AYA Bylaws Update

AYA Bylaws Update

On March 1st 2023, the AYA Board of Directors voted to approve a revision to our bylaws.

The update is mostly much-needed housekeeping; we are now more clearly aligned with our other governing documents such as our Articles of Incorporation and the state statutes, and we’ve updated and clarified the language to reflect today’s practices around gender and remote work.

Most excitingly though, we’ve created new opportunities for the Board and those who care about AYA to more actively participate in governance and organizing.

Bylaw Update Highlights:

  • Instead of President and Vice-President, we’ve returned to the original Incorporation language of Chair and Vice-Chair.
  • We’ve adjusted the committee process so the Board can create committees as-needed, including committees that can include more non-Directors, such as a Board nomination committee and advisory committees.

The Board has already voted to create an Advisory Committee, hoping to bring in more community members of diverse generations and astrological traditions to advise on and support initiatives of the Board, as Demetra George supported and believed in AYA’s mission when first founded.

AYA’s principal mission continues to be to provide outreach and support to young people discovering astrology, and secondly, in support of that, to promote a deeper understanding and knowledge of astrology through lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences, study groups, research and information distribution, and any and all other appropriate means.

Through the bylaw process, we’ve reaffirmed AYA’s identity as a small Board-governed 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization created for educational and charitable purposes, accountable to the public good and supported by our members, a legion of small donors who believe in AYA’s mission and benefit from our programs and community.

AYA’s current programming remains in line with our mission: monthly Seminar Under the Stars, monthly newsletter with opportunities for emerging astrologers, our Discord server, and forthcoming fellowship program.

If you’d like to register your interest in being on the Board or Advisory Committee prior to our official call, please contact youngastrologers@gmail.com

Astrology Conference Fellowship

To honor our mission of uplifting new and upcoming voices in astrology and providing opportunities to those who may not have them otherwise, the Association for Young Astrologers has created the Astrology Conference Fellowship.

AYA’s Astrology Conference Fellowship is a needs-based scholarship program for students of astrology looking to expand their skills and knowledge through attendance at conferences. Folks at any and all levels of astrology are welcome to apply.

To launch our fellowship program, AYA will be awarding 2 full and 3 partial scholarships for attendance to virtual NORWAC 2023!

  • Full Scholarship: worth $375 each, equates to the price of full conference registration, excluding pre/post-conference workshops
  • Partial Scholarship: worth $188 each, equates to half the price of full conference registration, excluding pre/post-conference workshops

Applicants are required to:

  • Have an active AYA membership
  • Demonstrate financial need
  • Be age 18+
  • Submit application form by April 30, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST.

Awardees of the fellowship will be required to:

  • Agree to be featured in AYA’s newsletter and blog
  • Attend a virtual social gathering for fellowship awardees on the evening of Saturday, May 27, 2023 (exact time TBD)

If you can commit to all the requirements, AYA invites you to apply for the Astrology Conference Fellowship! The deadline to submit this form is April 30, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/JUZXPHr4C913VRBMA

Open Call for AYA Secretary

With AYA’s recent adjustments to board roles, we are eager to announce an open call for our Secretary position. 

Filling this position is a high priority of the AYA board, so please submit your application by April 27, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST. If  we are still in need of a Secretary at that time, the call will remain open until the position is filled.

Our Secretary is responsible for…

  • Recording minutes for all board meetings
  • Maintaining organized records in Google Drive
  • Utilizing Asana to assign tasks designated during board meetings
  • Working with Communications Manager to check and maintain social media 
  • Collaborating with other board members on committee projects that pique your interest

Position Requirements

  • 2 year commitment to the position
  • Ability to attend biweekly board meetings Monday evenings at 7PM EST.

Preferred Secretary Qualities

  • Organizational Skills
  • Strong Communication Skills
  • Familiarity with Google Suite
  • Collaborative
  • Curiosity and Eagerness to Learn
  • Virgo energy highly welcome!

If you’re interested in applying to the Secretary position, send your resume and a cover letter to youngastrologers@gmail.com with the subject line “2023 Secretary Application.” Applications received by April 27,2023 at 11:59 PM EST will be prioritized over those received after this date. Though the call will remain open until the position is filled.

Don’t think the Secretary position is right for you, but still want to be more involved with AYA? You’re in luck! AYA is looking to continue expanding our board, and will be announcing open calls for other board positions in the near future. Stay tuned!