Collegial Volunteer Governance and Transparent Public Stewardship
AMICALE LAIQUE SAINTES is governed entirely by unpaid citizen volunteers elected by our Annual General Assembly. Our Board of Directors, Pedagogical Commissions, and Youth Delegates work collegially to steward public subsidies and volunteer time with complete financial transparency.
How Democratic Decision-Making Works in Our Association
At AMICALE LAIQUE SAINTES, governance is not a bureaucratic formality reserved for a closed circle of administrators; it is a living practice of local democracy. Every parent whose child attends our homework circles, every active or retired educator who leads a workshop, and every citizen volunteer who participates in our Charente River ecological inventories is invited to take part in shaping our annual priorities.
Our institutional architecture operates through three complementary bodies that ensure accountability, pedagogical rigor, and neighborhood responsiveness:
- The Sovereign Annual General Assembly (Assemblée Générale Ordinaire): Held every June inside a public municipal hall in Saintes, the General Assembly brings together all adult members, parent representatives, and institutional observers. It examines and votes upon the Moral Report, the Pedagogical Activity Report, the certified Financial Statement, and the provisional budget for the coming school year, and elects one-third of the Board of Directors by secret ballot.
- The 15-Member Volunteer Board of Directors (Conseil d'Administration): Convening on the first Tuesday of every month at 7 Rue Georges Clemenceau, the Board oversees program safety, child protection protocols, municipal facility agreements, and equipment purchases. To prevent hierarchy or concentration of power, decisions are reached through collegial deliberation, and executive roles rotate regularly.
- Four Thematic Working Commissions & Youth Council: Day-to-day pedagogical coordination takes place inside open thematic commissions—(1) School Mentoring & Literacy, (2) Charente Ecological & Citizen Science, (3) Cooperative Sports & Youth Mobility, and (4) Family Solidarity & Cultural Events—alongside our elected Youth Advisory Council for ages 12 to 17.
2025–2026 Elected Executive Bureau & Commission Coordinators
The table below lists the volunteer officers elected at the June General Assembly in Saintes, together with their professional background and specific area of public-interest coordination:
| Governance Role | Volunteer Officer | Professional / Civic Background | Primary Operational Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collegial Co-President (Pedagogy) | Martine Delmas | Retired Public Elementary School Principal (Saintes) | School liaison, homework mentoring methodology, child safeguarding charter |
| Collegial Co-President (Civic & Field Life) | Bernard Chaigne | Former Municipal Hydrologist & Field Naturalist | Charente wetland inventories, ecological workshops, municipal partnerships |
| General Secretary | Sophie Lemaire | Public Library Archivist & Parent Representative | Statutory records, family reception desk at 7 Rue Georges Clemenceau, publications |
| Deputy Secretary (Volunteer Onboarding) | Driss El-Mansouri | Vocational High-School Mathematics Teacher | Volunteer mentor training, middle-school STEM circles, schedule coordination |
| Treasurer | Alain Rochefort | Retired Public Hospital Accountant | Public grant accounting, annual financial audit, non-profit budget stewardship |
| Deputy Treasurer (Equipment & Supplies) | Nadine Giraud | Railway Cooperative Administrator & Parent | Bourse aux Fournitures school kits, free bicycle and optical equipment pool |
Governance & Volunteer Commissions in Action
The Pedagogical & Literacy Commission
Meets every fortnight to review the progress of our 215 mentored pupils, select new youth literature for our lending library, and prepare pedagogical toolkits for incoming volunteer tutors.
The Citizen Financial Audit Committee
Two independent volunteer vérificateurs aux comptes, elected outside the Board of Directors, inspect every invoice, grant convention, and supply purchase prior to the Annual General Assembly.
The Youth Participatory Council
Eight elected middle-school and high-school delegates sit alongside adult facilitators each trimester to propose workshop themes, evaluate club inclusivity, and co-organize neighborhood solidarity days.
Ethical Safeguards, Child Protection & Conflict-of-Interest Policy
Because AMICALE LAIQUE SAINTES welcomes minors and vulnerable families, our Board of Directors enforces strict ethical and operational safeguards across all activities:
First, every adult volunteer working with children completes a mandatory onboarding protocol that includes verification of civic honorability required by French youth-work regulations, training in non-violent communication, and adherence to our Secular & Child Safeguarding Charter. Study sessions and field outings always operate under the "two-adult visibility rule," ensuring that activities take place in open, supervised rooms or collective field groups.
Second, our procurement and partnership rules strictly forbid any conflict of interest. No board member or volunteer may hold a financial interest in any supplier of books, printing services, or educational materials used by the association. When purchasing notebooks, microscopes, or bicycle repair parts, our treasurer obtains competitive quotes from local cooperative or municipal suppliers to ensure every euro of public money achieves maximum educational value for the children of Saintes.