D1-NH GSC Clauses Technical Alterations: Young Greens Constitution 2020/2021 

Young Greens Constitution 2020/2021

Article 1: Name, Membership and Objectives

1.1 The name of the organisation is “Young Greens of England and Wales”.

1.2 The accepted abbreviations are “Young Greens” or “YG” and in all
publications this name and abbreviations shall be synonymous.

1.3 The geographical boundaries of the Young Greens are England and Wales.

1.4 The Young Greens aim to encourage young people to become active in politics
and within the Green Party of England and Wales.

1.5 The Young Greens consists of all members of the Green Party of England and
Wales: 1.5.1 aged 29 years or less;

1.5.2 full-time students regardless of age;

1.6 Membership of the Young Greens includes voting rights to all elections in
accordance with this constitution.

1.7 An individual’s membership of the Young Greens can be permanently terminated
by an absolute two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee with the
agreement of the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee. Where the
individual is a member of those committees, they will not be able to vote on or
be required to approve the termination and the absolute two-thirds majority will
exclude that individual.

1.8 Termination of membership can only occur if their membership is considered
to be detrimental to the work of the Young Greens. Prior to that, however, the
Young Greens Complaints and Disputes Procedure should have been used, as
outlined in Article 5.

Article 2: Organisation

2.1 The Young Greens is composed of individual members, committees and
Affiliated Groups, whose constitutions, aims and values should be consistent
with those of the Young Greens and the Green Party of England and Wales.

2.2 The Young Greens will be run by an Executive Committee, defined in Byelaw 1.

2.3 There will be a Democracy and Accountability Committee with responsibility
for constitutional affairs and inclusivity, as defined in Byelaw 2.

2.4 There will be a Green Students Committee consisting of two Co-Convenors and
five Non-Portfolio Officers, defined in Byelaw 43.

2.5 The Executive Committee, Democracy and Accountability Committee and the
Green Students Committee Co-Convenors will be elected at the Young Greens Annual
General Meeting according to the provisions in Section D of the Standing Orders.

2.6 Subcommittees may be formed either by a member of the Executive Committee,
where a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee has passed, or by a
petition of 25 members to a General Meeting.

2.7 All other groups outside of the committees defined in sections 2.2-2.5 will
be named Affiliated Groups, including Groups for the Regions of England, Wales,
Local Groups, Liberation Groups, and Special Interest Groups.

2.8 Affiliated Group constitutions should state that they are a part of the
Young Greens of England and Wales and not contradict the Young Greens
constitution in any way.

2.9 For a group to be affiliated, they must be accepted by an absolute majority
vote of the Executive Committee.

2.10 The Executive Committee must keep a list of affiliated groups and review it
each year after Convention.

2.11 An affiliated group of the Young Greens can be disaffiliated by an absolute
two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee if they are in violation of
this constitution or if their membership is considered detrimental to the work
of the Young Greens.

Article 3: Amendment of the Constitution

3.1 This constitution may only be amended by a two-thirds majority vote at a
General Meeting.

3.2 The byelaws to this constitution which all have the status of parts of this
constitution may be amended, created or revoked by a two-thirds majority vote at
a General Meeting.

3.3 A minor change to the constitution and standing orders, for the purpose of
the editing power that is held by DAC, is defined as one where the meaning of a
clause, or outcome of a clause, has not been altered (although it may be
clarified), nor additional clauses introduced; and the change is for the
purposes of correcting errors or inconsistencies in typography, spelling, or
grammar; clarifying a meaning, or correcting the numbering of clauses.

Article 4: The Standing Orders

4.1 The Standing Orders is a document which governs any elections within the
Young Greens and the processes of Convention and a General Meeting.

4.2 The Standing Orders must be followed at all times. They can be amended by a
two-thirds majority at a General Meeting.

4.3 Where there is a perceived contradiction between the Constitution and
Standing Orders, the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall rule on the
correct interpretation with precedence given to the Constitution.

Article 5: Complaints and Disputes

5.1 There shall be a Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee (C&D) of the Democracy
and Accountability Committee.

