5.7 Working Groups
Structure and institution
The number and name of existing Working Groups shall be as defined in the last approved Business Plan. Each Working Group shall have one International Board member as the responsible for the contact with the Working Group.
Temporary Working Groups can be established by the International Board until approval in the next General Meeting of the EUROAVIA Congress.
The instituting body shall define:
tasks the Working Group shall work on;
members of the Working Group and a Working Group coordinator;
time frame the Working Group shall work on the tasks. This information has to be contained in the task definition.
After a new Working Group is established and approved by the EUROAVIA Congress, its name and the names of the members shall made public in the EUROAVIA Newsletter.
Controlling and monitoring
The responsible International Board member shall supervise the whole work of the Working Group appropriately. The supervision shall concentrate on financial matters, scope of the tasks to be developed and schedule. Any problems concerning these items shall be resolved in close contact with the rest of the International Board and the whole Working Group. The Working Group is responsible for presenting the work developed after the previous General Meeting at every meeting of the EUROAVIA Congress. The presentation must be sent to the EUROAVIA International Board six (6) weeks prior to the meeting of the EUROAVIA Congress, at the request of the EUROAVIA International Board.
Finance
The International Board covers all the costs of the Working Groups upon approval. This does not include the International Events (co-)organised by the Working Group.
The Working Group Members
Every member of an (Prospective) Affiliated Society/ (Prospective) Adjunct Member is eligible for joining a EUROAVIA Working Group. There are no requirements or prerequisites in order to join a Working Group, but acceptance is subject to approval by the International. EUROAVIA Alumni, whose experience can be beneficial for the Working Group members and their performance, are also eligible for joining a Working Group.
It is necessary for every member requesting to join the Working Group to prove their activity in EUROAVIA on local and/or international level and this activity has to be confirmed either by the member’s (Prospective) Affiliated Society/ (Prospective) Adjunct Member or by the International Board. If the member’s (Prospective) Affiliated Society/ (Prospective) Adjunct Member objects to the member’s joining a Working Group, then the members of the Working Group will convene and discuss this issue taking into account both opinions, reach a decision through a vote about accepting the member in question as a member of the Working Group. This decision must be made public to both sides within one (1) week from the day of the meeting in which it was taken.
Exceptions for joining a Working Group can be made upon the approval of the International Board and the respective Working Group Coordinator.
The Working Group Coordinator
The EUROAVIA Working Group coordinator is the member of the Working Group responsible for its constant and steady function and making sure that the Working Group is fulfilling its tasks as described in the EUROAVIA Bylaws. Coordinators are responsible for managing the team, arranging members’ meetings on a regular basis, and working in collaboration with the rest of the members towards achieving all the goals of the Working Group as set in the EUROAVIA Bylaws and in the Business Plan.
The term for a Working Group coordinator is set to one (1) year. It is possible for a coordinator to have multiple terms during his/her activity in the Working Group.
The official call for coordinators will be sent among the Working Group members by the current coordinator or the International Board at least one (1) week before the meeting in which the election will take place. If less than two (2) candidates have applied until the deadline set in the call, the minimum requirements do not apply and every member of the Working Group can apply as a candidate coordinator.
Working Group coordinators are elected during members’ meetings, in which candidates present their candidature in the form of a presentation to the members. Possible candidates could also submit a motivation letter. A session of questions to the candidate follows. Then, the candidate is invited to quit the meeting, leaving the members decide on the election of the new coordinator with an absolute two-thirds (2/3) majority in a secret voting, whose results will be made public to the Working Group members and the candidate in the same election meeting.
Different election procedures are possible according to the Working Group needs and structure. However, changes to the aforementioned conduct must be communicated by the International Board or by the coordinator in the official call to all the Working Group members.
The results and proceedings of the presentation, the questions session and the voting will be compiled and made public to the Working Group Members and the International Board no later than three (3) weeks after the voting. In the event of no candidate being elected, the current coordinator remains in office until the end of his/her term or when a new call for coordinator candidates is issued.
