Notes:

- On the 1st of December the High court of England ruled that they were "doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand the long-term effect" of puberty blocking drugs.

- Individuals aged under 16 who wish to have puberty blockers through the NHS Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) will have to go through a lengthy consultation process as well as a court appearance.

- This in effect causes transgender youth aged 13 - 15 to face an uphill battle to access the ability to transition.

- Puberty blockers have been shown to reduce lifelong suicidality in trans individuals as they provide time for trans individuals with gender dysphoria time to fully understand their identity so they know how to proceed in society as well as preventing the development of secondary sex characteristics which many trans youth can find distressing. (see study Pubertal Suppression for Transgender Youth and Risk of Suicidal Ideation (nih.gov) )

Believes:

- That the court’s decision is wrong and must be appealed.

- That this will create a barrier to transitioning and further the already existing inequality in access to services associated with transitioning.

- That this will cause mental harm and uncertainty to transgender youth under the age of 16 and potentially increase the rates of depression, anxiety and suicidality in transgender youth.

Resolves:

- To fully support any appeal submitted by The Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust.

- To instruct the Young Greens executive committee to campaign for increased accessibility for transgender youth to transition.

- To push back against further and future threats to transgender healthcare.

Young Greens Standing Orders 2020/2021

Section A: Young Greens Convention

A1.1 The Young Greens Convention shall be held once per year in Spring.

A1.2 The Young Greens Convention will take place for two days during a weekend.

A1.3 The Young Greens Convention shall not be held twice in the same Region Block, defined in A1.4, consecutively.

A1.4 Within each five-year period, as determined by DAC, the Young Greens Convention must take place within the bounds of at least three of these four Region Blocks:

A1.4.1 The South East, and the South West

A1.4.2 The North East, the North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber

A1.4.3 The Midlands, and Wales

A1.4.4 The East, and London

A1.5 Liberation groups will be allocated a session at convention where they will provide a report to its membership on activities undertaken since last convention and for any other purpose the group sees fit.

Section B: Annual General Meetings

Part 1: Competency of the Annual General Meeting

B1.1 The Young Greens Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at Young Greens Annual Convention.

B1.2 The Annual General Meeting is the highest decision-making body within the Young Greens.

B1.3 There must be at least 25 members of the Young Greens at any General Meeting for decisions to be binding.

B1.4 The AGM accepts/rejects/amends reports, motions, resolutions and changes to the Constitution or Standing Orders, collectively referred to as 'papers'.

B1.5 The AGM ratifies decisions about joining or leaving partnerships and membership within other organisations/networks.

B1.7 A General Meeting will be held at a bi-national autumn event.

Part 2: Organisation of the Annual General Meeting

B2.1 The Annual General Meeting agenda must be structured, organised and agreed by the Executive Committee (EC) and Democracy and Accountability Committee (DAC).

B2.2 DAC must appoint a chair and deputy chair for the Annual General Meeting. The chair and deputy chair must not be proposers of any papers or amendments to the Annual General Meeting.

B2.3 DAC must ensure that all members respect the Constitution and Standing Orders.

B2.4 DAC must take Annual General Meeting minutes of all official business including recording any votes, important discussions, and decisions.

B2.5 DAC must keep a record of newly adopted/amended documents and email the Young Greens' Co-Chairs a copy of newly adopted/amended documents as well as the minutes of the Annual General Meeting.

B2.6 DAC must inform EC to take note of any newly adopted papers.

B2.7 A prioritisation ballot will occur, conducted by DAC, on the first day of Convention for attendees at the Annual General Meeting in order to decide the order of papers taken.

Part 3: Motions and Reports

B3.1 It shall be the role of DAC to compile submitted papers, which consist of

B3.1.1 Changes to the Constitution or Standing Orders

B3.1.2 Resolutions, which note the priorities of the Executive Committee for the upcoming term

B3.1.3 Motions, which insert entries into the Record of Policy Statements or Record of Organisational Statements

B3.1.4 Reports, as outlined in B3.2

B3.1.5 Emergency Motions, as outlined in B3.10

B3.2 The Annual General Meeting must take note of mandatory annual reports by the:

B3.2.1 Executive Committee Co-Chairs.

B3.2.2 Treasurer.

B3.2.3 Executive Committee Non-Portfolio Officers.

B3.2.4 Democracy and Accountability Committee.

B3.2.5 Green Students Committee Co-Convenors.

