Constitution – Ontario Society for Environmental Education

Constitution

The Ontario Society for Environmental Education

Updated November 19th, 2020

Article 1: Name

The name of this association shall be the Ontario Society for Environmental Education, OSEE.

Article 2: Head Office

The head office shall be an address (Home or P.O. Box) near a treasurer, for the purpose of depositing cheques.
The website address is www.osee.ca

Article 3: Goal

The goal of environmental education is to develop a population that is aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones (UNESCO Occasional Paper 31). OSEE will strive to abide by this goal.

The general expectations for students and the aims through which OSEE will attempt to accomplish this goal are included in Appendix A (on page 8). Appendix A is part of this constitution and has the force of the constitution.

Article 4: Membership

The membership of OSEE is open to all educators and others who have an interest in environmental education, upon payment of the annual membership fees.
There will be 4 membership levels, supporter, community, sustainer, and organizational friend. Details of each level can be found on our website. In order to make membership accessible for all who are interested the Community Level membership is a sliding scale from $0-39.
Emeritus memberships may be granted by the Board of Directors on the advice of the nominating committee. An emeritus member will normally be a member of long standing who has retired from full-time employment, having served OSEE and environmental education with distinction. An emeritus member will receive full membership privileges for five years, at no cost to the member.
All memberships will be annualized to Sept 1st

Article 5: Annual General Meeting

There shall be an Annual General Meeting of OSEE open to all members in good standing, for the purpose of electing officers, approving the current budget, receiving reports of the Board of Directors and the Committees, and for conducting the general business of OSEE.

Article 6: Board of Directors

- All members of the Board of Directors must be members of OSEE.
- The affairs of OSEE shall be managed by the Board of Directors, hereafter called the Board.
- OSEE is committed to principles of diversity, equity, respect and inclusion. In order to ensure that we are attuned to and inclusive of these principles in our work, we are pleased to consider all qualified applicants for the volunteer role without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, community identity, national origin, age and disability.
- We recognize there is much work to be done in supporting the process of establishing Right relations with the Indigenous Nations whose lands we are situated upon. OSEE encourages applications from Indigenous people and others who have worked in the area of facilitating relations between Ontario education, environmental education and Indigenous perspectives and worldviews.
- The Board may consist of the past president, president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, communications coordinator, membership coordinator, regional directors, members at large, and other coordinators as required.
- The Board will aim to have members from across Ontario representing the following five regions: Far Northern, Northern, Eastern, South-western, and Central. They may be called Regional Directors or directors at large.
- The Board may appoint Ad Hoc members to perform such duties as OTF representative and web master.

The Board will establish committees to be determined by the current board to conduct OSEE business as needed including organizing the conference, publishing interactions, promoting OSEE, representing OSEE at events across the province, and other duties that they see as beneficial to OSEE and its members.

The Board may establish Ad Hoc committees as required, and these can be composed of members and non-members.

The Board may employ a staff member to assume duties as assigned by the Board.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice-president shall immediately assume that office for the balance of the unexpired term. In all other vacancies, the Board shall appoint a replacement from among OSEE members in good standing or through advertising openings to the public in order to acquire new board members.
A minimum of four (4) meetings of the Board, in addition to the Annual Meeting, shall be called for the purpose of conducting OSEE business.
The Board will establish policies regarding the acquisition, depreciation, and leasing of equipment.

Article 7: Duties of Board Members

All board members will carry out the duties in relation to their role/s indicated in the “OSEE Board Member Duties & Expectations” document. This document can be updated ongoing in accordance with OSEE’s work areas and needs.

a) The President will:

Convene and chair all Board meetings, and the Annual General Meeting.
Prepare an agenda for all meetings and distribute it to the Board members at least two (2) days before a meeting.
Be a signing officer as required.
Act as the chief spokesperson for OSEE.
Maintain files to be given to the Secretary and the next President.

b) The Vice-President will:

Assist the President as requested and replace the President if they are absent.
Serve as a member of at least one committee.

c) The Secretary will:

Record the minutes of all Board meetings.
Prepare, duplicate, and distribute all minutes as mutually agreed upon with the President.

d) The Treasurer will:

Keep books and account for all transactions at an approved financial institution.
Be a signing officer for OSEE.
Prepare the annual budget and ensure its adherence.
Pay all bills as directed by the Board.

e) The Past President will:

Provide advice to the President, as requested.
Act on behalf of the President, if this service is requested by the Board.
Serve on a committee of their choosing

f) The Webmaster will:

