Gluaiseacht is a non-hierarchical environmental and social justice movement bringing together grassroots organisations, concerned individuals and student groups from all over Ireland to raise awareness and take non-violent direct action on social, environmental and political issues.

We’re a diverse group, a loose campaign and skills network who share the same vision of a truly democratic and sustainable society. Gluaiseacht is a member of the Irish Environmental Network. We gratefully acknowledge their support over the years.

Origins


Gluaiseacht was formed in November 2000 in the aftermath of the demonstrations surrounding the COP6, (Conference of the Parties), the UN Climate Change Conference talks at The Hague , Netherlands. It was originally envisaged as a network of Ecological and One World Societies at universities and colleges throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (similar to People and Planet in the UK).

As non-student groups and individuals were involved from the beginning, we now have a mix of student-oriented groups, grassroots organisations and individuals, forming a diverse and inclusive network.

Structure of Gluaiseacht

Gluaiseacht is committed to working on a libertarian basis , i.e. through non-hierarchical organisation, autonomy, and diversity. The network is divided up loosely into geographical regions, with a Core Administration Group which meet regularly, physically and online. Individuals who participate in Gluaiseacht projects and events have an equal say in the running of the network.

We aim to have a general Gluaiseacht meeting twice a year, where decisions which affect the network as a whole are decided and campaigns and strategic issues are discussed. We try to hold these in different parts of the country each time, in order to ensure that the isolation of smaller groups and individuals is kept to a minimum. Decision Making Gluaiseacht works on a non-hierarchical basis.

This means that we don’t believe in leaders or some individuals having more power than others. In practice those who are more involved in the network and are part of the core administration group make some decisions without consulting the wider network. However, people are able to join the core group who agree with Gluaiseacht’s aims and principles and are willing to do the work!

We believe in participative democracy so at our general meetings we make decisions by consensus. Consensus decision-making is a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement between all participants of a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority of a group getting their way, a consensus group is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports – or at least can live with. This makes sure that all opinions, ideas and concerns are taken into account. By listening closely to each other, the group aims to come up with proposals that work for everyone.

For more information on consensus decision-making go to: http://seedsforchange.org.uk/free/shortconsensus#process

Directors' Report and Financial Statements 2016