TYY Wings

Instructions on the activities and election of Wings

The purpose of the Student Union Wings, i.e. voluntary group, is to implement TYY's values in their activities and to serve as a contact between the members, Student Union Council, Executive Board and staff. The activities of the Wings must comply with TYY's regulations. The Wings operate independently and organize their own projects around their theme. The Wings have the freedom to express themselves, create new initiatives, advocate for and protect student interests at the university and in society, bring topics to public discussion, and grow as critical citizens.

The Wings are a low-threshold group through which it is easy to participate in student union activities. The activities within the Wings are very informal, and the time commitment is as much as one wants to give. The activities of the Wings are based on volunteerism, and in addition to the core team selected annually at the beginning of autumn, anyone can join the Wings at any time of the year.

Previously, TYY's Wings, or volunteer groups, included five: international affairs, development cooperation, culture, environment, and equality. In autumn 2024, based on the action plan project for developing volunteer activities, the five separate Wings will be combined into one larger volunteer group, which will internally divide into different responsibility teams according to the themes of the former Wings.

Follow TYY Wings on Instagram @tyynsiivet! You can get into the action the easiest way through Wings Telegram Group. (Link is coming)

The wings sectors:

• Environment
• International
• Development Cooperation
• Culture
• Equality

I Search, election and organisation of Wings

The Executive Board opens a search for Wings core teams once a year, always at the beginning of the academic year. The core team members are recruited among the members of the Student Union with an open search where the applicants inform their interest in the Wings. Selection to a Wing’s core team is for one academic year at a time.

The core team of the Wings, or the Wing's Board, assigns the necessary tasks equitably according to areas of responsibility in their organizing meeting at the beginning of autumn. If needed, the Wings reorganize. The Wings select a Vice-Chair and allocate other possible responsibilities at the first meeting of the calendar year. If needed, the Wings reorganize.

The Wings must choose from among themselves at least the following: Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. Additionally, the core team of the Wings is internally divided into different responsibility teams according to the themes of the former Wings in the following sectors: international affairs, development cooperation, culture, environment, and equality. Regardless of the areas of responsibility, the idea is that all members of the Wing are involved in activities across sector boundaries.

If the current members of the wings core teams want to continue in the core team for the next academic year, the application will be made through the official application form.

II Activities of Wings 

The Wings plan and implement their activities together with the Executive Board Member/s responsible for the field and if necessary with the staff. The activities shall be in accordance with TYY rules and values. 

Training shall be organised for core team members in order to launch the activities. In the training, the members are generally informed about the activities of the Wings and the upcoming year. Additional training is offered to the Wings when needed.

The Wings draft, together with the responsible Executive Board Member/s, an annual plan at the beginning of the year. 

The Wings spend the funds attributed to them in a planned and responsible manner. The Secretary General will approve individual invoices and payment orders of the Wings.

The Wings convene as many times in a year as they see appropriate, but preferably at least once or twice a month, except during summer months. The meetings are informed at least at the internal communication channels of the Wings and in the events calendar on TYY website. When convening meetings, accessibility and the participation possibilities of international students and students from remote campuses will be taken into account.

The meetings have a quorum when there are two regular members present, in addition to the Chair or Vice-Chair. The meetings of the Wings are open to all members of the Student Union.

The Wings record short notes on their meetings, which are stored in an agreed location in order to guarantee continuity of the activities. 

The Executive Board invites the Chairs of the Wings at least twice per term to report on the activities of the Wing. 

At the end of the calendar year, the Wings draft a short Annual report declaring the organised events and the operational culture of the Wing. The annual report shall be provided for the Wing actors of the following year.

The Wings form an important part of TYY activities, and the Wing members can freely pass time in TYY's Office, e.g. by drinking coffee. The Executive Board Members and staff working at the Office can always be asked for advice. 

The Wings shall have a cupboard in TYY's premises for storage. In addition, the Wings are allowed to use office devices such as a computer, flip chart, fridge or printer. The Wings can reserve TYY Office meeting rooms for their meetings through Outlook calendar booking system. The Wings can reserve in advance a float for their events from the Office Secretary. 

To ensure smooth communication between the wings and the office, Outlook Calendar and Slack are utilised.

Anyone can participate in the wing even if the person has not become an elected member of the core team. 

III Tasks of the core team

• The core team is responsible for the annual plan drafted by the Executive Board member and the Wing
• The chair convenes the meetings of the Wing preferably 7 days and at least 2 days before the meeting 
• The core team, mainly the Secretary, is responsible for ensuring that short written notes are drafted for Wing meetings, stored in an agreed location
• The core team ensures the communication and flow of information between the Wing and TYY Executive Board and
• The core team is responsible for the annual report at the end of the term and transferring information to new members in the form of testaments or similar documents

IV Resignation and discharge from the core team

Upon a request from a member, the Executive Board May discharge a person from the membership. A short notice of the resignation must be sent by e-mail to TYY's Executive Board member responsible for volunteers, after which the resignation will take effect.

On the proposal of the Wing, the Executive Board may dismiss a member who continuously neglects their tasks. A Wing member can be considered resigned if they are absent without notice from three consecutive Wing meetings. Before the Executive Board makes a decision on dismissing a member, they must be reserved a chance to be heard.