The membership year is ending and we are about to start the new year 2020. Remember that the WAIMH memberships are active from January each year until December. As you renew you can order the Infant Mental Health Journal at a reduced rate. In 2020 you will have a lower fee to the 17th WAIMH World Congress in Brisbane, Australia!
Our new website offers the options for discussion and networking among members of WAIMH. If you have an idea of a group, and you would be volunteering to moderate such a group, please send the WAIMH Central office your suggestions!
Awards nominations
WAIMH offers four important awards in recognition of individuals from across the world who have made important contributions to the Infant Mental Health community in the course of their careers. November- December 2019 is the time for nominations for the different Awards. These are listed more precisely on the WAIMH website, where you can also read more about the nomination process (LINK).
There are 5 Award categories:
Interdisciplinary by design, WAIMH invites nominations from the fields of health, mental health, early care and education, early intervention, hospitals, colleges and universities, legislatures, to name just a few.
Board nominations and President-Elect
The changes in the WAIMH Board are an important juncture for the association. Three current Directors on the WAIMH Board will end their four-year term of office in June 2020 and therefore a new nomination process is starting. Two directors will be elected by the members of WAIMH and one will be appointed by current President-Elect Campbell Paul as his term as President starts in June 2020.
The Call for Nominations was launched in mid-November 2019. First, the members will elect new board members (LINK). Second, members will also be presented with candidates for the role of President-Elect and will be invited to identify their preferred candidate for this role (LINK). Third, based on the vote and the supporting nomination information regards each candidate, the WAIMH Nominating Committee will make a final selection of potential President-Elect candidates. These candidates, will then be presented to the WAIMH Board of Directors Executive Committee. Fourth, the WAIMH Board of Directors Executive Committee members will hold a vote for the role of President-Elect on 6th of June, 2020.
World Congress
The WAIMH World Congress in Brisbane takes place only seven months from now and we hope that as many members as possible will be able to attend. It will be an inspiring event with a program full of interesting topics. This time all Master Classes are included in the congress fee. While we at the Office are involved in planning WAIMH events throughout the year, the individual WAIMH members get together every two years at the biennial general meeting which will take place this year on Monday 8th June. There will also be a Pre-Institute for Affiliates on running organizations in the different contexts on Sunday 7th June. The overall schedule of the congress is available online (LINK).
Remember that registration (LINK) for the event has started, and as a current WAIMH member you can attend at an affordable membership rate.
Changes in WAIMH Bylaws
At the WAIMH general meeting the biggest issue will be the changes in the WAIMH Bylaws. As time has gone forward, many changes have become necessary, e.g. due to technical changes. There will be specifications on the different roles of the Board members and the Affiliate council. The process started in June 2019 during the WAIMH Executive Committee meeting. The Bylaws were prepared by a small group and modifications will be approved by the Executive Committee at their meeting in November 2019. You as members are invited to submit your comments and suggestions on the draft. The WAIMH EC will look through the changes and a new suggestion will be prepared. The goal is to approve the Bylaws during the Brisbane World Congress at the general meeting on 8th June. This year we have reserved a longer time slot for the general meeting.
You, the members, are important and valuable to us. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have regarding WAIMH!
Contact us:
Minna Sorsa, Senior Administrator, office@waimh.org
Sari Miettinen, Administrative Assistant, memberships@waimh.org
Authors
Minna Sorsa and Sari Miettinen, Finland