5.2 C&D will be constituted of a permanent representative from the Democracy and
Accountability Committee (hereby known as the DAC Rep), who will chair the
group, as well as four volunteers from the Young Greens membership, to make five
total members. Two of these four spaces should be advertised first to the Young
Greens Liberation Group Co-Chairs, with priority given to Young Greens of Colour
and Young Greens Women of Colour, before being opened to the wider membership if
no volunteers step forward who are Liberation Group Co-Chairs. Where there are
too many volunteers, selection will be made by DAC; candidates may be put on a
reserve list that would be used when other members are recused (see 2.). Where
there are too few volunteers, the remaining membership will be drawn by lots
from: Co-Convenors of Groups of the Regions of England, and Wales; Green
Students Committee members; and Young Green Liberation Group Co-Chairs. At least
two members of C&D should not be self-defining men.

5.3. C&D should have 5 participating members for every case dealt with. A
reserve list of members may be created by DAC in order to ensure that this is
possible, as members may be taking leave of absence. It may also be that members
have personal interests in the outcome of a case, or possess personal or
professional relations, amicable or otherwise, with those involved in a case.
Applications for recusal may be made by members of C&D, DAC, EC any Young Green
directly involved within a case, and are submitted to DAC, and may be done so by
or on the behalf of a member of C&D. A majority vote from DAC determines if a
member is recused. If the DAC Rep is recused, C&D is to vote on an acting Chair
for a case, who must be a member of C&D. Recusal should happen before the point
of formal intervention (the implementation of Section B.3).

5.4 C&D membership will be from its initiation until the following Young Greens
Convention, after which C&D will be re-formulated following Article 5.2. It is
permissible to re-volunteer. Complaints and Disputes will be dealt with by a
single C&D only and will not be passed on between re-formulations (except in the
case of resignations). This may lead to persons carrying out C&D duties for as
long as a complaint of dispute takes to judge on.

5.5 Members are to submit complaints based on breaches of the Young Greens
Constitution, Young Greens Standing Orders, Green Party Constitution, Green
Party Standing Orders, Green Party Code of Conduct or any other organisational
policies of the Green Party of England and Wales and Young Greens, including
anti-harassment and Safe Space policies.

5.6. Any complaints about another member of the Young Greens, or disputes that a
member feels they need help resolving, should go in the first instance to the
C&D. If for whatever reason a member does not feel comfortable approaching any
C&D member, they may go to Young Greens Staff, Young Greens Non-Portfolio
Officer with the Equality and Diversity Portfolio or to the Democracy and
Accountability Committee.

5.7 In the first instance when a complaint is lodged, a member of the C&D will
speak to involved parties and attempt to resolve the issue informally whilst
maintaining clear records, in accordance with Article 5.14.

5.8 Where any involved parties feel that hasn't worked, or where any parties
refuse the informal intervention, the complaint should be made in writing. All
involved parties will have equal chance to state their own case.

5.9 C&D Subcommittee will consider the complaint and make a judgment, in
writing, to all parties. Judgements should include a ruling on whether there
have been breaches of the Young Greens Constitution, Young Greens Standing
Orders, Green Party Constitution, Green Party Standing Orders, Green Party Code
of Conduct or any other organisational policies of the Green Party of England
and Wales and Young Greens, including anti-harassment and Safe Space policies.

5.10 After a judgement, C&D Subcommittee will make a recommendation of action to
either or both complainants. In cases where there is a need for disciplinary
action, to DAC or another relevant body where appropriate. These disciplinary
actions may include, but are not limited to:

5.10.1 Ban from Young Greens Events/Spaces, for a period of up to 12 months

5.10.2 Suspension of Young Greens membership, for a period of up to 12 months
5.10.3 Censure from holding a position within the Young Greens, for a period of
up to 12 months 5.10.4 Permanent termination of membership, as outlined in
Article 1.7

5.11 Where the case is deemed to be serious enough, C&D Subcommittee may
recommend a suspension for the period of the investigation and which must be
agreed by the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

5.12 If the recommended action(s) following a judgment are not followed by the
involved parties, C&D should make recommendations of action to the EC or DAC.

