The NPO

Carrefour is a non-profit-making organization (NPO) subordinated to achieving the objectives laid down at the time of its formation:

Striving to ensure that people of all cultures or religious denomination in Europe and other continents interact, exchange and pool their energies.

In keeping with standard practice in every organization, Carrefour requires classical management tools: a General Assembly (GA) and a Board of Directors (BD). It is a requirement dictated by the realization those committed to driving the entity forward need to beempowered if they are to attain the aims enshrined in the Memorandum and Articles of Association and do so as efficiently as possible. Whereas it is a legal requirement, it falls far short of what students and residents living in Carrefour would require if they are to accept accountability for their future and make their aims a reality. However, options taken by the GA and BD are irrelevant unless they are endorsed by both students and residents alike. Ultimately, they are the people who will be called upon to convert their aspirations into feasible working practices. In a word, they are the “carrefouriens”. Seen in that light, it is an ongoing challenge to find a formula that will maximize involvement. The part played by each one needs to be clearly defined, be it for those serving on the BD  who, in conjunction with the GA recommends the long-terms guidelines or, on a day-to-day basis, for those who spend a short period of their lives living in Carrefour.