Article 1

Name and Center of the Association

The name of the association is Yaşamdan Yana Derneği, its abbreviation is Yaşamdan Yana(Stand with life association).

The Association is headquartered in Ankara

The Association may establish domestic and international branches.

Article 2

Explanations, abbreviations

In this charter:

Association refers to: Yaşamdan Yana Derneği,

Charter refers to: The charter of Yaşamdan Yana Derneği.

Article 3

Purpose of the Association

By defending the right of all beings to live, Yaşamdan Yana Derneği aims to make ethical choices for a sustainable future.

Based on the fact that all forms of discrimination and violence are intersectional and feed off each other; it aims to create awareness on the only way to live a just life is to initially become aware of all the practices of violence that we deliberately or unknowingly implement / contribute to the implementation of, and then replace these practices with sustainable and ethical choices.

Article 4

The subjects and forms of work to be carried out by the association to realize its objectives

and its field of activity

• The association can organize campaigns for the benefit of animals and participate in existing campaigns.
• It can organize campaigns related to sustainable living practices and support existing campaigns.
• It can organize campaigns related to sustainable living practices and support existing campaigns.
• It can make announcements, advertisements and promotions regarding the activities, projects and campaigns of the association on social media platforms, and receive support from these areas.
• It can participate in projects organized by public institutions, private institutions or municipalities, in accordance with the values and purposes of the association, and can generate income as a result of these projects.
• It can participate in projects that are in line with the values and purposes of the association organized by the European Union, and income can be generated as a result of these projects.
• It can prepare trainings and information regarding use of animals and provide them to the institutions that request it or on the platforms it deems appropriate.
• It can prepare trainings and briefings about what needs to be done about an ecological, sustainable life, and can give this training in the institutions that request it or on the platforms it deems appropriate.
• It can prepare trainings and information about the climate crisis, endangered animals, sustainable agriculture and can provide them at the institutions that request it or on the platforms it deems appropriate.
• Natural areas where animals can live freely can be established and existing areas are supported.
• Ecological, sustainable, non-toxic agricultural areas can be created and existing areas are supported.
• It supports the necessary regulations for the legal protection of animals.
• It organizes dinner meetings, documentary screenings, concerts, bazaars, balls, theaters, exhibitions, workshops, tasting events, sports, excursions and entertaining events with the aim of developing relations between members and gaining new members, or enables its members to benefit from such events.
• It establishes relations with local and foreign scientists and organizations, organizes conferences and seminars, participates in current events and organizes conferences.
• When deemed necessary, it establishes a branch and forms necessary commissions to run the branch.
• In order to generate income for the Association, it can run grocery store, patisserie and earn income from the sale of products grown by sustainable agriculture in a certain area or from the sale of products made by the members.
• It can establish a commercial enterprise.
• The association distributes all of its announcements via e-mail or social media platforms (such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc.).
• To cooperate with various public and/or private institutions and organizations for ecological living practices.
• To contribute to the use and development of organic and ecological agriculture and to increase the demand for ecological agricultural products, to produce and develop projects related to ecological agriculture activities at local and international level, to provide consultancy services to related projects.
• In order to widespread the use of sustainable and renewable energy resources, carrying out activities and researches, participating, producing local and international renewable energy activities and projects, or providing consultancy services to the projects.
• Organizing events and campaigns to widespread and promote ecological tourism activities.
• Within the framework of the combating climate change, carrying out studies and researches on adaptation and mitigation at local, national and international levels, carrying out projects related to climate change, supporting existing projects and providing consultancy services.
• In order to activate and widespread ecological life, conducting researches, ensuring the participation of individuals in democratic society, cooperating with natural and legal persons who have direct or indirect expertise on the subject, organizing training activities such as courses, seminars, conferences and panels jointly or individually, capacity building and running awareness campaigns.
• When the association deems it necessary, it can provide gratuitous scholarship support in the form of cash or in-kind aid, the quality of which is predetermined, from the available funds of the association or from the opportunities as result of cooperation with various institutions in order to contribute to the social life of people or groups in need. The Board of Directors is authorized to develop the scholarship charter and to implement the provisions of the charter.
• Protecting all animals and their rights without discrimination of species and race, ensuring the development of existing rights and increasing their applicability. Contributing in research and protection of natural resources and biological diversity, defending the right to life of all animals regardless of their species, conducting research on this subject, preparing projects, executing legal cases when necessary, filing lawsuits or being involved with the plaintiffs or defendants in the lawsuits.

Article 5

Association Board of Directors

The Board of Directors was elected at the General Assembly.