Register, publish, and maintain the website address.
Update the website several times per year, to make sure it is current and user friendly

g) The Communications Coordinator will:

Coordinate the production of Interactions e-newsletters and blog posts
Edit all digital submissions and blog posts to ensure that they conform to OSEE’s goals and aims.
Work with the webmaster to manage the website
Promote OSEE membership ongoing
Create and maintain a social media schedule
Ensure a diversity of perspectives are represented through social media, blogs & other communications areas

h) The Membership Coordinator will:

Maintain a register of all members.
Manage and update email lists for members in OSEE’s integrated marketing platform.
Manage the membership email account.
Advertise and solicit memberships as requested by the board.
Give receipts for all membership fees if needed.
Distribute membership lists to the Board
Act as the registrar for the Annual Conference, providing receipts as required.

i) The Directors-at-large/Regional Directors should:

Serve on standing committees and/or Ad Hoc committees.
Work to serve the OSEE membership and to increase OSEE membership.
Promote all OSEE functions, particularly the Annual Conference and “Interactions Live” workshops/webinars to their networks and regions
Work actively to collect articles for Interactions e-newsletters, and find speakers for Interactions Live Events

Other areas of OSEE work may require coordinator positions. Roles/positions may focus on the following, but will be decided upon each year by the current board:

The Interactions Live Workshop/Webinar Coordinator
Ontario Curriculum Reviewer & EE Teacher Advocate
EcoLinks Coordinator
Environmental Education Resources Coordinator

See “Board Member Duties & Expectations” document for more details on the current year’s coordinator positions.

Article 8: A Sample Committee Structure for OSEE

a) The Finance Committee will:

Manage the ongoing financial matters of OSEE.
Prepare the annual budget.
Prepare recommendations for the Board regarding major expenditures.
Assist the Treasurer as required.
Supervise the disbursements of funds.
Plan and supervise fundraising activities, as directed by the Board.
Look for grants or other funding sources to support OSEE’s aims and goals
With the intention that equity in education and access to the outdoors is embedded or considered in all programming delivery, work with budget projections of a given year to ensure that some funding is set aside to support the creation of paid work in the field of EE. This may include but not be limited to:
Setting aside money for honorariums to support the field of EE
Creating avenues for paid work for environmental educators who can speak to issues related to equity in education and in access to the outdoors
Ensuring a diversity of voices and lived experiences are represented across OSEE’s teaching and learning platforms
To maintain a budget for board member PD. It is encouraged that this be used to check and expand understandings of equity in education and in the outdoors and to open up board dialogue, ongoing.
Where appropriate, establishing relationships for paid consultancy from Indigenous, racialized and equity-seeking individuals/communities to ensure integrity in OSEE’s work and intentions.

b) The Communications Committee will:

Work closely with the webmaster
Edit all digital content to ensure that it conforms to OSEE’s goals & aims.
Manage the ongoing production of Interactions e-newsletters
Keep the Board informed about new policies and other major changes (e.g. new webpages, columns for the blog and e-newsletter, or social media campaigns.
Manage and improve OSEE’s unifying design conventions, such as our fonts, our colour palette and templates for promotional materials
Create and maintain a social media schedule of lively material

c) The Outreach Committee will:

1) Support the growth of OSEE collaborative partnerships

Maintain liaisons with partner organizations and grow our Organizational Friend membership-base.
Work to develop relationships with individuals and organizations that can ensure OSEE is incorporating and representing diverse perspectives, voices, and ways of knowing in our work.

2) Maintain relationships with OCT, OSSTF, & Ontario and Ministry of Education and act as EE advocates for Ontario educators.

Build relationships with school boards
Where possible, appoint an OCT board member to attend the Ontario Teachers’ Federation Curriculum Forum each year.
When invitations are extended to OSEE by the Ontario Ministry of Education to review curriculum, assemble a subcommittee

3) Coordinate OSEE board member attendance at EE-related conferences and fairs, where we can promote our work, membership and events.

d) The Conference Committee will:

Plan, administer, and evaluate the Annual Conference.
Work with the Communications Committee to ensure that the conference is well-publicized.
Work with the Finance Committee to address financial aspects of the Annual Conference.
Ensure a diversity of perspectives are represented through the EcoLinks learning experience.

e) The Interactions Live Committee will:

Support the coordination, promotion, and facilitation of a series of “Interactions Live” webinars per year.
Continually improve Interactions Live in terms of content, diverse representation of voices and perspectives, and relevance to membership.

