News & Views for Local YHA Groups
YHA have issued their Annual Review in online form as well as the more conventional paper version issued to attendees at the AGM two weeks ago and no doubt available from a hostel near you. There’s lots to read, so I’ll let you get on with it, but feel free to comment about it below.
27 representatives of 16 affiliated groups assembled at YHA’s Matlock head office for the conference on 17th March. The low take-up of places for this event resulted in a much restricted programme in comparison to previous years, but there was still much business for those assembled to get through.
Another open letter from John Annett prior to the forthcoming local groups’ conference:
To all YHA Local Groups
URGENT MESSAGE
I would be grateful if you could forward a message urgently to your delegates who are attending the National Local Groups Conference on 17th March at Matlock.
You may be aware that delegates at the November meeting formed an informal Local Groups coordinating committee on the Friday night because we were prevented from doing so formally at the meeting on Saturday.
The first round of consultation on the governance review has been completed, and a document published called “Towards a Programme of Renewal”. In it, review leader Andrew Purkis (pictured left) sets out his initial recommendations for bringing YHA’s governing structure into line with its stated aims and with the stresses of the 21st century.
Of particular interest to visitors of this site will be his attitude to YHA Groups. What’s perhaps surprising is that he doesn’t appear to have one:
An open letter from John Annett:
Hello one and all,
You may recall at Coalport that some LGs got together to form a ‘holding committee’ until the more formal National Local Groups Conference.
Those ‘elected’ were Paul Madge (Stafford Group), Chris Hunt (Leicester Group), Alan Summers (Leicester Group) and myself John Annett (Croydon Group).
I am hopeful that a formal election will now appear on the agenda. I have discussed the terms of reference of such a committee with Crewenna Dymond which I feel we need to establish before we can ask for candidates. Crewenna has suggested that I contact all LGs to get their view of what they are seeking from such a committee. She has asked me in particular not to prompt you with any examples or my own thoughts. That is what this note is more brief that I might normally send.
Please send your comments direct to me asap but by 7th February and I hope by the conference I can agree a way forward with YHA that benefits us all.
See you all at Matlock.
Regards
John Annett
Please use the comments section below to enter your views. If you’d prefer to make a private point direct to John, you can contact him at john@nnett.freeserve.co.uk.
A month ago the YHA published an update on the Governance Review project started last September. It told us that review leader Dr Andrew Purkis “has also started a ‘blog’ on the YHA website to invite wider conversation of the issues online”. Well, he hadn’t started it then, because the website was about to be replaced with a new design, and it’s only today that the dust has settled sufficiently on the changeover for Dr Purkis’ long-awaited blog to go live.
YHA’s 2006 Strategy Document includes the decision that:
We will undertake a fundamental review of our governance structure, to make it fit for a major charity in the 21st century. The review will have the twin objectives of delivering an effective and efficient board structure and enabling the wider membership to engage more fully with YHA’s work
The first stage in this review is to determine “what needs fixing”, and for that they need the views of local group members (and other stakeholders). So please read through the consultation document (pdf file, 85KB) and then print out and fill in the questionnaire (pdf file, 49KB) before sending it to Matlock. It needs to arrive there by the end of October.
Of course, if you wish to comment or discuss it in the forum, that’s what this site is for! (Thanks to John Annett of COPSE for bringing these documents to my attention.)