SAM.I. advisory committee: Competence Centres launched

The advisory committee of SAMARITAN INTERNATIONAL (SAM.I.) met in the context of the Samaritan Forum in Riga to discuss the ongoing and future work of the network. The members decided to found working groups consisting of experts of the member organisation on different topics, so called „competence centres“.

Four competence centres will be founded, covering the areas of First Aid, Social Affairs, Civil Protection and Volunteer Management. They aggregate the know-how and expertise in the respective areas and will support the General Secretariat in this capacity. They will also be a permanent forum for exchange of knowledge and for activities specific to their respective subject matter.

The groups will be coordinated by member organisations with long-standing experience in the respective areas. The organisations who stepped forward to take on the coordination role for the first two years presented their work plan at the advisory committee meeting. They will coordinate the plans with all interested member organisations in the constituting sessions of the competence centres. These sessions are planned to take place over the remainder of the year.

Besides the competence centres, the advisory committee also agreed upon the budget for 2018 and approved a less complex system for determining membership fees.