Motion (1) for BCA AGM 3rd June 2018
BCA has struggled to attract new officers and particularly to inspire a new generation of cavers to get involved with the organisation. Some major reforms are needed if BCA is to thrive in the future.
BCA find it difficult to fill officer positions as they become vacant and officers are forced to sit in those positions longer than they would like or is good for the organisation. Attracting young or new blood into the roles has proven very difficult. There may be a number of reasons for this, disinterest, a dominance of the old guard, a distinct lack of vision and some criticism that the BCA is dysfunctional. Whatever it is there are few positive aspects of involvement with BCA and these all contribute to the BCA being seen in a very negative light by those who could get more involved.
BCA never appears to be leading, the tail always seems to be wagging the dog. Reacting to issues dominates business where a proactive agenda would be more attractive. There is no vision that cavers can identify with and get behind. Moving forward in a positive direction would encourage participation in the organisation by a new generation.
Setting a new simple mission statement and vision should be a first step. Developing a strategy of how to get there, reviewing the cumbersome BCA structure to see if it is fit for the future and finally rewriting parts of the constitution where needed should follow.
Tinkering with the edges will not inspire new interest in BCA. Positive reform will. Therefore I propose the following motion:
?BCA to establish a ?working group? to determine a new mission and vision for the organisation. To outline a strategy to achieve this vision and make recommendations for any changes to the organisations structure and constitution. The group should be made up of a majority of younger cavers from the constituent bodies, regions and membership under an established convener agreed by council. The group should aim to be established within six months (by the January council meeting) and should report on recommendations to the 2020 AGM.?
Proposed by Tim Allen
This issue was discussed at the October council meeting, see pages 6-8 of the minutes for more peoples thoughts on the matter, http://british-caving.org.uk/wiki3/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=about:documents:council_meetings:council_minutes_2017-10-07_with_corrections.pdf
Following that meeting a watered down proposal to review and tweak the anomalies in the constitution was put forward but this was unlikely to address a growing desire/need for a more fundamental review. I hope this motion will attract support and set the BCA on a positive path to the future.
To vote for any motion at a BCA AGM you must attend the meeting in person with your membership card. This year the meeting is being held in the Forest of Dean during the NAMHO Conference. Alternatively you can make your views known to those who may be representing you at the meeting, or have your say on here.
BCA has struggled to attract new officers and particularly to inspire a new generation of cavers to get involved with the organisation. Some major reforms are needed if BCA is to thrive in the future.
BCA find it difficult to fill officer positions as they become vacant and officers are forced to sit in those positions longer than they would like or is good for the organisation. Attracting young or new blood into the roles has proven very difficult. There may be a number of reasons for this, disinterest, a dominance of the old guard, a distinct lack of vision and some criticism that the BCA is dysfunctional. Whatever it is there are few positive aspects of involvement with BCA and these all contribute to the BCA being seen in a very negative light by those who could get more involved.
BCA never appears to be leading, the tail always seems to be wagging the dog. Reacting to issues dominates business where a proactive agenda would be more attractive. There is no vision that cavers can identify with and get behind. Moving forward in a positive direction would encourage participation in the organisation by a new generation.
Setting a new simple mission statement and vision should be a first step. Developing a strategy of how to get there, reviewing the cumbersome BCA structure to see if it is fit for the future and finally rewriting parts of the constitution where needed should follow.
Tinkering with the edges will not inspire new interest in BCA. Positive reform will. Therefore I propose the following motion:
?BCA to establish a ?working group? to determine a new mission and vision for the organisation. To outline a strategy to achieve this vision and make recommendations for any changes to the organisations structure and constitution. The group should be made up of a majority of younger cavers from the constituent bodies, regions and membership under an established convener agreed by council. The group should aim to be established within six months (by the January council meeting) and should report on recommendations to the 2020 AGM.?
Proposed by Tim Allen
This issue was discussed at the October council meeting, see pages 6-8 of the minutes for more peoples thoughts on the matter, http://british-caving.org.uk/wiki3/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=about:documents:council_meetings:council_minutes_2017-10-07_with_corrections.pdf
Following that meeting a watered down proposal to review and tweak the anomalies in the constitution was put forward but this was unlikely to address a growing desire/need for a more fundamental review. I hope this motion will attract support and set the BCA on a positive path to the future.
To vote for any motion at a BCA AGM you must attend the meeting in person with your membership card. This year the meeting is being held in the Forest of Dean during the NAMHO Conference. Alternatively you can make your views known to those who may be representing you at the meeting, or have your say on here.