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Union of the Latvian Societies
23.12.2015

The Union of the Latvian societies was founded in 1992 and registered on May 18, 1993. The registration date in the Societies’ and foundations’ register – May 8, 2006. The members of the Union of the Latvian societies are legal persons – Societies of the Latvians living in Latvia and organisations related to them.



The aims of the LBS are to work and develop the Society’s work, acquire and maintain culturally historical heritage, involve children and youth in the Society’s events, organise charity events, promote exchange of mutual experience and contacts with other national organisations in Latvia and world.

The higher LBS decision making authority is members’ meeting that is called together once a year. During the members’ meeting each of the LBS members – legal person – has one vote regardless of the number of the representatives attending the meeting.

The LBS administrative body is the Board that consists of the Board Chairman and six Board members. The Board is elected to 4 years. The Chairwoman of the LBS Board is Veronika Ramāne.

 History

In 1992 several leaders of the Latvian organisations decided to establish the union of the Latvian societies, where Latvian organisations from different towns and organisations related to them would unite. The first chairman of the LBS was Edgars Priednieks from the Lielvārde Latvian Society. Also several other Latvian Societies entered the organisation – Jūrmala Latvian Society, Non-alcoholic Society “Ziemeļblāzma”, Smiltene Latvian Society, Dobele Latvian Society, Ikšķile Culture Society, Ventspils Latvian Society, Ogre Latvian Society, Daugavpils Latvian Society, Saldus Commonwealth Society, Krāslava Latvian Society and Aizkraukle Latvian Society. Later the LBS entered Torņakalna Latvian Society, Jēkabpils Latvian Society and Piebalga Latvian Society. For several years as the members in the LBS were Eastern Latvian Society, Musicians Brotherhood, Tērvete Latvian Society, Culture Group “Jumaliņa”, Auce Latvian Society and Tartu Latvian Society.  

One of the first LBS activities was the cleaning of the memorial sites. For example, planting of oak trees near the colonel’s Oskars Kalpaks’ native home and planting of trees commemorating the boundaries of the Courland Pocket at the end of the World War II. Each year the LBS visits also Lestene Brother Cemetery’s memorial ensemble. The LBS member organisations have always actively participated in separate Societies’ activities that were connected with the maintaining and saving of the nature and culturally historical objects. For many times questions about state language status in Latvia, quality of bilingual lessons in schools with Russian as a learning language, demographic situation, questions of the youth education and upbringing, especially the necessity of the Latvian History as the separate tuition in Latvian schools have been discussed. The discussions about the fight with alcoholism between youth, influence of advertisements to human’s perception and making of opinion, radio and TV role have taken place.

Since summer in 1996 the LBS member organisations and their members, as well as other Latvian Societies’ representatives and guests meet during the LBS gatherings that take place in the LBS member towns. The members find out more about the place of the gathering and its culturally historical objects, discuss LBS and Latvian society’s topical problems, looking for the solutions. The gatherings end with the common event. 20 LBS gatherings have already taken place.


  Activities

The LBS Board agreed upon the current organisation’s work strategy on January 18, 2014 and decided about the tasks of the LBS:

  • to promote the attraction of new members, including the youth, as the bigger organisation has more power to express its opinion about the processes in the society and do the main task – strengthening and maintaining of the Latvianity;
  • to popularise the work of the Union of the Latvian Societies and its members by making the travelling exhibition and improving the LBS Home Page;
  • to help making contacts between the Societies; support the projects of the LBS Societies;
  • to make contacts, inviting the members to the members meetings and gatherings;
  • to express the opinion about the processes in the society;
  • to develop the work of the public benefit, to achieve the status of the public benefit.


The LBS continues to coordinate the work of the separate Societies to achieve the common aims. The LBS joins its member organisations’ most important cultural and social activities. The annual tradition of the LBS gatherings continues during which the members become acquainted with different Latvia’s places. The LBS continues to participate in different Latvian social activities. Meetings and experience exchange with other Latvian Societies – in Latvia and abroad take place. The cooperation has been started with Latvian Societies of different nationalities and Latvian non-governmental organisations.  

  Contacts

Address:
Slimnīcas Street 8, Jūrmala, LV-2011

Mobile Phone: + 371 29404864
E-mail:  latvbs@inbox.lv

Home page: www.latvisubiedribas.lv



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