B3.3 Annual reports detailed in B3.2 must be submitted to DAC at least 1 week before the AGM.

B3.4 Individual members, EC and Affiliated Young Greens Groups have the right to submit papers and amendments.

B3.5 For all submissions, there must be a named proposer and at least 3 other co-proposers or at least one other co-proposer if submitting on behalf of an Affiliated YG Group or recognised committee.

B3.6 Paper copies of the Constitution, Standing Orders, Record of Policy Statements and Record of Organisational Statements must be made available for members attending the General Meeting.

B3.7 The timescale for the submission of papers and amendments shall be as follows:

B3.7.1 At least 8 weeks before the Annual General Meeting, EC must send out a call including guidelines for submission of papers, all relevant dates and where to find papers once they are posted on the members’ website.

B3.7.2 Submission for papers shall close exactly 4 weeks before the AGM.

B3.7.3 Following this, DAC must post all submissions at the earliest possible moment.

B3.7.4 Exactly 1 week before the AGM, submission of amendments to papers will close.

B3.7.5 Amendments may not substantially change the intention of the paper and nor may they require changes to another section of the Constitution or Standing Orders.

B3.8 Exactly 5 days before the Annual General Meeting, DAC must ensure that all members are emailed (regardless of Annual General Meeting registration status) copies of all papers and amendments to both as well as the reports detailed in B3.2.

B3.9 The only amendments which shall be accepted from the floor during the AGM are minor textual amendments (e.g. grammatical corrections) and friendly verbal amendments (i.e. where both the proposer of the original paper and the proposer of the verbal amendment agree to an amendment).

B3.10 Emergency motions, defined as being brought due to an event occurring past the original motion deadline, will be accepted up until 17.00 on the day before the AGM.

B3.11 The text of Emergency Motions should be submitted electronically or by paper copy and the list of proposers by email and/or paper copy, both to the Chair of DAC .

B3.12 Emergency Motions shall be prioritised at the AGM by DAC on the basis of the number of co-proposers to each Emergency Motion.

Part 4: Motion Voting Procedures

B4.1 When debating a paper or amendment at the Annual General Meeting, the proposer will be asked by the chair to propose the motion or amendment by explaining what the paper or amendment is for and then giving a brief speech in favour of the paper.

B4.2 Following this the chair will open debate on the paper or amendment by asking for a limited number of brief alternating speeches in favour and against the paper, firstly against and then in favour of the paper or amendment until either no one wishes to make a speech or there has been sufficient debate on the paper or amendment.

B4.3 If it is unclear if there has been sufficient debate a straw poll will be taken by raising hands with the options either for more debate or move to a vote.

B4.4 At any point before the vote is taken, any member can ask for clarification, raise points of information or propose procedural motions (e.g. minor textural amendments, taking by parts).

B4.5 If a paper or amendment has received lengthy debate the proposer may request a brief right of reply before the vote is taken.

B4.6 When voting on paper proposals the possibilities are 'yes', 'no' or 'abstention'.

B4.7 Depending on the nature of the proposal, the following types of majority may be required for a motion to be passed.

B4.7.1 Simple majority: majority of the votes cast in person.

B4.7.2 Two-thirds majority: two-thirds of the votes cast in person.

B4.7.3 Absolute two-thirds majority: two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the entire membership of the body.

B4.8 Amendments to the Constitution including accompanying Byelaws or Standing Orders will be accepted with a two-thirds majority.

B4.9 Unless otherwise stated in the Constitution or Standing Orders, everything else will be accepted with a simple majority.

B4.10 DAC shall be responsible for counting the votes.

B4.11 Results of votes must be announced during the meeting.

Section C: Emergency General Meetings

C1.1 An Emergency General Meeting (EGM) may be called at any time by an absolute two-thirds majority of EC, or by a minimum of 5% of the Young Greens membership petitioning the EC for an EGM.

C1.2 The same procedure as for AGM paper submission, organisation and voting shall apply to an EGM following Section B Parts 2,3,4, however the timescale will be halved.

Section D: Autumn General Meeting

D.1 There will be a Young Greens General Meeting held in autumn.

D.2 The Autumn General Meeting consists solely of accountability sessions for the following representatives elected in the annual ballot:

D.2.1 Executive Committee Co-chairs

D.2.2 Treasurer

D.2.3 Executive Committee Non-portfolio members

D.2.4 Green Students Committee Co-convenors

D.3 The Autumn General Meeting must take note of mandatory six-month progress reports from those representatives.

