The Constitution of The Nara Chapter

of The Japan Association for Language Teaching

I. Name and Purpose

1. The name of the association shall be the Nara Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching, and in Japanese, Zenkoku Gogaku Kyouiku Gakkai Nara Shibu, hereinafter referred to as Nara JALT.

2. Nara JALT is a chapter of the nationwide NPO The Japan Association for Language Teaching, hereinafter referred to as JALT.

3. Nara JALT’s mission is to bring together language teachers in person in Nara to share their work and experiences in the language-teaching profession.

4. In the conduct of its activities, Nara JALT shall comply with the policies and directives of the JALT National Executive Board, and act in accordance with the provisions of the national constitution and bylaws.

II. Membership

1. Membership is open to those interested in language teaching and learning.

2. A person who joins JALT may choose to be a member of Nara JALT.

3. A person who does not join JALT or Nara JALT may participate in any Nara JALT event as a One-day Member.

III. Chapter Events and the Annual General Meeting

1. Nara JALT will periodically host, sponsor, or endorse events related to language education. This may be done independently or in cooperation with JALT, Associate Members of JALT, other JALT groups or other organisations interested in language education.

2. Nara JALT shall hold an Annual General Meeting, hereinafter referred to the AGM, prior to the JALT Conference. At this AGM, the chapter officers will report on the state of the chapter's treasury, programs, membership, and publicity during the period since the last AGM. Officers for the coming year will be elected at the AGM.

3. The AGM will be preceded by adequate notification to the membership (see Bylaw IV.2). Members of the chapter present at the AGM will constitute a quorum.

IV. Officers and Administration

1. Nara JALT's Executive Board will consist of a core of five officers, including: (1) President, (2) Treasurer, (3) Program Chair, (4) Membership Chair and (5) Publicity Chair. If sufficient volunteers are available to serve, additional officer positions to the core five will be filled in the form of Members-at-Large. More than one officer may share a specific position and the duties of that office (i.e., Co-Chair). If there are not enough volunteers to serve, one chapter officer may fill more than one officer position, as long as it is not the President sharing the Treasurer position, or the Treasurer filling the President position.

2. At the Nara JALT Executive Board meetings, the five core officers, including the President, will constitute a quorum, with each officer having one vote. When the physical presence of a quorum is impractical, online communication may be used to obtain the approval of the core officers for the Nara JALT Executive Board to conduct business on behalf of Nara JALT.

3. The Nara JALT Executive Board will meet periodically, in person or online, to discuss the chapter's plans for chapter events and activities, and to discuss the implications of policies under consideration or already implemented by the JALT National Executive Board.

4. The President or a designated chapter representative is authorised to act on behalf of the organisation in its dealings with the JALT National Executive Board.

5. The Nara JALT Executive Board shall determine and announce the date for the AGM. At the AGM, the core officers will present reports covering operations for their area of responsibility.

V. Amendments

Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed by a majority vote of the Nara JALT Executive Board. Any such proposed amendments shall be distributed to the members before the AGM. To become effective, constitutional amendments must be approved by two-thirds of the members voting at the AGM.

The Bylaws of The Nara Chapter

of the Japan Association for Language Teaching

I. Membership and Dues

1. JALT National Membership dues shall be determined by JALT.

2. Nara JALT One-Day Membership dues shall be determined by the Nara JALT Executive Board.

3. The chapter shall maintain a minimum number of national members in good standing in accordance with the requirements stated in the JALT Constitution and Bylaws.

II. Officer Duties and Committees

1. President: shall have general responsibility for coordinating the activities of the Nara JALT Executive Board, directing, and publicising the affairs of the chapter, and representing its interests to the JALT National Executive Board. They shall preside at the Nara JALT Executive Board meetings, and at the AGM. With the approval of the Nara JALT Executive Board, they may appoint committees as deemed necessary to carry out the work of the organisation.

2. Treasurer: shall maintain all financial records, be responsible for collecting and disbursing all funds of Nara JALT, accepting payment of membership dues, reimbursing individuals for JALT-related expenses, and submitting financial reports as directed by JALT policy, including the annual budget.

3. Program Chair: shall be responsible for supervising the arrangements for Nara JALT chapter meetings, communication with speakers and recruitment of prospective speakers. They must also provide timely information to the Publicity Chair and fulfil all reporting requirements about meetings and presenters for the JALT Events Calendar.

4. Publicity Chair: shall be responsible for coordinating Nara JALT's publicity and public relations in both JALT and non-JALT forums.

5. Membership Chair: shall be responsible for the maintenance of current and past member records, communicating with the JALT Central Office and working at the reception desk at meetings.

6. The position each officer holds shall be determined by the Nara JALT Executive Board. In addition to the five required positions, officer positions may be instituted to identify other important responsibilities, such as: Recording Secretary, Facilities Chair, Vice President, Web Communications Developer, Journal Editor, Group Liaison and Member-at-Large. In addition, any number of volunteer officers may work together as a team using titles to reflect such sharing of responsibilities such as Co-Publicity, etc.

7. Membership on committees appointed by the President is open to ordinary chapter members. The chair of each committee, however, must be a member of the Nara JALT Executive Board.

III. Nominations, Elections, Vacancies, and Removals

1. Nominations for officers by members in good standing shall be solicited and accepted by the Nara JALT Executive Board via the chapter newsletter or alternative communication, prior to the AGM, and in person at the AGM.

2. Candidates must acknowledge acceptance of nomination at the AGM.

3. If no officer positions are being contested among two or more candidates, the Nara JALT Executive Board may present the full slate of officers to the membership at the AGM for approval by the members present. If there are contested positions, elections will take place at the AGM, with the results subject to approval by the Nara JALT Executive Board.

4. The terms of office shall be for 1 [one] year. The terms of office shall be from the end of the JALT international conference (traditionally in November) up to and including the next year's international conference. Re-election shall not be prohibited.

5. If for any reason an office becomes vacant, the vacancy shall be filled by Presidential appointment, subject to approval by the Nara JALT Executive Board.

6. An officer who fails to perform their duties under the Nara JALT Constitution and Bylaws, the Nara JALT Executive Board policies, or the JALT National Executive Board policies may be removed from office by a three-fourths vote of the Nara JALT Executive Board.

IV. Events

1. The chapter shall hold a minimum number of meetings each year in accordance with the requirements stated in the JALT Constitution and Bylaws.

2. In the event of convening an AGM, written notice of date, place, purposes, and agenda of the AGM shall reach Nara JALT members at least 5 days before the AGM.

V. Financial Year

Nara JALT's financial year shall begin on April 1st and end on March 31st.

VI. Language

For administrative purposes, the working languages of Nara JALT shall be English and Japanese.

VII. Amendments

Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by a majority vote of the Nara JALT Executive Board. Any such proposed amendments shall be distributed to the members before the AGM. To become effective, proposed amendments must be approved by a simple majority of the members voting at the AGM. Alternatively, these Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Nara JALT Executive Board.

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The Constitution of The Nara Chapter of The Japan Association for Language Teaching, 

and The Bylaws of The Nara Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching

Approved by the Nara JALT Executive Board on May 16th, 2024.

Ratified by the membership of Nara JALT on October 20th, 2024.

Accepted by the JALT Executive Board on February 15th, 2025.

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