5.13 If an individual; wishes to appeal a judgment made by C&D, they may do so
by communicating to DAC. The grounds for an appeal are if new evidence emerges,
or if C&D broke procedure. DAC should look over the evidence presented by the
appellant and may make a ruling on whether the appeals process should be
initiated. In this case, appeals will be heard by a new group formulated on the
same basis as C&D in 5.3 but excluding C&D members that made the original
judgment. This may be drawn from the list of reserve members.

5.14 There should be clear minutes and records of actions kept of all C&D
meetings. These may be disclosed beyond C&D at the discretion of C&D
Subcommittee, and a need for confidentiality and fair treatment must be
considered. C&D are to submit reports of each case to DAC. DAC will then include
a general, anonymous summary of these in their annual report.

5.15 A response to all initial complaints should be made to the initiator of the
complaint within 48 hours of receiving the complaint, in which the standard
process is outlined to them and how C&D intend to carry out the informal
mediation.

5.16 Informal mediation should start within 5 days of a complaint or dispute
being lodged.

5.17 A judgment should be made within 3 weeks of a complaint or dispute being
lodged in writing following informal mediation failing or where the written
statement refuses informal mediation.

5.18 Any requests for updates from any involved party should be responded to
within 72 hours. 5.19 Extensions to these deadlines should be sought from DAC in
extenuating circumstances

5.20 Malicious complaints made against a Young Greens member are serious and a
breach of the principles outlined in the Constitution as well as the GPEW Code
of Conduct. C&D Subcommittee will dismiss malicious complaints and may notify
relevant parties that a malicious complaint has been made.

Article 6: The Young Greens Record of Policy Statements

6.1 There shall be a Young Greens Record of Policy Statements (hereafter YG
RoPS) that contains contemporary policy statements from the Young Greens of
England and Wales.

6.2 Actions from Young Green bodies should not contradict statements in the
RoPS.

6.3 Statements may be submitted to the YG RoPS by a simple majority vote of a
motion submitted to Convention. Alternatively, statements may be submitted to
the YG RoPS by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee, with the
consent of SPC. All statements added between Conventions are to be reported to
the following Young Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in DAC
monthly reports.

6.4 Statements may be removed from the YG RoPS by a simple majority vote of a
motion submitted to Convention. Alternatively, statements may be removed from
the YG RoPS by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee, with the
consent of DAC. All statements removed between Conventions are to be reported to
the following Young Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in DAC
monthly reports.

6.5 After five years of a statement being entered into the YG RoPS, it is
considered to be in grace as recorded by DAC. This means that it will be
reported to be in grace to the following Young Greens Annual General Meeting by
DAC, who will give Convention the chance to vote on whether it should stay in
the YG RoPS, which requires a simple majority. This restarts the five-year
placement of that statement into the YG RoPS.

6.6 The YG RoPS should be publicly available.

Article 7: The Young Greens Record of Organisational Statements

7.1 There shall be a Young Greens Record of Organisational Statements (hereafter
YG RoOS) that contains organisational policies from the Young Greens of England
and Wales.

7.2 Actions from Young Green bodies should not contradict statements in the
RoOS.

7.3 Statements may be submitted to the YG RoOS by a simple majority vote of a
motion submitted to Convention. Alternatively, statements may be submitted to
the YG RoOS by a simple majority vote of the EC, with the consent of SPC. All
statements added between Conventions are to be reported to the following Young
Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in DAC monthly reports.

7.4 Statements may be removed from the YG RoOS by a simple majority vote of a
motion submitted to Convention. Alternatively, statements may be removed from
the YG RoOS by a simple majority vote of the EC, with the consent of DAC. All
statements removed between Conventions are to be reported to the following Young
Greens Annual General Meeting by DAC and recorded in DAC monthly reports.

7.5 Each year EC will review the RoOS and bring a list of statements they judge
to be out of date to Convention for a vote of retention or removal.