Finally, when a new Working Group is formed, a coordinator may be appointed by the International Board until the Working Group has been added to the EUROAVIA Bylaws. After that time the coordinator must be elected by the members.
Affiliated Societies Working Group
Assignment
The tasks of the Affiliated Societies Working Group are:
to maintain and strengthen the communication among the Affiliated Societies and create a link between the Affiliated Societies and the International Board. In this way, members can establish their network within EUROAVIA, assisting each other and ensuring easy access to information regarding EUROAVIA activities;
to ensure that Local Groups overcome the generation gap and find solutions to the problems that may arise in order to avoid inactivity;
to enlarge EUROAVIA’s network by reaching groups of students interested in aerospace and supporting them through the whole process until they officially become Possible Prospective Affiliated Societies.
The following Units pursue to accomplish the aforementioned tasks:
Board of Presidents Unit (BoP);
Expansion Unit (EAX).
Board of Presidents Unit
The (Prospective) Affiliated Societies/ (Prospective) Adjunct Members are associated into regions of Europe, depending on their location and spoken languages. Each region has two (2) coordinators with the same authority who are responsible for maintaining a constant and effective communication between the (Prospective) Affiliated Societies/ (Prospective) Adjunct Members and the International Board, through frequent meetings using an internet-based communication platform. This meeting is called the Board of Presidents meeting (BoP) where each (Prospective) Affiliated Society/ (Prospective) Adjunct Member has the opportunity to share its experiences, ideas and problems and receive advice and assistance. When a (Prospective) Affiliated Society/ (Prospective) Adjunct Member joins EUROAVIA, the Board of President Unit is responsible for providing assistance and guidance in the first steps of the (Prospective) Affiliated Society’s/ (Prospective) Adjunct Member’s activity.
Expansion Unit
The expansion strategy shall be discussed at the beginning of each Business Year, stating which places will be the main focus of this Unit. Social network and personal networks shall be used in order to find students who might become Potential Possible Prospective Affiliated Societies. Once this group is created, the Expansion Unit shall support them until the acceptance of their Motivation Letter.
Business Relations Working Group
Assignment
The Business Relations Working Group is responsible for establishing and maintaining the intercorporate communications with third parties, managing the marketing strategy of EUROAVIA International, and coordinating with other WGs to develop necessary materials and online platforms. It plays a key role in securing sponsorships, partnerships, and other critical relationships that support the financial well-being of the association with the main goal of extending the association’s reach within the aerospace community.
In addition, the Business Relations Working Group supports Local Groups in developing their own business relations by transferring knowledge and working together to increase the number of partners at both local and international levels.
The Business Relations Working Group operates through small task forces, which are assigned either to individual members or to small groups as group tasks. This structure ensures an effective distribution of tasks and responsibilities among its members
Communication Working Group
Assignment
The Communication Working Group is in charge of creating and designing the communication strategy of the association along with the International Board, aiming at enhancing the visibility and strengthening EUROAVIA’s presence, for its members and third parties.
To manage the workload, the Communication Working Group is composed of two (2) sub-units:
Social Media Unit;
Press Unit.
Social Media Unit
The Social Media Unit manages the EUROAVIA social media, by increasing the visibility of the association through various communication platforms/social media, sharing news from the international and local levels. Moreover, the unit analyses the efficacy and reach of its activity on a regular basis and develops strategies to enhance social media impact. Finally, this unit is responsible to develop new social media strategies which could help EUROAVIA to boost its image in professional environments.
Press Unit
The Press Unit is in charge of editing and producing, publishing and distributing the EUROAVIA Newsletter and the EUROAVIA Magazine. Additionally, the Press Unit is responsible for updating the contents of the EUROAVIA website, publishing the most significant and relevant news in the proper section of the website, keeping it professional and to update the information pages of EUROAVIA, such as Wikipedia and LinkedIn.
Newsletter
The EUROAVIA Newsletter is an internal communication tool, composed of the following contributions:
articles and reports written by the different LGs, WGs and (D)IB;
Career Opportunities Section, from EUROAVIA Sponsors and Partners;
quizzes;
announcements about future conferences, workshops or symposia in the aerospace sector and organised by EUROAVIA bodies.