D.4 The accountability session will take the form of a face-to-face Q&A with the membership.

D.5 There must be at least 25 members of the Young Greens excluding employees at any General Meeting for decisions to be binding.

D.6 Motions of no confidence may be put forward during the accountability session and will pass with a two-thirds majority.

D.7 Motions of no confidence may be put forward during the accountability session Censure and Commendations and will pass with a simple majority.

D.8 Every Young Green is eligible to vote at the Autumn General Meeting.

Section E: Internal Elections

Part 1: Candidacy

E1.1 All members of the Young Greens are eligible to be candidates for roles within the Executive Committee, Democracy and Accountability Committee members and the Green Students Committee Co-Convenors providing they abide by the rules such as gender quotas.

E1.2 Only those Young Greens who self-define as belonging to a specific Liberation group may be candidates for election within that respective Liberation group.

E1.3 Members who hold a position on the Democracy and Accountability Committee may not be candidates for any position other than Member of DAC, except for Affiliated Group roles, until they no longer hold a position on DAC. Members of DAC with an active role in an affiliated group must recuse themselves from business involving that affiliated group.

E1.4 Candidates must have two nominees, who are members of the Young Greens in accordance with Article 1 of the constitution, and may provide a candidate statement, campaign video, and social media links if they wish.

E1.5 Members of the Young Greens may not: be a nominee for more than one of the following positions at any one time; nor hold more than one of the following posts at any one time in the Young Greens:

E1.5.1 Any EC role

E1.5.2 Democracy and Accountability Committee

E1.5.3 Green Students Committee Co-Convenor

E1.6 Members of the Young Greens may put themselves forward as a job share for any of the following posts within the Young Greens annual ballot:

E1.6.1 Treasurer

E1.6.2 Executive Committee Non-Portfolio Officer

E1.6.3 Member of the Democracy and Accountability Committee

E1.7 Should one part of the job share resign or be removed from their position for whatever reason, their counterpart(s) will be able to either:

E1.7.1 advertise to co-opt a replacement for the exiting part of the job share

E1.7.2 continue to carry out their role without the exiting part of the job share, without replacing them

E1.7.3 resign from their role

Part 2: Term of Office and Accountability

E2.1 All roles shall be elected for a term of office of 1 year, which should be completed should the officer no longer fit the requirements described in Constitution Clause 1.5.1 or 1.5.2 during their term, accepting variations as described below.

E2.2 For all roles elected at the AGM in the annual ballot, the term of office shall run until the following year’s AGM except in the cases of resignation or removal by a vote of no confidence.

E2.3 A vote of no confidence shall occur for an individual role if the Democracy and Accountability Committee are petitioned by 25% of the committee or other body which the role is part of.

E2.4 A vote of no confidence may also be called for any individual role if the Democracy and Accountability Committee are petitioned by 5% of the Young Greens membership.

E2.5 If the role which a vote of no confidence is being petitioned for falls within the Democracy and Accountability Committee, then it shall instead be EC that is petitioned by the members of the relevant committee, body, or general membership.

E2.6 Complete anonymity shall be maintained throughout by the committee which is petitioned, both relating to the petitioners and the vote.

E2.7 No member may sit on the same body for more than 5 terms consecutively, irrespective of election or co-option.

E2.8 No member may hold the same post for more than 3 terms, irrespective of election or co-option.

E2.9 EC voting members have a responsibility to attend EC meetings and to stay accountable:

E2.9.1 Failure to attend four regularly scheduled meetings consecutively shall either: initiate an automatic immediate committee-internal vote of no confidence held via secret ballot by DAC, repeatable during a term; or result in the civil resignation of the member at their discretion, prior to the vote of no confidence.

E2.9.2 Failure to attend ten regularly scheduled meetings in total over the course of one term shall either: initiate an immediate automatic committee-internal vote of no confidence held via secret ballot by DAC, repeatable during a term; or result in the civil resignation of the member at their discretion, prior to the vote of no confidence.

E2.9.3 Failure to complete two individual quarterly reports in total over the course of one term shall either: initiate an automatic immediate committee-internal vote of no confidence held via secret ballot by DAC, repeatable during a term; or result in the civil resignation of the member at their discretion, prior to the vote of no confidence.

