Our pillars
The 7 pillars (Café International, Women's and Men's meeting place, German course, Clothing Place, Food Corner, and most recently, the Writing Service), we open doors to participation in our society. Migrants and locals get to know and appreciate each other. In many conversations and on shared paths, we learn from each other about the cultural assets of our counterparts, which is valuable and emotionally enriching for everyone involved.
Membership
If you would like to support the association, you are welcome to do so by applying for membership using the registration form. The membership fee is currently CHF 30.-- year/person, 50.-- year/married couple
You can download the membership form here.
Helping
We look forward to everyone who would like to support our association, be it through active help or through a financial contribution
(IBAN no. CH28 0630 0502 3158 0368 6)
Please read the information on this website.
If you have any questions, please contact the address listed in the relevant section or send an e-mail to
Board of Directors
The current Board of Directors is composed as follows:
| Function | Who | Responsibility |
| President | Regula Cermak | Intercultural Women's Meetings |
| Vice President | Ursula Kläntschi | Café International / German course |
| Cashier | Markus Waber | Finance |
| Secretary | Elisabeth Wüthrich | |
| Assessors | Christine Portmann | |
| Claudia Herren | Intercultural women's meeting place | |
| Peter Kläntschi | Intercultural men's meeting place |
Statutes
Statutes
The statutes of the "Langnau Interkulturell" association, Langnau im Emmental, have been in effect since June 30, 2016 and thus replace the statutes of the intercultural women's meeting place "Women meets women", founded as an association on December 5th, 2011 in Langnau i.E.
Art. 1 Name, registered office
- Under the name "Langnau Interkulturell" - hereinafter referred to as the association - is a party-politically independent and denominationally neutral association within the meaning of Art. 60ff ZGB with headquarters in 3550 Langnau i. E
Art. 2 Purpose
The association deals with tasks and topics that primarily benefit the local population and people with a migration background, to make it easier for them to live well together and to assist in the integration.
The association includes the following groups (pillars):
- The Cafe International
- The Intercultural Women's Meeting
- The Intercultural Men's Meeting (since the end of 2017)
- The German conversation course
- As well as other groups corresponding to the purpose of the association
Art. 3 Place of jurisdiction
The legal domicile of the association is Langnau i. E
Article 4 Membership
- Natural and legal persons who pay the annual fee can become members. Membership expires through resignation, death or expulsion.
- The resignation can be declared verbally or in writing at any time. Membership expires if the annual fee has not been paid for two years.
- If it is contrary to the interests of the association for a member to remain in the association, they can be expelled by the Board of Directors.
- The member has a right of appeal at the next general meeting.
Art. 5 Rights and obligations
- Every member will be informed about the association's program.
- All members are entitled to request the handling of specific business at the general meeting. The requests must be submitted in writing to the Management Board no later than two months before the Annual General Meeting.
- Every member is entitled to vote (with exceptions according to Art. 68 ZGB).
Art. 6 Key responsibilities
- The annual general meeting
- The board of directors
- The Auditing Body
Art. 7 The Ordinary General Meeting
- The association's year begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st.
- The Annual General Meeting takes place in the first half of each year. Above all, it deals with the transactions referred to in Art. 9.
- The General Meeting is convened in writing by the Executive Board no later than 30 days before the day of the meeting, stating the agenda.
- Members' motions must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors 14 days before the General Assembly.
- Every AGM convened in accordance with the Articles of Association has a quorum. Business that is not on the agenda, with the exception of the dissolution of the association, can be dealt with and resolved lawfully if the voters present agree unanimously.
Art. 8 Extraordinary General Meeting
- An extraordinary general meeting can be convened by the board of directors at any time.
- It must be convened if at least one fifth of the members or the control body request it.
- Art. 7 para. 2 applies analogously to the Extraordinary General Meeting.
Art. 9 The business of the General Meeting covers as a rule
- Approval of the minutes of the last AGM
- Annual Report of the President
- Mutations and Honors
- Annual accounts and report of the auditing body
- Membership fee and budget
- Program of planned activities
- Various
- Elections (according to Art. 10) of the members of the board with the respective departments, the president and the control body
Art. 10 The Board of Directors
- The Board of Directors consists of at least one member from each of the groups mentioned in Article 2.
