Clarification of Internal Conflict Spread in Social Media
From the Office of Secretary General
Namaste Nepali community,
You may have heard about recent internal conflicts within ANMN. A board member recently stepped down. We are writing to inform you, our Nepali community, about how we addressed it.
Meeting. We, as a board, followed our bylaws and called an ad-hoc board meeting consisting of our 3 executive committee members, 8 board members, 3 past presidents, and 1 community member: therefore, establishing the necessary quorum to make decisions. We met virtually for two hours yesterday (February 7, 2025), with the general secretary as the notetaker. We listened closely to the concerns that had been raised. Every person had an opportunity to share their views. Our goal was to ensure that everyone felt heard and identify steps on moving forward. Some action steps have been completed, and others will take time. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ANMN or reach out to an ANMN board member.
What we learned. As a volunteer-led non-profit organization, we are always learning how to lead and serve ANMN and our Nepali community in better ways. Our board members and volunteers have different lived experiences, different skills, and differences in viewpoints. Conflicts are a natural phenomenon, but we must resolve conflicts in a constructive manner. We appreciate feedback; however, we do not support display of grievances on any public platforms nor naming or shaming of individuals. We have processes within ANMN to discuss and resolve our differences. To that end, yesterday, we identified processes to improve communication strategies within ANMN. More importantly, in today’s world of divisions, it is even more important that – as part of our small Nepali community in Minnesota – we come together and support each other. We need to meet each other with kindness and give each other the benefit of doubt. Our board members and community members are volunteers – who are busy in their own personal and professional lives – but choose to come together as a community to fulfill our human needs of belonging. ANMN would not exist if it were not for our Nepali community members who volunteer their time.
Moving forward. ANMN will work on creating guidance documents – for board members -that address topics such as ANMN roles and responsibilities, how to be a good steward, when is a board decision necessary for an action, how to navigate time-sensitive decisions, and how to appropriately use ANMN communication channels (e.g., Facebook, email, Viber). ANMN will also ensure that steps are taken to upload documents to the ANMN website in a timely manner (e.g., financial tax documents, bylaws) so that it is accessible to the public – you, our Nepali community, and others – because we aim to be a transparent organization.
Lastly, we want to say that our mission at ANMN is to serve the Nepali community in Minnesota. Our community organization – ANMN – aims to connect Nepalis across the state and provides spaces for us to unite and celebrate cultural events such as Dashain, Tihar, New Years, Shivaratri, and rites of passages. We are able to find a ‘home away from home’ in Minnesota (which is not available in every state). We also want to encourage community members – our younger generation and our older adults – to join us and help make ANMN better! You can learn ‘soft skills’ necessary for working in volunteer organizations and be an effective leader. Also, we want to hear from you (our board meetings are public, so come join us on Zoom!) and let us know your thoughts on how we can create a more vibrant Nepali community.
The ANMN board looks forward to seeing you at our upcoming events (Events from February 23 – April 12 › Events › – Association of Nepalis in Minnesota).
On behalf of the ANMN board,
Roshani Dahal (General Secretary, 2024-2025)