digital Congress 2022
The world has been looking a lot differently these past two years, and our Congress has had to change with the times. As such, as much as we would prefer to see you all in-person, we are hosting our Congress online with the hopes of having an in-person event in the next year or two.
In the meantime, we are still very excited to offer an opportunity for our members to connect, collaborate and develop GYG even further! A lot has happened since we last got together in Liverpool in 2017 and we are eager to share our successes with you and learn about what all of you have achieved and what has changed these past several years.
Because Congress is online and we are juggling several different time zones, we have just a small window each day that it is reasonable for all of our members to be present. Of course, we hope that everyone will be able to experience every block of events, but if delegates are unable to attend every block, the middle block is the most important for all our members to be present for.
This document contains all of the information you should need for a fun and successful time representing your organization at Congress. Please take some time to review the following pages.
We look forward to seeing you all together soon!
In camaraderie,
Important Information and Contacts
GYG is dedicated to maintaining a safer working environment for our members. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, hate speech and all other problematic and disrespectful behaviour will not be tolerated in any of our spaces.
If you experience any inappropriate behaviour directed to you or one of your fellow delegates, please raise this issue with us immediately. If you are not comfortable bringing it up directly as it occurs, you may connect with members of the Oversight Committee to report the issue.
As a democratic organization, we also have zero tolerance for any kind of interference with our voting processes. Behaviour might include coercion, undue influence, threats, bribes and intimidation and we are determined to prevent this from happening. If you at any point feel that anyone from GYG or outside of the organization is trying to influence the way you vote before, during or after Congress, please contact the Oversight Committee as soon as possible so we can address the issue.
For any technical issues or anything not related to conduct, please contact the Congress Committee. There will be several eyes watching the chat boxes as well as our email inboxes, so we should be able to get to you right away.
Congress Committee: congresscommittee@globalyounggreens.org
Oversight Committee: oversightcommittee@globalyounggreens.org
How to attend the meeting?
Participating in the Meeting
- Please keep your microphone muted when not speaking.
- When you join the meeting, please change your Zoom name. To do this:
- Find your square in the grid of participants (where you see your face!)
- Click the three dots in the corner
- Select “Rename”
- Please change your name to include name, pronouns, and country; e.g. Sara Basa (she/her) Spain
- The chat will be monitored, but using the Q & A is the best way to submit questions
- Enjoy!
Zoom Etiquette
Due to the limitations of online events, we ask you to please keep the following in mind:
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Be respectful of other speakers
- Be mindful of how long you are speaking – time is very limited!
- Please use Zoom’s “reactions” where possible
Zoom Disclaimer
GYG is committed to making Congress as accessible as possible.Whilst we have chosen to host this congress on Zoom due to familiarity with functionality and accessibility, we are fully aware of Zoom’s problematic relationship with the Chinese government. Despite being based in California, this tech-giant has made it clear that it takes orders from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in order to suppress dissent against the state, especially with respect to the atrocities it has committed and continues to commit. We think of the recent online vigils that would have been held to remember the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, which Zoom suppressed, violating its own Terms of Agreement to satisfy the wishes of the CCP.
Though we are hosting our Congress on the Zoom platform, we wish our members to be informed of the problematic nature of this technology and understand that as an organization, the GYG Congress Committee explored all other possible options before choosing Zoom. It was not a decision made lightly, and from the beginning our wish was to not have to use Zoom, but for the sake of accessibility for our members, we have settled with this platform.
For more information, please check out this article from the New York Times.
Congress Programme
Friday, January 14 2022
13:00 UTC: Speed dating
Get to know fellow members of GYG from around the world in small breakout rooms. You will meet members at random and will be changed every five minutes.
Not sure what to talk about? Here are some suggestions!
How did you discover GYG? What do you do with your Green Party? What is a major issue in your country?
14:00 UTC: opening Ceremony
Join GYG leadership in opening our 2022 Congress!
Snigdha Tiwari, a Young Green from India, is a climate activist and human rights lawyer. She was a delegate at COP26 for Global Greens.
15:00 UTC: World Café
Join a breakout room hosted by GYG members to learn about what being Green is like in their countries!
Interested in hosting a World Cafe room? Please send an email to: congresscommittee@globalyounggreens.org
Saturday, January 15 2022
13:00 UTC: GYG Platform Development (Asia-Pacific / Africa)
GYG wants to create our own political policy platform, made by and for our members. How should we start such a project?
Help us start making history and be part of the platform development process!
We will be joined by the Economy Working Group who have already begun the work of shaping policy for GYG!
This block is for members from the Asia-Pacific and Africa regions.
14:00 UTC: Voting Session for Memorandum of Understanding
In 2021 the GYG Steering Committee committed to presenting this Memorandum of Understanding to our members at Congress.
Alice Hubbard is a member of the GYG Oversight Committee and representative to the GG-GYG MOU Working Group, Young Green from the Green Party of England and Wales. She will present this document for members and answer questions about its formation and implications.
15:00 UTC: GYG Platform Development (Americas / Europe)
GYG wants to create our own political policy platform, made by and for our members. How should we start such a project?
Help us start making history and be part of the platform development process!
We will be joined by the Economy Working Group who have already begun the work of shaping policy for GYG!
This block is for members from the Americas and Europe regions.
Sunday, January 16 2022
13:00 UTC: Workshops
COP26 Working Group
info TBA
Feminism Working Group – Why the COVID-19 Pandemic is a Feminist Crisis
14:00 UTC: Plenary
During this period voting members will debate proposals submitted by Member Organizations to amend or add to our Organizational Principles.
Depending on progress from the GYG Platform Development, plenary may also include a submission from the workshops on Saturday, January 15.
15:00 UTC: Closing Ceremony
GYG is joined by Dr Amita Kuttner, interim leader of the Green Party of Canada, for our closing ceremony. Dr Kuttner is an astrophysicist who specialises in black holes, as well as a fierce advocate for queer rights.
Stay tuned for policy announcements from plenary, as well as how to stay involved with GYG after Congress!
