On Wednesday, 11 October 2023 a selected array of representatives of the LRE member organisations came together to hold the first Member’s Council Meeting. In total thirteen members joined online, representing organisations from eight countries.
The Member’s Council is an advisory body of the LRE Foundation recently established by the International Supervisory Board. It aims to give the Foundation’s members a representation in the organisation’s decision-making process. The Council enables the representatives to give feedback on current LREF programs, contribute to LREF strategies and conceptualize common projects. It is composed of at least one representative per country in which the LRE Foundation has one member organisation. If the country has more than one member organisation, at least two representatives will be welcomed.
In the meeting, all the present representatives were given the opportunity to introduce themselves and get to know each other. In several rounds of discussion, the members shared their opinions and ideas on the composition of the Council, the possibility of a rotation system of mandates as well as deciding on the format and structure of future meetings.
What became once again clear is that the experiences and perspectives of the represented organisations and countries on the Second World War and Liberation are very multifaceted, which should be reflected in the bodies functioning. To contribute to the diversity of the Council, the Members intend to form several Working Groups, organised based on their expertise, priorities, and current projects in such fields.
By common agreement, it was decided to hold the next Members Council meeting during the LRE Forum in Aachen from 26 to 29 February next year to discuss further steps.
“We are thrilled to finally kick off the Member’s Council.“, says Rémi Praud, Managing Director of the LRE Foundation. “This is a great opportunity for us to get a more in-depth collaboration with our member organisations and countries. We are looking forward to receiving some feedback on our recent programs and initiating some new joint projects. Furthermore, the regular meetings will also strengthen our network, as we will have the opportunity to see each other more often and exchange information.”