• Nilgün Engin (President)
• Canan Uğur (Vice President)
• Merve Çelik (Accountant)
• Ercan Balcı (Secretary)
• Berna Köse (Member)

Article 6

Membership

Every natural and legal person who has the actual capacity and accepts the aims and principles of the association and accepts to work in that direction, declares that they are vegan and meet the conditions stipulated by the legislation, have the right to become a member of this association. However, foreign natural persons must also have the residency permit to settle in Turkey in order to become a member. This condition does not apply to honorary membership.

The person who wants to become a member of the association must fill in all the information in the membership application form and declare that they have read and approved the Individual Code of Ethics, which will be sent with the membership application form. The membership application to be made in writing to the presidency of the association is decided by the board of directors of the association in the form of acceptance or rejection of membership at the meeting of the same month or the following month, and the result is notified to the applicant in writing. The member whose application is accepted is recorded in the notebook to be kept for this purpose.

Written notifications to members can be made in person, or by SMS or by sending notification to the e-mail or home address declared by the member. Members are obliged to notify the presidency of the association within 15 days of any changes regarding the contact information they have declared during the membership application. In case of negligence of the member, notifications to the current address shall be deemed to have been duly made.

Honorary members may consist of foreign natural persons and persons under the age of 18, and may attend the meetings of the association. However, these members cannot vote and cannot be elected to the bodies of the association.

The Board of Directors may at any time decide to terminate the honorary membership if the conditions deemed necessary to become an Honorary Member are no longer present.

Article 7

Leaving Membership

All members of the association can resign from membership at any time with a written request (with a petition). The person leaving the membership is recorded in the association notebook. Resigning from membership does not eliminate the accumulated membership debts of the person.

Article 8

Removal from Membership

Circumstances requiring removal from membership of the association.

• To act in violation of the association’s charter,
• Constantly avoiding from assigned tasks
• To carry out activities and take initiatives on behalf of the association without being authorized,
• Not paying the membership fee of the association within 30 days and in any case for 1 year despite the written notification,
• Not complying with the decisions made by the bodies of the association,
• Losing the terms of membership,
• Engaging in discrimination, phobic and violent words, attitudes and behaviors to anyone, regardless of whether they are a member or not,
• Despite declaring that they are vegan, taking an attitude contrary to the requirements of veganism
• Those who act contrary to the charter and objectives of the association and engaging in attitudes and behaviors that harms the image and stance of the association

In case of detection of one or more of the above-mentioned situations, the board of directors requests the person’s self-defense, which can be submitted in writing or verbally in the minutes, within seven (7) days, and warns that a decision will be taken in its current form if they do not make a defense in due time. In the end, the member can be removed from membership with the decision taken as a result of the board of directors meeting.

The removed member may make a written objection to the General Assembly through the Board of Directors of the Association within fifteen (15) business days, starting from the date of notification against the decision notified to him. The objection is discussed and resolved at the first general assembly meeting. If the member does not object within the time limit or the objection is rejected in the General Assembly, the Board of Directors of the Association deletes the member’s record in the “Member Registry Notebook” and the removed member cannot claim any right on the assets of the association.

The defense request to be made to the members can be notified in person or by SMS or by sending it to the e-mail or home address declared by the member. Members are obliged to notify the presidency of the association within 15 days of any changes regarding the contact information they have declared during the membership application. In case of negligence of the member, notifications to the current address will be deemed to have been duly made.

Article 9

Bodies of the Association

The bodies of the association are listed below:

1. General Assembly,
2. Board of Directors,
3. Board of Audit.

Article 10

General Assembly

The general assembly is the largest decision-making body of the association and consists of members registered to the association, delegates of the branch and delegates elected by the members registered in the branch.

General Assembly;

• Ordinarily at the time specified in this charter,
• It gathers extraordinarily within thirty days when deemed necessary by the board of directors or the audit board or upon the written request of one fifth of the members of the association.
• Ordinary general assembly convenes every 2 years, in August, on the day, venue and time to be determined by the board of directors.
• The general assembly meeting is called by the board of directors. General assembly calls are made via e-mail or social media.

The following issues are discussed and resolved by the general assembly.

• Election of the bodies of the association,
• Changing the charter of the association,
• Evaluating the reports of the directors and audit boards and the release of the board of directors,
• Discussing and accepting the budget prepared by the board of directors as it is or by changing it,
• Inspecting of other bodies of the association and dismissal of them for justified reasons when deemed necessary,
• Authorizing the board of directors to purchase immovable properties required for the association or selling existing immovable properties,
• Reviewing and approving the regulations to be prepared by the board of directors regarding the activities of the association, as it is or by changing it,
• Deciding the establishment of the branches of the association and authorizing the board of directors to carry out the procedures related to the branch decided to be opened,
• Enabling the association to run international activities,
• Establishment of a foundation by the association,
• Dissolution of the association,
• Assessing and deciding on other suggestions made by the board of directors,
• Fulfillment of other duties specified in the legislation to be performed by the general assembly.