The EUROAVIA Newsletter is issued once a month, on a regular basis in digital format to the entire EUROAVIA network.
Magazine
The EUROAVIA Magazine is aimed to be an external communication channel. It promotes EUROAVIA goals and achievements towards the aerospace sectors. It is published once a year and distributed all over Europe to both students and professionals in Aerospace Industries. The contents of the EUROAVIA Magazine are decided by the Press Unit each Business Year.
The Press Unit has the right to edit the articles with regard to the grammar, syntax and layout without the consent of the contributor. Changes to the content of the article shall only be done with consent of the author(s). The EUROAVIA Newsletter is published on the first of each month following the submission deadline on the 25th of the previous month, by which all contributions should have been submitted to the Press Unit.
The Press Unit has the right to reject the publication of contributions or articles considered improper for the EUROAVIA Newsletter or Magazine.
The Press Unit may determine one exclusive way for receiving the contributions for the Newsletter, which is binding for all contributors. The responsibility for publishing expires if the contribution has not been received in this exclusive way.
The Affiliated Society hosting the AMEAC is responsible for printing the EUROAVIA Magazine, receiving a complete refund by the International Board.
The International Board retains the right to set guidelines concerting the EUROAVIA Newsletter and Magazine.
Design Working Group
Assignment
The Design Working Group is responsible for the development and maintenance of the EUROAVIA corporate image and its overall visual representation. Thus, it is charged with the drafting of the EUROAVIA Corporate Identity and its updates, as well as assuring its compliance within the EUROAVIA network, which include overseeing and approving the usage of the EUROAVIA signature and its derived logos.
The Design Working Group is responsible for the design and development of graphics for social media platforms, the creation of merchandising items, the production of promotional materials, including brochures, templates, and documents, and the design of logos that represent the association’s identity and values. Additionally, the Design Working Group supports Local Groups by assisting in the realisation of materials when required.
Furthermore, this Working Group has to assure that the designs of the EUROAVIA Website, Newsletter and Magazine are accessible, clear and professional. It shall be entitled to perform changes enhancing design and functionality of the EUROAVIA image.
EUROAVIA Training System Working Group
Assignment
The mission of the EUROAVIA Training System is to enable students to discover, develop and enhance their soft skills potential, being this accomplished by:
delivering training sessions to students, especially the different bodies of EUROAVIA (regular members, Working Groups, International Board);
scheduling training sessions at events, as well as support planning and organising of Formation Workshop and Train New Trainers;
continuous training and expanding of trainer’s knowledge, promoting its exchange outside EUROAVIA as well;
tracking training sessions delivered.
The members of this Working Group are only EUROAVIA Trainers, who have received the required training at a Train New Trainers as stated in 5.5.5. EUROAVIA Training System Working Group may allow EUROAVIA members with similar education and trained EUROAVIA Alumni to join the Working Group upon approval by the coordinator.
The EUROAVIA Training System Working Group Board is required to draft a financial plan for the utilisation of allocated funds for their Working Group. This financial plan should include a detailed breakdown of expenses, covering the Trainers Support Program (TnSP) and participation fees for trainers attending FoWo and TNT. The plan must be included in the Designated International Board's financial plan and subsequently approved by the Congress. Any remaining funds at the end of the year will be transferred to the EUROAVIA Training System Working Group 's general reservation and may be allocated for the following year.
If expenses related to trainers are covered by grants, the total amount dedicated to those expenses in the plan will be deducted accordingly. In the event of mismanagement of funds, the Designated International Board officers reserve the right to reduce the allocated amount for the EUROAVIA Training System Working Group for the following Business Year.
European Grants Working Group
Assignment
The task of the European Grants Working Group is to help finance EUROAVIA activities and structural costs through active use of the European Commission funding platform, as other European entities, and to keep up to date on opportunities and due procedure for European Funds by:
increasing EUROAVIA’s understanding of European Grants, local Grants and the granting procedures;
developing projects and submitting applications for financing through European Grants.