7.6 The YG RoOS should be publicly available.

Article 8: Safe Spaces Policy

8.1 The Young Greens are committed to providing an environment free of racism,
sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, religious discrimination or any other
types of oppression, including, but not limited to, oppression against non-
binary identities and sex workers.

8.2 The Young Greens are committed to providing an environment free of bullying,
name-calling or any forms of abusive behaviour.

8.3 The Young Greens are committed to challenging these types of oppression
whenever they occur in Young Greens spaces.

8.4 The Young Greens are committed to having a victim centred approach when safe
spaces are jeopardised.

8.5 The Young Greens will follow guidance regarding safe spaces in the RoOS.

8.6 When it comes from outside of the Young Greens but within the Green Party,
individuals in the Young Greens are encouraged to report all forms of oppression
or discrimination including hate crime to the Green Party of England and Wales
through the standard complaints procedures for further investigation into these
matters. Individuals may contact the Young Greens Complaints and Disputes
Committee to receive support in doing so.

Article 9: Safeguarding

9.1 Young Greens EC shall appoint a Safeguarding Officer and Deputy Safeguarding
Officer. 9.2 The Safeguarding Officer and their Deputy have the duty to:

9.2.1 Lead on the development of safeguards for the Young Greens.

9.2.2 To promote the safety and welfare of children and young people in the
Young Greens. 9.2.3 Receive and record information from anyone who has concerns.

9.2.4 Assess the information promptly and carefully, clarifying or obtaining
more information where necessary.

9.2.5 Consult initially with a statutory child protection agency, such as the
local children’s social care teams or the NSPCC with any doubts or concerns.

9.2.6 Make a formal referral when required to a statutory child protection
agency or the police.

9.3 It is not their job to decide whether a child or a young person has been
abused or not. These roles can be shared with other roles within the Young
Greens.

9.4 Young Greens will follow the guidance regarding safeguarding in the RoOS.
Byelaws of the Young Greens of England and Wales

Byelaw 1: The Young Greens Executive Committee

1.1 There shall be an Executive Committee (hereafter referred to as “the
Executive Committee” or “EC”) which shall consist of:

1.1.1 Two Co-Chairs, of which at least one must be not be a self-defining man.

1.1.2 Treasurer.

1.1.3 The Green Students Committee Co-convenors, who shall be responsible for
the Green Students Committee.3 The Green Students Committee Co-Convenors, of which at least one must not be a self-defining man.

1.1.4 Elections Officer

1.1.5 Digital Communications Officer

1.1.6 Press Officer

1.1.7 Campaigns Officer

1.1.8 Events Officer

1.1.9 International Officer

1.1.10 Equality and Diversity Officer

1.1.11 Activist Training and Political Education Officer

1.1.12 Liberation Officers (from each formerly constituted Liberation Group)

1.1.13 Under 18s Officer

1.2 EC Elections shall be carried out according to Section E of the Standing
Orders, following the procedures, timescale and gender balance rules described
therein.

1.3 The aim and responsibility of the EC is to:

1.3.1 Provide an overall direction and strategic planning.

1.3.2 Support all members and bodies within the Young Greens.

1.3.3 Represent the Young Greens externally, including running the website and
social media and representing the Young Greens at events.

1.4 EC members shall individually provide a quarterly report to the membership
which is made available for all members. A quarterly online question and answer
session hosted by DAC should follow and be promoted to all members with a call
for questions.

1.5 EC Members shall provide an end of year report to the Young Greens Annual
General Meeting

1.6 Vacant positions may be co-opted at any time throughout the year following
the procedure outlined in Section D6 of the Standing Orders.