Article 11

Board of Directors

The board of directors consists of five full and five reserve members.

It meets monthly and evaluates the activities of the association, its budget and requests received from the members.

Duties and Authorities of the Board of Directors

• Representing the association or authorizing one of its members or a third party in this regard,
• Accounting income and expenses, preparing budget for the next term and to presenting it to the general assembly,
• Preparing, implementing regulations regarding the activities of the association and submitting them to the approval of the general assembly,
• Purchasing immovable property, selling movable and immovable properties belonging to the association, having a building or facility constructed, making a lease agreement, establishing a pledge, mortgage or in kind rights in favor of the association, with the authorization given by the general assembly,
• Ensuring the execution of the procedures related to establishing branches with the authorization given by the general assembly, and inspecting the branches,
• Ensuring the establishment of representative offices where deemed necessary,
• Implementing the decisions made by the general assembly,
• Preparing the association’s operating account statement or balance sheet and income statement and the report explaining the work of the board of directors, presenting it to the general assembly when convened, at the end of each operating year,
• Ensuring the implementation of the budget,
• Making decision on the admission of members to the association or removal from the membership,
• Making and implementing all sorts of decisions within the scope of its authority in order to realize the objectives of the association.
• Working with the board of audit.

Article 12

Board of Audit

The board of audit is elected by the board of directors as three full and three reserve members. If there is a vacancy in the original membership of the board of audit due to resignation or other reasons, it is obligatory to call the reserve members for duty according to the order of the majority of votes they received during the election.

Duties and Authorities of the board of Audit

• The supervisory board checks whether the association operates in line with the objectives indicated in its charter and the fields of activities stated to be pursued for the realization of its objectives.
• The board of audit checks whether the registry notebook, accounts and records are kept in accordance with the legislation and the association’s charter, and whether they are made according to the principles and procedures determined in the association’s charter.
• The board of audit conducts the above-mentioned internal audit once a year and presents the audit results as a report to the board of directors and to the general assembly when it convenes.
• The board of audit calls the general assembly for a meeting as necessary.

Article 13

The Borrowing Procedures of the Association and Internal Audit

Borrowing Procedures: In order to realize its objectives and to carry out its activities, the association may borrow from home or abroad upon the decision of the Board of Directors, if needed. This borrowing can be done in terms of purchases of goods and services on credit by applying to bank loans, or it can be done in cash with the support of members and institutions. However, this borrowing cannot be made in amounts that cannot be covered by the income sources of the Association and in a way that will make the Association insolvent.

Internal Audit

As stated in Article 12, internal auditing is carried out once a year by the board of audit. The reports are shared with the board of directors and the results are presented to all members at the general assembly.

Article 14

The income sources of the association

The income sources of the association are listed below.

• Member(ship) fee: The membership fee of the association will be collected every 6 months for the convenience of the members and the amount has been determined to ensure the maintenance of the headquarters of the association. Membership fee is 400 TL in total, 200 TL every 6 months. Membership fees must be paid by the fifteenth (15th) day of June and December. The entrance fee is half of the annual fee (200 TL). Members who are students pay 50% of this amount. Except in the event of death, the fee debt for the period in which the members quit or were dismissed before the payment date will be due as of the date their membership ends. The general assembly is authorized to increase or decrease these amounts or to make them compulsory.
• Branch Fee: To meet the general expenses of the association, 20% of the member fees collected by the branches are sent to the headquarters annually,
• Voluntary donations and aids made by natural and legal persons to the association,
• Revenues from activities such as tea party, dinners, excursions and entertainment, representation, bazaars, concerts, sports competitions and conferences organized by the association,
• Revenues from the assets of the association,
• Donations and aids to be collected in accordance with the provisions of the legislation on fund collection,
• Funds received as a result of the applied projects,
• Revenues from commercial activities undertaken by the association in order to generate the income it needs to realize its objectives,
• Other revenues.

Article 15

Notebooks

The Board of Directors of the Association keeps the books listed below

• Member registry: It is the book that contains the IDs of the members of the association and the dates of their entry to the association.
• Resolution notebook: It is the notebook where the decisions of the Board of Directors are written in order of date and number.
• Business Account Notebook: It is the ledger where income and expense records are kept.
• Document Registry: It is the notebook where the documents are recorded.

