Policy Statements
Women’s Collective Ireland’s policy statements reiterate our feminist vision in line with the organisation’s strategic goals. These statements affirm our position as a grassroots community development organisation and assert where WCI leads, follows, and supports in key areas through the work we do as a collective.
WCI acknowledges the interconnectedness of the community development sector and the importance of partnerships and collaborations to strengthen our work. WCI has strategic collaborations and works with other organisations to identify and address the needs of grassroots women. Alongside these collaborators, WCI challenges systemic barriers to women’s equality and participation, taking collective action for collective outcomes.
WCI Projects work directly with women on the ground from marginalised communities, to build women’s confidence and self-esteem through Feminist Community Education. Thus, WCI leads in feminist community education through recognising women’s diverse needs and lived experiences. Our work uses a needs-based-approach to meet women in their point of need in the different communities we work in.
The following statements are at the core of our daily work and at the heart of our collective mission.
Community Education
Women’s Collective Ireland is committed to delivering feminist community education that challenges inequality through empowering women individually and collectively. WCI utilises women’s community education as a vital tool in tackling educational disadvantage for women as it provides a model of education, from first steps to third level, which encompasses the needs of women. It starts with the lived experience of the participants and validates their experiences and knowledge. Embedded in WCI work is the prioritisation of the needs and experiences of marginalised women living in Ireland. We continue to strive to remove barriers to participation by building leadership and community power. Our work ensures that grassroots women’s voices and lived experiences remain central to Ireland’s community development and equality landscape.
Governance and Compliance
Women’s Collective Ireland’s governance practices are rooted in feminist values and community development principles of integrity, transparency, and inclusivity at the core. The WCI Board of Directors are commitment to ensuring that WCI operates as a trustworthy and ethical organisation that is dedicated to advancing women’s equality across Ireland.
Women’s Health and Well-being
WCI supports a feminist, intersectional, and rights‑based approach to women’s health and well-being and recognises that women’s health is shaped by social conditions that exacerbate inequalities. WCI regards health and well-being as a core value. Our work is committed to ensuring that all women can thrive, as we believe that every woman deserves access to inclusive, respectful, and empowering health information and services. We also believe that supporting the health and well-being of women is vital in bringing about change and enriching women’s lives, families and their communities.
Women's Leadership
As a national feminist community development organisation, we believe that women – particularly marginalised and grassroots women, should have the power, visibility, and opportunity to shape the decisions that affect their lives, communities, and society. Therefore, WCI continues to champion, nurture, and celebrate women’s leadership at every level of community and public life, which in turn, strengthens communities, enables transformation, and advances equality for all women. WCI’s commitment to women’s leadership is grounded in an intersectional analysis through a feminist lens and the belief that women’s rights are human rights.
Violence Against Women
Women’s Collective Ireland condemns all forms of violence against women and girls. We are committed to supporting women’s safety, dignity, and rights. While WCI is not a domestic violence service, we recognise that our community Projects are trusted spaces where women may share their lived experiences of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV). Our role is to provide awareness-raising, signposting, and consent-based referral to specialist supports.