1.7 The quorum for EC decisions is 50% + 1 of all EC members.

Byelaw 2: The Democracy and Accountability Committee

2.1 There shall be a Democracy and Accountability Committee (hereafter known as
“the Democracy and Accountability Committee” or “DAC”) which shall consist of:

2.1.1 Five members, where one member is selected within as Chair.

2.1.2 The Chair shall be selected at the first meeting of DAC after the Annual
Ballot.

2.1.3 The position of Chair may also be taken as a job-share between two members
of DAC who will then be Co-chairs.

2.1.4 If the Chair or Co-chairs resigns, DAC shall select a new Chair or Co-
chairs at their next available meeting.

2.2 Elections will be carried out according to Section E of the Standing Orders,
following the procedures, timescale and gender balance rules described therein.

2.3 The aim and responsibility of the Democracy and Accountability Committee is
to: 2.3.1 Uphold this Constitution, Byelaws and Standing Orders.

2.3.2 Oversee updates and clarifications to these, including through elections
and the Annual General meeting.

2.3.3 Make rulings on interpretations of this Constitution and to declare acts
constitutional or otherwise.

2.3.4 Make minor changes to the Constitution and the Standing Orders to ensure
it is standardised and accurate, as outlined in Article 3.3 of this
Constitution.

2.3.5 As part of this role, the Democracy and Accountability Committee will run
a General Meeting as described in Sections B and C of the Standing Orders.

2.3.6. Additionally, the Democracy and Accountability Committee is responsible
for ensuring accountability of the Young Greens at large.

2.4 The Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee has the right to
attend all meetings of the Executive Committee, but not vote, as a
representative of the Democracy and Accountability Committee and should be
consulted on major decisions.

2.5 The Democracy and Accountability Committee members shall individually
provide a quarterly report to the membership, which is made available to all
members, and an end-of-year report to the Young Greens Annual General Meeting.
These shall detail any minor changes made to the constitution and standing
orders.

Byelaw 3: The Green Students Committee

3.1 The Green Students Committee shall be led by two Co-Convenors, of which at
least one must not self-define as a man.

3.2 The Co-convenors shall be elected in line with Section E of the Standing
Orders following the procedures, timescale and gender balance rules described
therein.

3.3 The aim and responsibility of the Green Students Committee is to:

3.3.1 Ensure that the Executive Committee is kept up to date on issues effective
students and to lead campaigning on those issues.

3.3.2 Encourage Young Greens to stand for elected positions in relevant student
-led organisations, including but not limited to, their students unions, NUS, or
UCU (if they are eligible).

3.3.3 Support any Young Greens holding those elected positions in relevant
student-led organisations.

3.3.4 Ensure that the Young Greens are involved with campaigns run by the NUS,
and other relevant student-led organisations.

3.3.5 Liaise with external bodies that are relevant to student issues and
campaigning.

3.3.6 Promote campaigns and organisations relevant to the students movement to
the Young Greens membership.

3.3.7 Work with the Executive Committee to support the Young Greens Students
Societies and ensure their effective running.

3.4 Green Students Committee Co-Convenors shall individually provide a quarterly
report to the membership, to be published on the members’ website, and an end-
of-year report to the Young Greens Annual General Meeting.

3.5 Vacant positions may be co-opted at any time throughout the year following
the procedure outlined in the standing orders.

3.6 The Green Students Co-convenors shall be members of the Executive Committee
as outlined in Byelaw 1.

Byelaw 4: Liberation Groups

4.1 Liberation Groups shall represent individuals who face current and historic
oppression, discrimination and/or are marginalised in wider society due to a
shared characteristic.

4.2 Liberation Groups shall ensure that the voices and perspectives of people in
marginalised groups are well represented and heard within the structures and
policies of the Young Greens and the wider Green Party.

4.3 Young Greens members are free to join any Liberation Group which they self-
identify as a member of. As such, these groups shall be organised and led by
self-identifying members.

4.4 The current list of Liberation Groups is as follows:

4.4.1 Disability.

4.4.2 LGBTIQA+.

4.4.3 People of Colour.

4.4.4 Trans.

4.4.5 Womxn.

4.4.6 Women of Colour.

4.5 A new group can be set up if the criteria in both 4.5.1 and in 4.5.2 are
met:

4.5.1 The proposed group face current and historic oppression, discrimination
and/or are marginalised in wider society based around a shared characteristic.