E2.9.4 Failure to complete a mandatory individual six-month progress report shall either: initiate an automatic immediate committee-internal vote of no confidence held via secret ballot by DAC; or result in the civil resignation of the member at their discretion, prior to the vote of no confidence.

E2.9.5 Failure to complete a mandatory individual annual report shall result in the ERO reporting this information at the final Convention Hustings if the Candidate is standing for election again.

E2.10 If an individual EC voting member invokes three of the actions noted in E2.9.1 through E2.9.4, but remains on EC, then DAC shall have the following options available:

E2.10.1 Initiate immediate informal mediation to find the causes of the issues at hand and offer support and guidance on various options available.

E2.10.2 Initiate another immediate committee-internal vote of no confidence within EC.

E2.10.3 Initiate an online ballot, to be held within one month of the DAC decision, open to all Young Greens members where a majority of voting members may vote to remove the EC voting member.

Part 3: Election Timescale

E3.1 All processes and the election timescale described between Clauses E3.4 and E3.11 (inclusive) apply only to positions elected in the “Annual Ballot” at convention, namely Executive Committee, Democracy and Accountability Committee members, and Co-Convenors of the Green Students Committee.

E3.2 Co-Chairs,Committees, or other positions in Young Greens Affiliated Groups shall be elected with a separate timescale to be decided by those respective groups.

E3.3 The Elected International Delegate shall be elected in line with the procedure below, with the process beginning three months prior to the event they will be attending.

E3.4 At least 8 weeks before the AGM the Executive Committee must send out a call for applications to all Executive Committee positions, all Democracy and Accountability Committee positions, and Green Students Committee Co-Convenor positions. This callout must set out the rest of the timescale and how to apply.

E3.5 Exactly 4 weeks before the AGM applications will close for all roles elected at Convention except for roles that received no applications during the initial period.

E3.6 As close as possible to 2 weeks before the start of the AGM a live online video hustings will take place for all roles elected at Convention, which all candidates for these roles are invited to take part in.

E3.7 Exactly 2 weeks before the start of the AGM voting will open in accordance with Standing Order E4.3.

E3.8 At 17.00 the day before the AGM applications will close for roles covered by E3.1 which gained no applications as of E3.5.

E3.9 A further in-person hustings shall be held at Convention; each candidate has the right to participate in these as well as to submit a statement in advance.

E3.10 Voting shall close during Convention between the in-person hustings detailed in E3.9 and the announcement of results (the exact time to be at the discretion of DAC). The time of this should be clearly identified on the Convention Timetable and voting platform.

E3.11 The election of successful candidates shall be announced during Convention.

Part 4: Electoral System and Gender Balance

E4.1 Every Young Green is eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting and associated elections where they have 1 vote.

E4.2 All positions shall all be elected using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system with a provision for negative voting (re-open nominations, acronym RON).

E4.2.1 Single Transferable Vote quota for election is calculated as follows: total valid vote divided by one more than the number of seats up for election plus one (or rounded up) to avoid ties: (TVV/(seats+1)) +1.

E4.3 Voting will take place via secret, secure online ballot arranged by an Electoral Returning Officer (ERO), appointed by the Democracy and Accountability Committee (DAC).

E4.4 DAC, or the ERO if authorised to do so by DAC, is responsible for counting the votes.

E4.5 The counting of votes and electing of successful candidates for the positions of Executive Committee Co-Chair and Treasurer will take place before the counting for EC Non-Portfolio positions so that the gender balance criteria described in E4.6, E4.7, E4.8, E4.9, and E4.10 can be applied.

E4.6 The following rules will apply exclusively to the election of Co-chairs in compliance with Clause 1.1.1 of Constitution Byelaw 1.

E4.6.1 The candidate with the highest number of first preference votes will be elected in the first round in which a candidate passes the quota required by the STV method.

E4.6.2 If the successful candidate is not a self-defining man, the second candidate elected by the STV method will be elected to the second Co-Chair position, regardless of gender identity.

E4.6.3 If the first successful candidate is a self-defining man, all other self-defining men will be excluded from the vote and their further preferences allocated to the remaining candidates from whom the second Co-Chair will be elected.

E4.7 Following the election of the aforementioned roles a number of Non- Portfolio positions will be reserved for candidates who are not self-defining men to ensure that EC shall comprise of no more than 50% of members who self-define as men. The number of roles reserved will be calculated based on the number of self-defining men elected to the Co-Chair and treasurer positions.

