During this year’s General Assembly, the community voiced their opinion that the IJP should accept non-certified individuals but not as full members with full majority. To comply with the IJP’s members’ interests, the Program Leads quickly started defining what would be the best approach to tackle this subject and implement this change in the International Judge Program.
What do we expect of these individuals?
We expect these individuals can express their voice and opinion and help us grow as a community and a Program. We’d like these individuals to bring value to everyone in the organization and to be a part of our community.
Who can become one of these individuals?
Anyone who feels like wanting to be a part of this community can apply via email with their motivations and why they want to join the IJP as a non-full member. These individuals can be anyone from judges who are bound to other organizations, uncertified judges, tournament organizers or other people who are staffed at events. We will call them “Friends of the IJP”.
What are the advantages and rights of a Friend of the IJP?
Being a Friend of IJP is mostly about giving and helping others, but there are some advantages too.
Friends of the IJP have some benefits for the value they are adding to our community. These benefits are:
- The right to express their opinion on every topic that is open to the general audience.
- The right to use some of the resources full members have access to.
- The right to join Judge Conferences at the discretion of the organizer, but may not be eligible to receive judge exclusive gifts.
What are the obligations of a Friend of the IJP?
Friends of the IJP are bound by the IJP Code of Conduct. Breaching the Code of Conduct may result in the removal of their status as a Friend of the IJP.
How do the rights of Friends of the IJP compare to full members?
Compared to full members, Friends of the IJP don’t have:
- The right to vote in any IJP assembly.
- The right to convoke elections.
- The right to be elected as a Regional Representative or Program Lead.
- The right to propose a change in the IJP Statutes.
- The right to access the accounts report.
That’s it for now folks. I hope you are enjoying the direction the IJP is going, in building a greater sense of community. As always, we appreciate hearing your feedback through the appropriate channels!