- The term of office is four years. Re-elections are possible.
The board has the following departments:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Cashier
- Assessors
Art. 11 Tasks of the board
General
- Deals with all requests and suggestions/concerns of the members
- Prepares the general meeting
- Coordinates the activities of the various groups as needed
- Is responsible for public relations (homepage, advertising, triage for inquiries)
- The Executive Board decides on the distribution of larger donations to the individual groups
- Maintains a membership directory
President
- Represents the association
- Chairs the general assemblies and the board meetings
- Gives the casting vote if there is a tie in votes/elections
Vice President
- Represents the President in all functions, rights and duties
Secretary
- Keeps the minutes of the general assemblies and board meetings
- Draws up correspondence
- Keeps the register of members, unless this is done by the treasurer or another person on the board
Cashier
- Collection of membership fees
- Manages the assets of the association “Langnau Interkulturell”
- Requests the annual financial statements of the individual groups for accounting purposes
- Completes the Annual Accounts and initiates the revision
- Prepares the budget in consultation with the board
- Maintains the register of members unless delegated to another person
- The president and the secretary or cashier have a legally binding collective signature. In accounting, the cashier and the president have individual signatures.
Art. 12 Finances
The income of the association consists of:
- Membership fees; the amount is determined by the annual general meeting
- Income from the association's assets
- Various receipts and donations
- The individual groups manage their finances on their own responsibility, including income, expenses, budgets and accounts.
Art. 13 Audit body
- The auditing body consists of two auditors.
- The auditors must check the accounts of the association and the individual groups and submit a report to the general assembly. In the event of irregularities, the Executive Board must be informed immediately.
- The auditors may not belong to the board of directors. They are elected by the Annual General Meeting for a term of office of 4 years. Re-election is possible.
Art. 14 Unbudgeted Expenses
- In individual cases, the Executive Board has an authority to spend CHF 1,000.00.
Article 15 Liability
- Only the association's assets are liable for the association's debts; personal liability of the members of the association is excluded. (Art. 75 a ZGB)
- The association is not liable for debts of the individual groups.
Art. 16 Revision of the association's statutes
- A partial or total revision of the statutes requires a 2/3 majority of the voting members present at the general meeting.
Art. 17 Dissolution of the association
- The association can only be dissolved by a 3/4 majority of the voting members present at the general meeting. In addition, Articles 76 to 78 ZGB apply.
- If the association is dissolved, the majority of the general meeting decides on the donation of any association assets to a tax-exempt institution.
- The Executive Board has to submit at least two proposals.
Art. 18 Validity of the statutes
These statutes come into force with immediate effect upon their acceptance by the extraordinary general meeting on June 30, 2016 and replace those of the intercultural women's meeting "Women meet women" on December 5, 2011.
The President
Regula Cermak
The Secretary
Elisabeth Wuthrich
3550 Langnau i.E., 09.07.2016
History
HISTORY OF THE LANGNAU INTERKULTURELL ASSOCIATION
New association Langnau Interkulturell founded
Thanks to a small, committed group of interested people, the "Café International" was created in February 2016, a place where people from different cultures can meet spontaneously and easily once a week. (See Café International history)
From the very beginning there was a constructive cooperation with the Intercultural Women's Meeting, because together we did not rely on competition but on synergies. The members of "Women meet women" group therefore sought to open up the Intercultural Women's Association.
On June 30, 2016, the association "Langnau Interkulturell" was founded, initially with 4 mainstays: Café International, Intercultural Women's and Men's meeting place, as well as German conversation classes.
Since 2022 it has grown to contain 7 pillars: the FoodCorner, the clothing room and the writing service have been added.
A number of active members work in the different pillars. There is lively bilateral exchange, and every last Monday of the month the activists meet to exchange information.
We have had a service contract with the municipality of Langnau and, since 2022, also with Trubschachen. We are also supported financially and morally by the parishes. We feel the appreciation for what we do and that gives us the energy we need.
Some active members have been with us since the beginning, but new, interested people, keep joining in, bringing valuable ideas and working with us.
More details can be found in the respective annual reports.
Are you interested in getting involved in our association? Contact us, get an idea of what we have to offer during a non-binding visit to any one of our branches. We look forward to your visit.
