General Assembly 2024

Introduction

The general meeting of the Phyto-info non-profit organization was held, following the convocation of its President, on 26 June 2024 at 6:00pm (local time) in France and by videoconference.

The President noted that all members of the Board of Directors were present, either physically or online: Ms. Karine Fenix (Vice-Chair), Mr. Nicolas Fénix (Treasurer), Ms. Fany Savina (Secretary). The total number of votes was thus four; the President then declared that the Assembly was regularly constituted and could validly deliberate and take decisions by the required majority.

Moral report

Reminder of the values of the non-profit organization

The aim of the non-profit organization is the democratization of knowledge about plants, their risks and benefits, as well as the creation, development and dissemination of any educational material in the field of plants.

The Chairperson recalled that Phyto-info had a strictly educational purpose and was in no way an aid in diagnosing a pathology or in setting up a treatment, the latter being reserved for health professionals. The President also recalled that some plants can cause side effects and are likely to interfere with drug treatments, so it was strongly recommended to consult a doctor or a health professional before using medicinal plants.

Conduct of activities during this fiscal year

• Partial free access

In order to find a compromise between a philosophy of sharing information and the income needed for the proper functioning of the non-profit organization, partial free access to the search tool was proposed; only one result per search is displayed, the rest being blurred. The information on the plant fact sheets, with the exception of usage instructions and dosages, is also blurred. To learn more about our partial free access, click here.

• Toxic and/or illegal plants

Since the objective of Phyto-info is strictly educational, informing certain plants that, in addition to their benefits, have a certain toxicity (e.g. horse chestnut, borage, etc.) is considered essential for raising public awareness of the real dangers of plants. This information is now included in the Phyto-info search tool.

Some plants, however, may even be considered illegal in certain countries at a given time. Unable to take into account all the legal prohibitions of each government, Phyto-info, by providing information on the properties and risks of plants, will warn the reader if the illegality of one of these was known in a given country at the time of publication.

• Translation

In order to increase the visibility of Phyto-info and its search tool, we have started our English version. The project is in its final phase.

• Improving the Phyto-info search tool

We organised a quality control check carried out by a third party and received the corresponding report in order to improve our Phyto-info search tool. We have started implementing the points mentioned in the report, and we will finalize them this year.

We have also written a frequently asked questions section and adjusted the Confidence Index according to the type of bibliographic sources. To learn more about our confidence index, click here.

• Presentation

Invited by LinkedIn to Dublin, the President and Vice President presented a talk on April 19, 2024 on how to manage stress at work using plants. It was an enriching and rewarding experience that will be repeated if necessary.

• Botanical workshops and walks

Since May 2024, we have set up walks to discover medicinal plants and workshops on plant preparation.

Future axes

• Internal regulations

The amount of subscription, as indicated in the internal regulations, remains unchanged for the year 2024-2025. Active members are those who are members of the board of directors and those whose request is unanimously accepted by the board of directors.

Active members undertake to provide a certain number of hours of volunteer work each year and to pay a subscription of 30 euros. Supporting members are those who support the actions of the non-profit organization and who have undertaken to pay an annual subscription of 15 euros.

The annual subscription is due as soon as the new members are approved. Any subscription paid is definitively acquired by the non-profit organization.

• Adding plants to our database

We are maintaining our pace and continuing to enrich our database with 2 to 4 new plants per month.

• Videoconference workshops

Following the success of our presentation on stress management in the workplace, we plan to create workshops accessible via videoconference.

• Workshops and walks

Based on the feedback from our members on the botanical walks and plant preparation workshops, we plan to repeat the experience next spring.

• “DIY” project

In order to popularize the use of medicinal plants, while continuing to emphasize their methods of use and precautions for use, we plan to create content on a very limited number of them. In this content, you will find the traditional uses of selected plants, as well as how to prepare them. We also plan to give our members the option to personalize the content and insert the plants of their choice. To do this, we will also need illustrations to support our explanations.

Tasks from the previous exercise still to be done

• Implement a search by property and by biochemical compound
• Complete the implementation of the points mentioned in the quality control report
• Designate a pilot and map the processing of personal data
• Finalize the translation of our site and search tool

New tasks

• Add 2 to 4 new plants per month
• Create content for videoconference workshops
• Organize future botanical walks and plant preparation workshops
• Think about the content of the “DIY” project and find a graphic designer

Financial report and memberships

See appendix (accessible to active members only)

• Memberships
• Summary of accounts
• Forecast for the fiscal year 01/07/2024 - 30/06/2025

Resolutions to vote on

• First resolution: Quitus of the moral report

For: 4 votes; Against: 0 votes; Abstention: 0 votes; Total voters: 4 votes The general meeting approves the moral report of the Board of Directors and approves its management; this resolution is adopted unanimously (4 votes).

• Second resolution: Exit from the financial report

For: 4 votes; Against: 0 votes; Abstention: 0 votes; Total voters: 4 votes The General Assembly approved the financial report of the office and authorized it to manage it; this resolution was adopted unanimously (4 votes).

• Third resolution: Call for illustrations for the “DIY” project

For: 4 votes; Against: 0 votes; Abstention: 0 votes; Total voters: 4 votes The general assembly approves the decision to call upon a graphic designer to illustrate the “DIY” project, the President is in charge of requesting quotes; this resolution is adopted unanimously (4 votes).

Divers questions

No questions.

Closing

With no one else wishing to speak, the President reminds everyone that the report covering the period from 01/07/2023 to 30/06/2024 demonstrates an active non-profit organization and reflects the achievement of previously set objectives. The President thanks the members present for their involvement and dedication to keeping this non-profit organization alive, and reiterates her commitment to doing everything possible to energize and develop the non-profit organization.

The agenda being exhausted, the meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.

The present minutes of the general assembly are drawn up, in which the President and the Secretary participated in the drafting of the meeting. It is signed by the President.

Certified compliant, July 15, 2024.