E4.8 The election of Green Students Committee Co-Convenors will take place following the same rules as laid out for EC Co-Chairs in D4.6.

E4.9 The selection of the International Delegate will ensure that no more than one delegate self-defines as a man.

E4.10 The election of members to the Democracy and Accountability Committee will be carried out such that no more than 3 of the places are taken by self-defining men with places reserved, as necessary, to ensure this.

Part 5: Campaigning Rules

E5.1 Candidates for any role in Young Greens elections, and proposers of papers, are entitled to campaign and must all follow the same rules except for E5.2 which shall only apply to roles explicitly mentioned.

E5.2 The amount spent on a campaign by a candidate in the Young Greens annual ballot (EC, Democracy and Accountability Committee, Green Students Committee Co-Convenors) must not exceed £30. This includes leaflets, online campaigning and similar expenditures the candidate has incurred as a result of being a candidate for this position within the Young Greens. It also includes expenditure incurred by the supporters of the candidate. At least 50% of all spending will be reimbursed by the Young Greens provided that receipts are given to the Young Greens Treasurer within 30 days of the close of elections. The same amount of money will be reimbursed for every candidate running for any one role.

E5.3 Candidates and proposers may use the contact details of people they know personally to directly canvass for support, via their own networks, in the run up to the election but must not use details of members they only know via official Young Greens channels – for example those they have gleaned through previously holding an elected position within the Young Greens or those they have gained from mailing lists.

E5.4 Candidates and proposers may campaign online and use social media to canvass for support but only strictly in a personal capacity.

E5.5 Candidates and proposers may not use official Young Greens or Green Party communication channels such as administrative email and Facebook privileges.

E5.6 Each candidate is entitled to their submitted nomination statement being circulated amongst the membership via email and posting on the Young Greens website.

E5.7 Campaigns must focus on the benefits of the candidate they are supporting, not the flaws of the candidates opposing them. Negative campaigning is not permitted.

E5.8 Bribery, coercion and mistreating of members is strictly forbidden.

E5.9 Any member, regardless of candidate status, can report a suspected breach of these rules to the Electoral Returning Officer in the case of electoral breaches, Democracy and Accountability Committee in the case of motions, or, where they feel that is inappropriate, to Young Greens Staff.

E5.10 Any suspected electoral breach of these rules shall be investigated by the Electoral Returning Officer and the Democracy and Accountability Committee who have the following options open to them:

E5.10.1 Suspension of a candidate from the current election, who is suspected to have breached these rules, pending investigation by the Electoral Returning Officer and the Democracy and Accountability Committee. If the investigation cannot be completed by the AGM, the election will be re-run.

E5.10.2 Expulsion from the current election of a candidate found to have broken these rules, by the Electoral Returning Officer and the Democracy and Accountability Committee - the election shall otherwise continue as normal.

E5.10.3 Expulsion from the current election of a candidate where it has been found that person(s) acting on their behalf have breached these rules.

E5.10.4 Additionally, Candidates removed from the current election due to the actions of themselves or others will still be eligible to be a candidate for future elections to any position within the Young Greens.

E5.11 Any suspected non-electoral breaches, during an election and by a candidate, 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, shall be investigated by the Democracy and Accountability Committee who shall have the following options open to them:

E5.11.1 Suspension of a candidate from the current election, who is suspected to have breached these rules, pending investigation by the Democracy and Accountability Committee. If the investigation cannot be completed by the AGM, the election will be re- run.

E5.11.2 Expulsion from the current election of a candidate found to have breached these rules with the election otherwise continuing as normal.

E5.12 Following any action as described in E5.11.1 or E5.11.2, the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall refer the case to the Complaints and Disputes Subcommittee for full investigation as described in Article 5 of the Constitution, from 5.6 onwards.

E5.13 Any suspected breach of these rules in relation to the proposal of papers will be investigated by the Democracy and Accountability Committee who will have the following options open to them:

E5.13.1 Suspension of a proposer suspected of breaking these rules may be suspended from proposing the paper pending investigation by the Democracy and Accountability Committee and an alternative proposer must be found by the remaining co-proposers.

E5.13.2 For serious breaches of these rules, the Democracy and Accountability Committee may rule the paper or amendment Out of Order and remove it from the General Meeting agenda.

E5.14 A person is accountable to these rules from the opening of the nominations period, however, may only announce their candidacy and begin publicly campaigning after the close of nominations.

