The Next Board

The board of DWARS Amsterdam is responsible for the ins and outs of the department. Everything from activities and education to campaigning and member engagement. In doing so, you will ensure an active and inclusive ward, committed to spreading our DWARSe voice for a green and leftist future. As a board member, you will make a one-year commitment to DWARS's largest ward.

We have been doing this now since last summer. With great pleasure, some stress here and there, but mostly with the pride of running this beautiful department. We have organised all kinds of fun activities, and we are certainly not done with them. We have a great culture committee that continues to work on the most fun activities. We have been campaigning, as we have elections the day after tomorrow. But our clock is also starting to tick faster and faster now.

On 15 June, we will organise the Summer AGM (General Branch Meeting) where we will elect our successors. The next board, 2023-2024. Maybe you will be part of that, maybe not. But, still, here I want to tell you a bit about our search for that new board. Who are you? What do you have to do? What do we think and is this for you?

Who are you?

To begin with, DWARS is committed to the values that we want to be a diverse association. This means that you are welcome as a member and as someone holding office regardless of sex, gender, sexual and romantic orientation, age, creed or other characteristics in which one may differ. As long as you want to commit to a green and progressive section, you are welcome to serve on the board.

But there are, of course, expectations. Qualities that are good to have and interests that may come in handy. You do not have to have experience within DWARS, but you do have to be willing, and like it, to develop within DWARS. If you are on the board, the expectation is that you will attend activities (really not all of them, mind you) and communicate with your fellow board members. It is also useful to be able to plan well, to communicate well with others and to be flexible. Often DWARS takes place in the evening, but sometimes things need to be done during the day. Some weeks are busier than others, and sometimes a fellow board member needs some extra support.

What can you become?

The board of DWARS Amsterdam is divided into three job categories: Daily Board Member, General Board Member with Portfolio, and General Board Member without Portfolio.

Daily Board

The President (Vacancy to come online soon)

The chairman is ultimately responsible for the board and the department. If something goes wrong, it comes to the chairman. If something goes right, it comes to the chairman. In the situation when the board wants or needs to go public, think of media appearances, that is the chairman's job. The chairperson joins the national chairpersons' meeting (VO) with the other department chairpersons and is the link between the department and the National Board (LB). The chairman also chairs the board meetings and ensures that the board runs smoothly.

Most importantly, you must be able to communicate well and move quickly if something goes wrong. Also, the board bears your name, so you must be able to handle that responsibility well.

The Secretary (Vacancy to come online soon)

As secretary, you are responsible for the digital and practical in the department. You write the newsletters and update the site. All registrations for activities come to you and you are responsible for the membership file. For this, you have to sign a privacy statement. You are responsible for all digital accounts, from WordPress to Canva, the emails to Slack. You are also the link between the board and the national secretary, for instance for privacy issues or questions.

Most importantly, you must be digital and practical-minded. You must (want to learn to) understand how different software works for e.g. the site, and understand how to handle privacy-sensitive data.

The Treasurer (Vacancy coming online asap)

As treasurer, in simple terms, you are in charge of money. You manage the department's account, handle expense claims and prepare budgets and financial reports. You are the link between the board and national treasurer and ensure that there is enough money for the activities organised by the department and the claims of members who have incurred expenses for the department.

Most importantly, you must be good with numbers and have some financial acumen.

General Board members (Vacancies will come online as soon as possible)

There are five posts for general board member. Three of them carry a tied portfolio, two do not. So if you want to join the board, but you are not particularly passionate about a specific portfolio, you can work with the board to design your own board position. So in addition, there are three portfolio-bound positions:

• Promotion and membership recruitment

You will be responsible for the department's socials and how the department can grow.

• International

You will be responsible of how we are in the world as a department. You will also ensure that the department remains accessible to internationals. You are also responsible board member for the International Committee (Intercom).

• Politics

You will be responsible for the political side of the department. You attend the group meetings of at least GroenLinks Amsterdam, and you are the one who is busy with the campaign at election time. You are also responsible board member for the Local Politics Committee.

Vice-Chairman

Vice-chairman you don't have to apply for. It is an internal decision of the board who becomes it (obviously not the chairman) and is an already elected board member. So you can only be vice-chairman if you have already been elected to another role, and thus choose that double role. As vice-chairman, you don't have a whole lot to do initially. You are the back-up to the president if the president is unavailable (for a long time) for whatever reason. Whether that is leading a board meeting or filling in for a media appearance, you are on standby for that.

Application process and Board interest evening

Before applying, we recommend that you go to 30 March to the board interest evening to come. In it, we will tell you everything and can answer your questions about the directorship. You can apply until 12 June 2023 (but our advice is: do it as early as possible) by filling in the application form on the job page of the position you are interested in. You will at some point be approached by the search committee. They will meet with you to discuss your expectations. After this, members can read your proposal in the aav reader. At the Summer AGM on 15 June you can explain your candidacy in more detail and answer any questions.

Are you interested in the departmental board but unsure which position suits you? Contact the search committee. For general enquiries, please contact Joshua justified.