Article 9: Fees

The annual membership fee for this association shall be set by the Board before the AGM.
Payment will be collected online. (If online payment isn’t possible a cheques can be made payable to OSEE and collected by the Treasurer).
In order to make membership accessible for all who are interested we have added a sliding scale for our community level membership fee.

Article 10: Non-profit Organization

The business of this association shall be conducted without financial gain. Any revenue from its operations shall be used to promote its goals and aims.

Article 11: Amendments

The constitution of OSEE may be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present at an annual meeting, provided 60 days notice is given prior to the date of the annual meeting or by a nine-tenths majority if less than 60 days notice is given.

If changes to the constitution are required before the AGM. Members will be given 60 days notice of the proposed changes by e-mail. They will be given information on the changes and will be asked to submit any feedback or questions. On the 60th day they will be asked to vote electronically on those changes.

BY-LAWS OF OSEE

General

Only members in good standing shall vote on business matters at the Annual General Meeting.
Only members in good standing shall be eligible for office.
An Annual General Meeting shall be held, with the location and date to be determined by the board and announced to all members in Interactions or by direct communication. If necessary, the AGM can also be held online, or through an interactive digital document.
A quorum for Board meetings shall be a simple majority, provided ten (10) days notice is given.

Elections and Terms of Office

A Nominating Committee comprised of any two board members in good standing will prepare a slate of names for Board positions prior to the Annual General Meeting. Further nominations will be sought at the Annual General Meeting, and nominations will not be closed until that has happened.
The terms of office of the President, Vice-president will normally be two (2) years, with expected rotation to the presidency from Vice-president. These terms may be extended for one additional year provided the extension is approved by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Board.
The terms of office of the Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, and Directors, and other coordinators will be three (3) years, provided the extension is approved by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Board. This is normally renewable once.
The election of officers shall be by open vote unless a request for secret ballot comes from any one member.
In the event of a secret ballot, two scrutineers will be appointed at the meeting to count ballots and supervise elections.
The Treasurer’s report will be presented at the Annual General Meeting. This is a report of our financial statements. Should our budget exceed $15,000 OSEE will appoint an auditor.

Financial

Signing officers for all financial business or contracts will be the President or the Treasurer.
Board expenses for approved OSEE business will be covered, subject to Board approval. Receipts must be submitted.
Membership fees for each year will be set by the Board.
The fiscal year will be from Sept 1st to August 31st.
The Board will establish policy regarding the acquisition, depreciation, and disposal of equipment.

Recall Procedures

In the event that the President or any other Board member does not perform assigned duties, a letter of concern will be written by the Secretary or other Board members and given to the President or Board member. After the letter is delivered, any four (4) members of the Board may call a Board meeting, provided at least ten (10) days notice is given to all the Board. If the Board defaults, any ten (10) members from the general membership may call a General meeting, provided at least twenty (20) days notice is given to all members.

Amendments

The By-laws may be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present at an annual meeting provided 60 days notice has been given or by a nine-tenths majority if less than sixty (60) days notice is given.

If changes to the By-laws are required before the AGM. Members will be given 60 days notice of the proposed changes by e-mail and through interactions. They will be given information on the changes and will be asked to submit any feedback or questions. On the 60th day they will be asked to vote electronically on those changes.

APPENDIX A

OSEE and Its Niche in Public Education

The Ontario Society for Environmental Education is a professional organization whose members are elementary, secondary, and post-secondary teachers, people who teach in outdoor education centres or parks, and other people who are involved directly or indirectly with environmental education. Membership is open to all teachers, students, parents and other persons dedicated to the promotion and improvement of environmental education.

OSEE is committed to taking a critical stance in our work to remain aware of the complex histories and institutional conduits that produce racism, inequity and socio-economic barriers to learning, connecting to nature and the outdoors, and engaging with EE.

Through an ongoing demonstration of commitment and work to equity in EE, we hope to expand our partnerships and allyships and ensure a welcoming space for OSEE members and board members from diverse identities and lived experiences.

Until 1990 OSEE was known as the Environmental Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario (ESTAO). At that time the name was changed and its mandate was broadened to serve the interests of all educators interested in environmental education. OSEE is an Ontario organization that supports the work of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM).