Part 6: Co-Ooptions

E6.1 Any vacant EC role may be co-opted by a majority vote of EC plus the agreement of the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee, after a call out and a hustings has taken place.

E6.2 When advertising vacant EC Non-Portfolio positions, the Executive Committee are able to advertise specific available portfolio(s), as decided by a majority vote of EC plus the agreement of the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

E6.3 Any vacant DAC role may be co-opted by a majority vote of DAC, after a call out has taken place.

E6.4 If it is not possible to co-opt for DAC roles in accordance with E6.3, these roles may be co-opted by a majority vote of EC, after a call out has taken place.

E6.5 Vacant Green Students Committee Co-Convenor roles may be co-opted by a majority vote of the Green Students Committee after a call out by the Green Students Committee has taken place.

E6.6 If it is not possible to co-opt for Green Students Committee Co-Convenor roles in accordance with E6.5, these roles may be co-opted by a majority vote of EC plus the agreement of the Chair of the Democracy and Accountability Committee, after a call out and a hustings has taken place.

E6.7 Gender balance criteria as defined under section E4.5 through to E4.10 should also apply to any co-options.

Section F: Exceptional Democratic Accountability Measures

F1 The General Meetings defined in Sections B, C, and D shall all be held in-person, with in-person democratic functions.

F2 In exceptional circumstances in-person functions may not be possible and when this is the case these protocols shall be followed in order:

F2.1 No less than three voting members of the Executive Committee shall bring forward a motion to a meeting of the Executive Committee, expressing intent and reasoning to invoke Exceptional Democratic Accountability Measures (hereafter referred to as "Exceptional Measures" or colloquially as "EDAM").

F2.2 The Executive Committee shall vote on whether or not to invoke Exceptional Measures, invocation shall require a two-thirds majority.

F2.3 If Exceptional Measures are invoked, then the Co-Chairs of the Executive Committee shall inform the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Democracy and Accountability Committee of the decision, alongside documents which shall provide all reasoning and minutes of debate.

F2.4 The Democracy and Accountability Committee shall thoroughly review the declaration of Exceptional Measures and shall vote on whether or not to ratify the decision, ratification shall require a simple majority of the whole Committee.

F2.5 If Exceptional Measures are ratified, then the Executive Committee and the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall move to F3.

F3 After ratification of Exceptional Measures, the Executive Committee and the Democracy and Accountability Committee shall explore solutions of all nature and produce official planning documents, all solutions must be permitted under the conditions listed in F4. After a maximum of two weeks or after mutual agreement, F4 shall be implemented.

F4 Following thorough exploration, investigation, and planning, the Executive Committee shall inform the Democracy and Accountability Committee of any decision taken immediately after a vote to:

F4.1 Postpone a General Meeting by up to 6 weeks after the normal period.

F4.2 Hold a General Meeting and all associated functions online in accordance with regular timescales.

F4.3 Postpone a General Meeting by up to 6 weeks after the normal period and hold the event and all associated functions online.

F4.4 Waive Exceptional Measures and carry out a General Meeting in the normal fashion.

F5 Once the Democracy and Accountability Committee has been informed, it shall vote to ratify or reject the decision that has been made.

F5.1 Should the decision be ratified by a majority, the agreed actions come into effect immediately.

F5.2 Should the decision be rejected by a majority, the process shall return to either F3 or F4, at the discretion of the Democracy and Accountability Committee.

F6.1 The membership of the Young Greens of England and Wales must be informed regularly of progress at the end of each set of processes outlined in F2, F3, F4, and F5.

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 4.

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 or Liberation 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 a self-defining man.

1.1.2 Treasurer.

1.1.3 Six Non-Portfolio Officers, one of whom shall be responsible for the Equality and Diversity portfolio.

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 Encourage Young Greens to stand for positions in their student unions, in the National Union of Students (NUS), and as National Union of Students delegates as well as support Young Greens holding those positions.

3.3.2 Involve Young Greens in National Union of Students campaigns and activities.

3.3.3 Liaise with relevant external bodies.

3.3.4 Direct Young Greens to chosen student campaigns and organisations.

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.

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 Sex Workers.

4.4.5 Trans.

4.4.6 Under 18.

4.4.7 Women.

4.4.8 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.

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.

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 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 to the EC Non-Portfolio Officer holding the Equality and Diversity portfolio.

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.