Goals for Organisational Structure:
- non-hierarchy
- balanced division of labour
- diverse, representative membership
- accessible
- accountable to ourselves and each other
- feedback and share information, learning and skills
- collective decision making generally, but autonomous decision making by groups and reps
- protect and prioritize safety of members
- recognise power and privilege and platform those most marginalised in society
- acknowledge and address barriers to participation
Membership
Members are migrant and/or ethnic minority women, trans and non-binary people. This is based on how people self-identify, but current members reserve the right to ask for clarification in order to preserve a safe space and prioritise marginalised voices. We ask prospective members to ask themselves is this a space they feel entitled to being in and what will their presence bring to the group. MERJ members can be members of political parties but must leave their affiliations at the door. They cannot speak as a member of MERJ and as a member of political party at the same time. Politicians cannot be members of MERJ. Members must also agree to the MERJ principles. MERJ members will be actively participating in the group. We recognise that there are many barriers to participation for people in different circumstances, so we will broadly define participation as engagement in-person as well as online.
For people who cannot participate, but still want to be informed about MERJ or want to participate in future, we have created the option to be a MERJ supporter. The criteria for supporters is the same as members, but without the commitment to actively participate. People can always become members at a later date.
Accountability
We are accountable to ourselves and each other. Structures will be reviewed every 6 months at least to ensure they are working and adhere to our principles. We welcome internal reflection and look at critique as an ongoing process. We want to be able to have open and honest conversations, discussions and disagreements when necessary. Our relationship is built on mutual respect and solidarity so we don’t call each other out, we call each other in.
Conflict Resolution
In the event that a conflict arises that goes beyond the scope of political disagreements, a group of no less than 3 members is on-call to deal with the situation. This group is rotating, so after they deal with one case, a new conflict resolution team will be formed with other members.
Engagement with Other Groups/Campaigns
We will work with other groups and campaigns as long as our collaboration does not go against our principles. The group must vote on if and how MERJ collaborates with other groups and campaigns. MERJ will prioritise any actions regarding reproductive rights and the needs of migrants and ethnic minorities in Ireland.