OSEE’s activities include publishing Interactions – The Ontario Journal of Environmental Education (currently on hold), holding an annual conference, providing workshops and professional development activities, participating in writing and reviewing provincial curriculum, maintaining a website for the purpose of promoting and improving environmental education and for the purpose of communicating with members and other interested persons, advocating for environmental education, communicating with the Ministry of Education and other education organizations, and linking with and supporting the activities and resources of other environmental education organizations.

Mission and Goal of the Ontario Society for Environmental Education

Our mission is to support and inspire all educators in Ontario to incorporate environmental education into their practice.

We will do this by building capacity for Ontario educators to support them in their environmental education (EE). We believe that environmental education has relevance across all subjects, age cohorts, learning needs, and teaching styles. We recognize there are many barriers and challenges to actually doing EE, both within and outside the mainstream school system. We strive to offer pathways for integrating EE into practice, and for engaging in dialogue about barriers to taking learning outside, and connecting to nature and EE issues as part of everyday learning. Working with our members and partner organizations, we commit to reframing these challenges – as opportunities.

The goal of environmental education, and therefore of OSEE, is to develop a population that is aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones. (from UNESCO Occasional Paper 31)

OSEE promotes the following Expectations of Ontario Students

By the end of Grade 12, students in the Ontario school systems will:

display environmentally-oriented social values, deep feelings of concern for the environment, and the motivation to become actively involved in the protection and improvement of the environment.
demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the total environment and its associated problems.
exhibit a basic understanding of the total environment, based on the ecosystem concept.
analyze environmental problems and the critically important roles of humans, both in the creation of many of these problems and in their solutions.
use the skills required for solving environmental problems.
demonstrate a deep sense of responsibility and urgency regarding environmental problems and become involved in appropriate action to solve those problems.
evaluate environmental measures, industrial and commercial projects, governmental policies and environmentally-oriented writings in terms of ecological, social, political, economic, aesthetic, and educational parameters.
consider the environment in its totality – natural and human-made, ecological, cultural, aesthetic, economic, political, social, technological, and legislative.
approach the investigation of environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.
participate in solving and preventing environmental problems.
demonstrate a range of interests in environmental issues, including both current and future situations.
analyze growth and development from an ecological perspective.
demonstrate an awareness that environmental education is a continuous life-long process.
examine appropriate environmental issues from a world point of view.
display an understanding of the value and necessity of local, provincial, national, and international cooperation in the solving of environmental problems.
display the attitudes, knowledge, and skills required for participation in the solving of local and regional environmental problems.
understand the knowledge and skills required to engage in further education and/or employment in a variety of environmentally related fields.
gather knowledge about the environment by first-order methods such as nature walks, field trips, hikes, and nature photography.
gather knowledge about the environment by second-order methods such as library research, Internet research, and home reading.
use communicative skills to effectively promote environmentally positive behaviour among others.

The Aims of the Ontario Society for Environmental Education

In order to attain the goal of OSEE and the expectations of Ontario Students as stated above, the aims of OSEE are as follows:

to improve the understanding, attitudes, and behaviours of Ontarians in regard to the environment and in regard to solving various environmental problems.
to promote the development of a positive environmental ethic in the Ontario society.
to promote the growth of environmental education in Ontario.
to improve the quality of environmental education in Ontario.
to commit to the goal of equity in education, equity of access to the outdoors and to animating the possibilities for the embedment of diverse perspectives across Ontario curriculum through an EE lens.
to ensure a welcoming space for OSEE members and board members from diverse identities and lived experiences and to seek opportunities to expand our partnerships and ally ships, ongoing.
to take a critical stance in our work and remain aware of the complex histories and institutional conduits that produce racism, inequity and socio-economic barriers to learning, connecting to nature and the outdoors, and engaging with EE.
to serve as a liaison between OSEE members and government agencies such as the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Natural Resources, other subject associations. and other environmental organizations.
to conduct professional development activities for educators in Ontario which will increase their knowledge of environmental issues and their skill in educational practices relating to environmental topics.
to contribute to the development of curriculum guidelines to ensure that environmental concerns are included and adequately addressed.
to encourage the use by educators of a wide variety of learning resources relating to the environment.
to conduct an environmentally-focused annual conference consisting of diverse presentations and activities for educators and others interested in the environment.
to conduct environmentally-focused online, and where possible in-person workshops for educators across Ontario called Interactions Live.
to maintain a website that provides environmentally-focused educational resources, information about OSEE as an organization, and information about OSEE-sponsored workshops and conferences.