Women’s Collective Ireland (WCI) launches its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and unveils new name and logo

Women’s Collective Ireland is a national women’s community development organisation, core funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, working to advance disadvantaged women’s equality through women’s community development. WCI represents and works directly with women experiencing disadvantage, through our 17 Grassroots Women’s Community Development Projects in Clare, Donegal, Dublin, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford.

Since its inception in January 2011, as an alternative grassroots women’s structure when the 17 local Women’s Community Development Projects amalgamated under one national legal structure, WCI has continued to develop and evolve through a many changes and challenges. With this journey in mind, the new strategic plan reflects our evolution as a Collective with a new name and visual identity and frames our direction for the coming years.

Our Patron Ailbhe Smyth, a feminist and women’s rights activist, has supported the development and consultative processes which used deep inquiry and research methods to capture and highlight the essence of our work in our plan. We incorporated all the valuable contributions to our strategic plan, including renaming the organisation to reflect our work and vision. As we launch this Strategic Plan, we are delighted to also launch our new visual identity and name – Women’s Collective Ireland.

The name change and rebranding alongside the Strategic Plan reflect the challenges and work that we have been and will continue to do, both on the ground and at representational level. Our knowledge of the structural and systematic barriers to women’s participation comes from work on the ground with grassroots women and through independent research enabled by our extensive reach and trust in the communities.

“As CEO of Women’s Collective Ireland, I welcome the leadership role working in such an exciting feminist organisation, that works FOR WOMEN, WITH WOMEN, is ROOTED in the community with COLLECTIVE spaces for women. Our work is grounded in the lives and experiences of the grassroots women we meet and work with. Women’s Collective Ireland – Women Inspiring Women: Together we are stronger”, said Miriam Holt, CEO, Women’s Collective Ireland. “The new logo and its ripples represent the ripple effect that our work and connection with grassroots women has on the women themselves as well as their families, communities and our society”, she added.

“Our new strategic plan provides a framework to support us and the women we work with to face new challenges and explore new and exciting possibilities as we go forward together. We do this in the knowledge that we have an important role to play in Irish society, amplifying grassroots women’s voices”, Ann Fitzgerald, Chairperson, Women’s Collective Ireland.

Read Women’s Collective Ireland 2022-2026 Strategic Plan here