4.5.2 The proposer can demonstrate that at least 5 members will actively join
the group.

4.6 EC shall use their discretion in approving the creation of new Liberation
Groups between General Meetings and shall bring a paper of ratification to the
next Annual General Meeting, or to an Emergency General Meeting if this happens
to occur first.

4.7 Each Liberation Group shall elect from their membership at least two Co-
chairs, where no more than one self-defines as a man. If for any reason, the
Liberation Group cannot run the election, DAC will run the election on their
behalf.

4.8 The election should be organised by said Liberation Group using a system of
Single Transferable Vote, for which advice can be sought from DAC, to ensure
that the rules in 4.7 are satisfied. If for any reason, the Liberation Group
cannot run the election, DAC will run the election on their behalf.

4.9 Liberation Groups may be additionally led by a committee, with the number of
positions and the election or co-option timescale at the discretion of the
Liberation Group members.

4.10 Each Liberation Group will reserve a seat on the committee for their
Liberation Group Officer.

4.10.1 The Liberation Group Officer will be elected through the Annual Ballot in
accordance with Section E of the Standing Orders.

4.10.2 The Liberation Group Officer will not be able to also hold the position
as Co-Chair of the Liberation Group

4.11 The Liberation Group Co-Chairs, or Committee where appropriate, are in
charge of moderating any online spaces they group holds, organising training
days and meet-ups, upholding the Safe Space policy at all times, and
representing their Liberation Group concerns through the Liberation Group
Officer and to the Equality and Diversity Officer.

Byelaw 5: International Affiliation

5.1 The Young Greens of England and Wales is a full member organisation of the
Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG).

5.2 The Young Greens of England and Wales is a member of the Global Young Greens
(GYG) by virtue of its membership of FYEG.

5.3 As a member of both organisations, the Young Greens will endeavour to send
at least one delegate to the FYEG General Assembly or GYG Congress each year.

5.4 The first international delegate shall be a member of EC.

5.5 If there are to be any further delegates, they should be appointed from the
general membership by EC. 5.6 Additional observers for the General Assembly may
be appointed by EC.

5.7 In the event of the Global Young Greens Congress being held the same year as
the FYEG General Assembly, this election shall occur twice - all members,
despite any prior delegate status, are able to be a candidate in this election,
in line with Section E of the Standing Orders.

5.8 At the FYEG General Assembly, the first delegate and the elected
international delegate shall be given one vote each (as permitted by the FYEG
Constitution). The first delegate shall consult EC for advice on how to vote on
motions, but further delegates may vote independently; they can seek advice from
EC and indeed agree with the EC delegate vote.

5.9 If any member of the Young Greens of England and Wales wishes to run for
election to any roles within FYEG or GYG, they must consult and seek the
nomination of the EC.

Byelaw 6: Special Interest Groups

6.1 Members with concerns on a specific issue or set of issues, may form a
Special Interest Group in order to develop policy positions and pursue campaigns
within the structure and strategy of the Young Greens.

6.2 Young Greens members are free to join any Special Interest Group, in
accordance with any rules on eligibility as defined by the group.

6.3 The current list of Special Interest Groups is as follows:

6.3.1 Under 18s

6.3.2 Sex Workers

6.4 The proposer can demonstrate that at least 5 members will actively join the
group.

6.5 EC shall use their discretion in approving the creation of new Special
Interest Groups between General Meetings and shall bring a paper of ratification
to the next Annual General Meeting, or to an Emergency General Meeting if this
happens to occur first.

6.6 Each Special Interest Group shall elect from their membership at least two
Co-chairs, where no more than one self-defines as a man.

6.7 The election should be organised by said Special Interest Group using a
system of Single Transferable Vote, for which advice can be sought from DAC, to
ensure that the rules in 6.64.7 are satisfied. If for any reason, the Special
Interest Group cannot run the election, DAC will control the election.

6.8 Special Interest Groups may be additionally led by a committee, with the
number of positions and the election or co-option timescale at the discretion of
the Special Interest Groups members