The European Grants Working Group is responsible for initiating contact with third party organisations and other student associations for the purposes of establishing partnerships and facilitate Grant applications.
Human Resources Working Group
Assignment
The Human Resources Working Group promotes the EUROAVIA Working Groups between the members of the association encouraging them to become active at international level. Additionally, it supports the integration of new members into the selected Working Groups by offering manuals, training and promotional material to candidates. This also aims at relieving Working Groups of the initial basic training for new members. The Human Resources Working Group also ensures that EUROAVIA follows ethical standards and promotes diversity and inclusion within the association.
The Working Group is also responsible to spread job opportunities through the EUROAVIA communication channels and to certify that the CV submitted to the database meet the standard requirements. Collaboration with third parties and Alumni shall be pursued in order to evaluate the quality of this task.
Information Technology Working Group
Assignment
The task of the Information Technology Working Group is to monitor and coordinate all internet-based activities of EUROAVIA. Furthermore, the Information Technology Working Group is responsible for the archiving of non-confidential electronic documents deemed important to the association, such as Congress Minutes, previous and current Business and Financial Plans, Newsletters, as well as pictures and video.
The task of hosting and monitoring of the Central Archive Web Server may be shared with an Affiliated Society after permission by the International Board.
International Board Working Group
Assignment
The International Board Working Group is vested to support and assist the current International Board in their responsibilities managing the association, sharing their workload in every field or subject as they may dispose.
Every applicant must fulfil the following requirements:
be a member of a Working Group for at least six (6) months;
submit a motivational letter.
The International Board Working Group members assist the International Board during the whole Business Year, for which the task requirements include:
assisting in reaching the goals of the association under the supervision of an International Board member. Every International Board member is free to define the workload and the task distribution for the Working Group members;
having meetings twice a month with the participation of the International Board to ensure a steady and continuous communication between the teams. This will help the Working Group members to have an updated overview of the management of the association, to recognise their tasks and to provide feedback.
All the tasks and responsibilities related to external contacts or third parties are not to be undertaken by any International Board Working Group member. The elected International Board members have the exclusive right and obligation of representing the association. Nevertheless, if the International Board is incapable of representing EUROAVIA at an external event, an International Board Working Group member can fulfil this role if approved by the International Board unanimously.
Regardless of the chosen task distribution, the International Board is the final responsible for the goals and tasks accomplishment, as set in the Business Plan. In case of misconduct, both the International Board and the International Board Working Group members will be obliged to justify their actions at the closest upcoming Congress.
International Events Working Group
Assignment
The International Events Working Group is monitoring the international events held by the (Prospective) Affiliated Societies/ (Prospective) Adjunct Members on a permanent basis. It ensures that the events organised will be of the highest quality by providing guidance and support to the organisers in order to plan and deal with an international event successfully and that the general rules for a EUROAVIA event, stated in point 5.5.6, are being correctly applied. To achieve this purpose, the International Events Working Group is assigning a tutor for each (Prospective) Affiliated Society, willing to organise an international event, in order to maintain communication with the organisers on a regular basis.
The International Events Working Group is responsible to ensure that the 5-year timeframe for an Affiliated Society to organise an international event is correctly applied.
In the event that an Affiliated Society is not able to organise an international event in that timeframe, due to economic or other serious reasons, on the expiry of the five (5) years, the International Events Working Group, together with the International Board, can allow the Affiliated Society to organise a Cultural Exchange with another local group of EUROAVIA, gaining one (1) more year to organise the international event.
The International Events Working Group is also responsible for organising field trips and providing tutoring for Regional Events.
It is also responsible for making sure that a reasonable timeframe will exist between organising international events in order to avoid overlapping one another.
Statutes and Bylaws Working Group
Assignment
The task of the Statutes and Bylaws Working Group is to make sure that the official Statutes and Bylaws of EUROAVIA, and all the legal documents are up to date and adequately meet the contemporary needs of the association, by coordinating the preparation of proposals for amending EUROAVIA Statutes and Bylaws and distributing them to all (Prospective) Affiliated Societies/ (Prospective) Adjunct Members in due time before a Congress.
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