About Us

STRUCTURE OF THE ASSOCIATION

LEADERSHIP
YFC is unique in to all other Youth Organisations as it is a peer lead organisation in that the members play the key role in the decision-making at the various levels within the movement. The rock on which the Association is built is each Club and its Members.

The Association is lead and directed by the members themselves and the structure to facilitate this is detailed below. Whilst there is a small staff structure to implement and administer the activities of the Association, the SAYFC is unique in that the National Office Bearers, Council, Regional and District committees are all made up of volunteers from within the membership. The amount of time and participation in this facet alone is immense and greatly appreciated. Add to this the volunteers who help the Association, Regions, Districts and Clubs with events, competitions and training it is clear that the SAYFC casts a net across many communities providing education, social integration and communicty participation to young people in rural areas of Scotland.

ORGANISATION

CLUB AND DISTRICT
Each Club is part of a District and a member of that District Association, each Club having equal representation on the District Committee. According to the Model Constitution, adopted by most Districts, the Club Leader and Secretary are automatically members of the Committee with two other members being appointed by the Club. Consequently providing these representatives are doing their job properly at District level, there should be a flow of information from Club to District and, similarly from the District back to the Club.

Each District appoints at least two representatives to serve on the Regional Committee. Each Regional Committee appoints, in turn five representatives on to the National Council.

REGIONS
The Regional Committee's task is to look after the affairs of the Association within that Region. However, it was realised that sometimes these lines of communication fail and, therefore, some years ago, it was agreed that each Region should hold an Assembly twice a year.

The purpose of the Assembly is to permit Clubs and Districts to talk directly with Council and its Regional Committee. Club representatives meet with Council members and discuss regional and Association affairs. If the members of any Club or Clubs are not happy with the way in which the Association is running their affairs, the Regional Assembly is the place, where through their elected representatives, they can take issue with the Council and Regional Committee. At Regional level there are also committees appointed with responsibility for specific activities, and other events.

NATIONAL COUNCIL
The Council is the governing body of the Association and comprises a President, Vice-President and Honorary Treasurer (appointed at the Annual General Meeting), five members elected by each Regional Committee, who should preferably be full members when elected, i.e. under 26, a total of ten observer members representing the Scottish Agricultural College, the Scottish Office Education Department, The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society, S.W.R.I., The Transport and General Workers Union (Agricultural Section), the National Farmers' Union of Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and five co-opted members. Other members of Council include the immediate Past Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council.

Whilst staff members may secretary the Council/Committees of the Association they have no decision making power nor hold a vote at any level. All decisions are made by the National Council and their sub-committees.

At National level the Association is represented by a Board of Management, Council Members and senior staff on various other organisations. There are links with other Young Farmers' organisations within the United Kingdom and Ireland and within Europe, additionally with the European Committee for Young Farmers' and 4H Clubs and the European Council for Young Farmers (C.E.J.A.) - the committee of professional young farmers within the EEC, and with other Young Farmer Organisations throughout the world.

KINDRED ORGANISATIONS
An important further link is with the British Youth Council, an organisation which has as its members all the major youth organisations in United Kingdom - voluntary, Church, political, uniformed and special interest groups. This Council acts as a forum and platform for the expression of views of young people on a wide variety of relevant issues.

SCOTTISH SKILLS TESTING SERVICE
The Association also provides a skills testing service for agricultural and other land based industries, and this is managed for the Association by the Scottish Skills Testing Service Committee and its network of Area Skills Testing Committees The provision of this service brings the Association into close contact with training organisations and the local and central colleges of further education.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting is, perhaps, the most important meeting held in the calendar of the Association. Each Club, within the Association, is entitled to send two representatives to speak on their behalf at the Annual General Meeting. Just as the Regional Assemblies are the opportunity for the Club to meet the Regional Committee, the Annual General Meeting presents an opportunity for members to meet with all of the Council and to discuss the affairs of the Association. Therefore it is very important that each Club be represented.

Any Club or Districts can submit any resolution of recommendations to the Annual General Meeting, but these must be submitted in writing to SAYFC, Young Farmers Centre, Ingliston, EH28 8NE six weeks prior to the meeting. The closing date is 30th September each year.