Mentorship & CSR Board Committee Terms of Reference

 1. Objective of the Committee

Assist the Board in the formulation and implementation of the mentorship and Corporate Social responsibility strategies and initiatives.

2. Composition

1. The Board shall, by resolution, appoint a Chairperson of the Committee from among the Board Members.
2. The committee members shall appoint a vice chairman when it convenes the first meeting.
3. Other Committee members shall be drawn from AWAK general members not in the Board.
4. Each committee member will be both independent and financially literate.

3. Qualifications

Awak members are eligible to be members of the committee.

 4. Meetings and Procedure

1. Reasonable notice of meetings and an agenda of the business to be conducted shall be circulated to the members of the committee by the secretary
2. The secretary of the Committee shall be a member of the secretariat.
3. Meetings shall be held not less than five times a year.
4. Any member of the committee may request a meeting at any time if they consider it necessary.
5. One third of members present shall constitute a quorum.
6. Committee members shall be entitled to attend meetings of the committee.
7. Minutes of all meetings and proceedings of the Committee shall be kept properly and preserved.

5. Responsibilities

a. The role of the Mentoring Committee is to encourage Mentoring as an initiative for all members of AWAK. It aims to provide a platform where experiences can be shared on a one-to-one informal basis thus providing support to people at various stages in their careers.

The Committee, through the support of the Board, administers the Mentorship Scheme.

This involves:

1. Developing and updating mentoring processes and procedures.
2. Inviting applications from Mentors & Mentees and encouraging members to participate on the scheme.
3. Processing Mentor & Mentee applications and undertaking the matching of Mentor/Mentees.
4. Maintaining confidentiality of the process.
5. Ensuring that training is provided for Mentors & Mentees.
6. Organizing Mentor & Mentee group meetings at least twice per year.
7. Organizing an annual review of the scheme and updating the scheme where required.
8. Ensuring that processes are in place and implemented to deal with concerns from Mentors & Mentees.
9. Promoting the Mentoring Scheme Country wide.

b. Corporate social responsibilities of the Association shall be formulated and implemented by this committee including management of the Education Scheme for secondary education.

6. Performance Review

The Committee shall, at least once a year, review its own performance, constitution and terms of reference to ensure it is operating at maximum effectiveness and recommend any changes it may consider necessary to the Board for approval

7. Reporting Procedures

1. 1. 1. The Committee shall maintain direct lines of communication with the Board, and the Secretariat exclusively on the task of mentorship and Corporate Social responsibilities.
      2. The minutes of all Committee meetings shall be circulated to Members,
      3. The achievements of the Committee shall be presented at the Board meeting when appropriate and prior to the Annual General Meeting.
      4. The Chairman shall present an annual report to the Board summarizing the Committee’s activities during the year and any related significant results and findings.

 8. Term of Service

Committee membership is voluntary for a renewable term of two (2) years.

9. Decision making by the Committee

Unless otherwise provided by the law, decisions of the Committee on any matter shall be by consensus. Where unanimous decision cannot be reached, a decision shall be by a majority of votes of the members present. In case of equality of votes, the Chairman or the person presiding over the meeting shall have a casting vote. Voting shall be by secret ballot or by a show of hands as the Committee may think fit.

Every member of the Committee shall take necessary measures to ensure independence, objectivity and impartiality in judgment, actions and soundness on all decisions. Every Committee member shall make reasonable effort to understand the operations of AWAK, attend all Committee meetings and AWAK functions as and when called upon.

10. Cessation of Membership to the Committee

A committee member can cease to be a member by natural attrition or can be removed if they fail to attend 4 consecutive meetings.

11. Review of TOR

These terms of reference shall be subjected to review by the Board.

The Committee may deal with any other matter referred to it by the Board.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD