The Articles of Association of the Rights-Centric Education Network, as consented to by the Founding Members on 9th November 2024, are as follows:
1. Name
The name of the association shall be the “Rights-Centric Education Network” (hereinafter referred to as “RCE Network”).
2. Nature of Association
The RCE Network is a non-hierarchical, consent-based, community of practice of human rights defenders (individuals and organizations) pulling education into alignment with the evolution of Human Rights.
It was established by a Memorandum of Association signed by the Founding Members (list published at http://rights-centric.education/founding-members) over the period July 24 - November 7, 2024.
It is NOT a legally incorporated association, and has NO physical location or office.
3. Objective
To pull education into alignment with the evolution of Human Rights by advancing the protection and realisation of international Human Rights law (especially the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) for, in and through education in all educational environments.
4. Activities
Activities of the RCE Network shall comprise of
- Declarations - Public statements calling for actions aligned to the objectives of the RCE Network.
- Programs - An agreed set of activities to be followed by the Members of the RCE Network who choose to participate in the program.
There is no obligation on Members of the RCE Network to support all Declarations (they may freely decide which ones to support by Signing, Promoting, etc) or participate in all Programs (they may freely decide which ones to participate in).
5. Membership
The Membership of the RCE Network comprises the Founding Members who established the Network, and Regular Members who joined after establishment.
There shall be no difference in benefits, obligations, opportunities for participation in programs, contribution to decision making, or any other matter between Founding Members and Regular Members, save that Founding Members' contribution to establish the community shall be recognized in their title.
5.1. Benefits of Membership
All Members are entitled to indicate their membership by using statements such as "A Founding Member of the Rights-Centric Education Network", and using the Rights-Centric Education Logo.
However, Members may NOT claim to speak for, represent, or be an agent of, the RCE Network. The present articles do NOT have provisions to appoint a Member as a representative or agent.
Only Members shall be entitled to participate in the Programs (published at https://www.rights-centric.education/programs) of the RCE Network.
5.2. Obligations of Membership
There are NO obligations or membership criteria placed on Members.
Members are invited to contribute, to the best of their capabilities, to the Objective of the RCE Network defined above.
This includes, but is not limited to,
- Supporting Declarations - Signing (consenting to their name being included as a signatory), Promoting, etc.
- Participation in Programs of the RCE Network relevant to the Member;
- Collaborating with other Members within the community of practice;
- Explicitly referencing Human Rights law in their work;
- Supporting the administrative work of the RCE Network
There shall be NO process of rating, ranking, comparing, or evaluating the participation of members.
There shall be NO fees levied from Members under any circumstances.
5.3. Applying for Membership
Any Individual (including children) or Organization striving to pull education into alignment with the evolution of human rights may join the RCE Network as a Member by completing the application form published at https://rights-centric.education/join.
There shall be NO membership criteria that applicants are required to fulfil to obtain membership. However, prospective members may be requested to provide evidence of their identity.
5.4. Withdrawing from Membership
Any Member may withdraw from the RCE Network by emailing network@rights-centric.education
They shall be removed from the listing of Members on the website, and from any Members-only communication platforms.
6. Communication
The Communication platforms of the RCE Network shall be
- An official website for public-facing information, https://www.rights-centric.education
- A wiki website for documentation purposes, https://wiki.rights-centric.education
- A Members-only official Discord server, "Rights-Centric Education"
- A Members-only email Announcement list
- Social media channels (YouTube, LinkedIn, X) and an open (i.e. not limited to Members) email announcement list for outreach
7. Finances
Members (Individuals and Organizations) of the RCE Network may solicit funds for their expenses
- for the maintenance of the Communication platforms of the RCE Network
- for any other activities promoting the Objectives of the RCE Network
Any Members who choose to make a contribution shall do so directly with the individual concerned - the RCE Network shall NOT receive, hold, or disburse funds.
The RCE Network shall facilitate the publication of funding requests and reporting of funds received, but shall NOT evaluate the legitimacy of the funding request nor audit/monitor the use of funds received.
8. Decision Making
Decision making in the RCE Network aspires to be consent-based, striving to be as inclusive as possible of views expressed by the Members who wish to participate in the decision, with opportunities for all Members to contribute towards dialogue.
Any Member may propose (via the Discord server, or by writing to network@rights-centric.education) a decision to be taken by the RCE Network. It is recommended, but not essential, to explore the proposal on the Discord before formally proposing it. Once requested, the proposal will be sent to the Members who have subscribed to the Announcement List
There shall be a web-based platform to facilitate dialogue around the proposal. Decisions will be considered as "consented to" if there are no objections / counter proposals received for
- 240 Hours, for Major decisions, i.e. Amendments to the Articles, to add a new Program and/or a new Declaration, discussing the content of a Program or Declaration. A reminder will be sent to the Announcement List at least 60 hours prior to the expiry of the deadline soliciting objections
- 120 Hours, for Minor decisions, i.e. all other decisions. A reminder will be sent to the Announcement List between at least 48 hours prior to the expiry of the deadline soliciting objections
If a Member who has participated in the decision making dialogue believes that a consent-based decision is not possible, they may request for a decision by majority vote, provided that at least 480 hours of dialogue has elapsed for a Major decision, and at least 240 hours for a Minor decision. This vote will be conducted on an online platform and will run for 160 hours for a Major Decision and 72 hours for a Minor Decision. The invitation to the vote be communicated via the Announcement List. The first poll requested for a decision will also include an option to return to consent-building dialogue (for a minimum of 240 hours for a major decision and 120 hours for a Minor decision)
At any time Members may also request a non-binding poll to gauge the opinion of members, especially for the purpose of enabling disagreeing groups to construct a mutually acceptable proposal. The invitation to the poll too will be communicated via the Announcement List.
The Voting / Polling platform shall NOT be anonymous (i.e. it will be visible who voted For and Against)
No decision shall be binding on Members, however, if Members feel they interests are no longer met by the RCE Network, or that being associated with the RCE Network is detrimental to their reputation, interests, etc, and that their attempts to resolve matters have not been addressed to their satisfaction, they may withdraw from the RCE Network
While participating in dialogue and voting shall be open to all Members, it is recommended to allow the Members who are affected by the decision to make the decision.
9. Dissolution
The RCE Network shall cease to exist if all members withdraw their Membership
Note: For the backstory of these Articles, and for clarifying remarks, please see this Wiki entry.