Article 16

Establishment of the Branches of the Association

The association may open branches in places deemed necessary by the decision of the general assembly. For this purpose, the founders’ board of at least three persons authorized by the board of directors of the association submits the branch establishment notification and necessary documents specified in the regulation of associations to the highest authority of the place where the branch will be established.

Duties and Authorities of Branches

Branches are the internal organization of the association, which does not have legal entity, is responsible and authorized to carry out autonomous activities in line with the purpose and service subjects of the association, and is responsible for all its receivables and debts arising from all its activities.

Bodies of Branches and Provisions Applicable to Branches

The organs of the branch are the general assembly, the board of directors and the board of audit.

The General Assembly consist of registered members of branches. The board of directors is elected by the general assembly of the branch as five full and five reserve members, and the board of audit as three full and three reserve members.

Duties and authorities of these bodies and other provisions regarding the association in this charter are also applied in the branch within the framework stipulated by the legislation.

Meeting Time of the General Assemblies of the Branches and How to Represent them in the General Assembly of the Headquarters

Branches are obliged to finish the ordinary general assembly meetings at least two months before the general assembly meeting of the headquarters.

The ordinary general assembly of the branches convenes every 2 years, in August, on the day, place and time to be determined by the branch’s board of directors.

Branches are obliged to notify a copy of the general assembly result notification to the local authority and the headquarters of the association within thirty days following the date of the meeting.

Branches are represented by optional and natural delegates at the general assembly of the headquarters.

The president of the board of directors and boards of audit of the branches will be elected as natural delegates, one (1) for every twenty (20) members registered in the branch, and one among these members if the number of remaining members is more than 10 or the total number of members is less than 20, and the delegates to be elected as elective delegates has the right to participate in the general assembly of the headquarters as representatives of the branch.

Delegates elected at the last branch general assembly attend the headquarter’s general assembly. Members of boards of directors and audit can participate in the general meeting of the headquarters, but they cannot vote unless they are elected as a delegate on behalf of the branch.

Those who take place in the boards of directors and audit of the branches leave their duties in the branch when they are elected to the headquarters’ boards of directors and audit.

Article 17

How to Amend the Charter

The charter can be changed by the decision of the general assembly.

2/3 majority of the members who have the right to attend and vote in the general assembly is required in order to amend the bylaws in the general assembly. In case the meeting is postponed due to lack of the majority, this majority will not be sought in the second meeting. However, the number of members attending this meeting cannot be less than twice the total number of members of the board of directors and board of audit.

The majority of the decisions required for the amendment to the charter is 2/3 of the votes of the members attending the meeting and eligible to vote. In the general assembly, the vote on the amendments to the charter is made publicly.

Article 18

Termination of the Association and Liquidation of Assets

The general assembly can decide to dissolve the association at any time.

In order to discuss the termination issue at the general assembly, 2/3 majority of the members who attend and eligible to vote in the general assembly is required. In case the meeting is postponed due to lack of majority, this majority will not be sought in the second meeting. However, the number of members attending this meeting cannot be less than twice the total number of members of the board of directors and board of audit.

The majority of the decisions required for the termination decision to be made is 2/3 of the votes of the members who attended the meeting and eligible to vote. Decision of termination voting is made publicly in the General Assembly.

The termination board is in charge and authorized to complete the liquidation of the money, property and rights of the association from beginning to end in accordance with the legislation. This board examines the accounts of the association initially. During the examination, the registry books, receipts, expenditure documents, title deed and bank records and other documents belonging to the association are determined and their assets and liabilities are recorded in a report. During the termination process, the claimants of the association are invited and assets of the association, if any, are converted into cash and paid to the claimants. In case the association is a claimant, the receivables will be collected. All the money, property and rights remaining after the collection of receivables and payment of debts will be transferred to the entity determined in the general assembly. If the entity to be transferred is not indicated by the general assembly, it will be transferred to an association having the most similar objectives in the province where the association is located and which has the most members on the date of termination.

All transactions regarding liquidation are shown in the liquidation report and the liquidation transactions are completed within three months, except for the additional periods given by the local authorities based on a justified reason.

Following the completion of the liquidation and transfer procedures of the money, property and rights of the association, the situation must be notified to the civil authority of the place where the headquarters of the association is located by the liquidation board within seven days, and the liquidation report must be attached to this letter.

The last members of the board of directors, as the liquidation board, are responsible for keeping the registry books and documents of the association. This duty can be conferred to one of the board members too. These registry books and records must be kept for five years.

Madde 19

Missing Provision

The provisions of the Associations Law, the Turkish Civil Code and the Regulations on Associations issued with reference to these laws and other relevant legislation on associations are applied in matters not specified in this charter.