dissolution shall be adopted by The General Meeting  with the majority of  two thirds of  votes cast , in the presence of at least the half of the members of the Association  , in the second term  not earlier than after 14 days  from the first voting , with  the same majority of votes irrespective of the number of attending members .

§20
[liquidation]

In the event of adopting a resolution on self-dissolution  the General Meeting defines the mode of its liquidation , the intended use of its assets and elects  a five- person Liquidation Committee which conducts the receivership of the Association.

Translated by Katarzyna Milcewicz