Organizing creatively, facing an increasing threat
Young feminist activists play a critical role in women’s rights organizations and movements worldwide by bringing up new issues that feminists face today. Their strength, creativity and adaptability are vital to the sustainability of feminist organizing.
At the same time, they face specific impediments to their activism such as limited access to funding and support, lack of capacity-building opportunities, and a significant increase of attacks on young women human rights defenders. This creates a lack of visibility that makes more difficult their inclusion and effective participation within women’s rights movements.
A multigenerational approach
AWID’s young feminist activism program was created to make sure the voices of young women are heard and reflected in feminist discourse. We want to ensure that young feminists have better access to funding, capacity-building opportunities and international processes. In addition to supporting young feminists directly, we are also working with women’s rights activists of all ages on practical models and strategies for effective multigenerational organizing.
Our Actions
We want young feminist activists to play a role in decision-making affecting their rights by:
Fostering community and sharing information through the Young Feminist Wire. Recognizing the importance of online media for the work of young feminists, our team launched the Young Feminist Wire in May 2010 to share information, build capacity through online webinars and e-discussions, and encourage community building.
Researching and building knowledge on young feminist activism, to increase the visibility and impact of young feminist activism within and across women’s rights movements and other key actors such as donors.
Promoting more effective multigenerational organizing, exploring better ways to work together.
Supporting young feminists to engage in global development processes such as those within the United Nations
Collaboration across all of AWID’s priority areas, including the Forum, to ensure young feminists’ key contributions, perspectives, needs and activism are reflected in debates, policies and programs affecting them.
“I do not know a lot about spirituality or what happens when we die, but my crip queer Korean life makes me believe that our earthly bodyminds is but a fraction, and not considering our ancestors is electing only to see a glimpse of who we are.” - Stacey Park Milbern
Stacey Park Milbern was a self-identifying queer disabled woman of colour and a trailblazer. A long-standing and respected organizer and leader in the disability rights and justice movement, she also advocated for the rights of many different communities, not just her own. Stacey’s activism had mighty roots in her experience at the intersections of gender, disability, sexuality and race.
Stacey, along with some friends, co-created the Disability Justice Culture Club, a group working to support various and especially vulnerable communities, including helping homeless people gain access to resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She was also a co-producer of an impact campaign for Netflix’s documentary “Crip Camp”, a board member of the WITH Foundation, and led organizations at local, state and national levels. Stacey wrote beautifully and powerfully:
“My ancestors are people torn apart from loves by war and displacement. It’s because of them I know the power of building home with whatever you have, wherever you are, whoever you are with. My ancestors are queers who lived in the American South. It’s because of them I understand the importance of relationships, place and living life big, even if it is dangerous. All of my ancestors know longing. Longing is often our connecting place...” - Stacey Park Milbern
She was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in North Carolina, later continuing her journey in the San Francisco Bay Area. Stacey passed away of complications from surgery on her 33rd birthday on 19 May 2020.
“She was, a lot of people would say, a leader. She kind of encompassed all of it. You know, sometimes there's like a lead from the front, lead from the middle, lead from the back. And she was just somehow able to do all of that.” - Andraéa LaVant, disability rights activist
“What a blow to lose Stacey when our communities need her leadership more than ever, and at a time when her strength, insight, and grit were receiving increased recognition outside of disability circles, giving her a greater platform to advance her life’s work...We will not have the gift of learning where her charismatic leadership would have taken us. But let there be no doubt: What Stacey gave us, in a relatively short time, will continue benefiting others for years to come.” - Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
La información compilada para nuestro Tributo indica queMéxico es un país particularmente peligroso para las defensoras. De las 12 defensoras de derechos humanos mexicanas que conmemoramos en el Tributo de este año, 11 fueron asesinadas. Eran periodistas, activistas por los derechos de las mujeres, activistas de los derechos trans* y sociales. Únete a nosotras para recordar y honrar a estas defensoras de derechos humanos, su trabajo y su legado, compartiendo los memes aquí incluidos con tus colegas, amistades y redes; y tuiteando las etiquetas #WHRDTribute y #16Días.
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Georgia's minimum wage is in the bottom percent of all countries in the world. This reality affects mostly women.
The country not only has a significant gender pay gap, but women also work longer, more unregulated hours before going home to take care of housework and their families. There is no maternity pay, no wage increase for overtime work, no unemployment insurance, and no pay for sick leave or other social protection. Pressured by Western organizations, Georgian oligarchic political parties have been implementing reforms that are destroying the welfare state, increasing austerity measures, and worsening worker exploitation - all for the benefits of big corporations which are applauding the country for its “ease of doing business”. Mass media, coerced by private and corporate interests, either remain silent or biased on these issues. Union organizing remains one of the very few options to fight for basic human rights, and for holding the State and corporations accountable in the face of daily, pervasive violations and persecutions, especially against women.
Os movimentos feministas, de direitos das mulheres, de justiça de género, de LBTQI+ e de aliados em todo do mundo encontram-se num momento crítico, e enfrentam uma forte retaliação contra direitos e liberdades conquistados anteriormente. Os últimos anos trouxeram o crescimento rápido do autoritarismo, a violenta repressão da sociedade civil e a criminalização dos defensores dos direitos humanos das mulheres e de pessoas de género diverso, o aumento da guerra e do conflito em várias partes do nosso mundo, a perpetuação contínua de injustiças económicas e crises de saúde, da ecologia e do clima interligadas.
Cette année, dans le cadre de notre hommage en ligne aux défenseuses des droits humains qui ne sont plus parmi nous, nous célébrons la mémoire de quatre femmes originaires d’Afrique subsaharienne. Trois d’entre elles ont été assassinées en raison de leur travail et/ou à cause de leur identité de genre ou de leur orientation sexuelle. Leur mort souligne la violence à laquelle les personnes LGBT* sont confronté-e-s dans cette région et dans le monde entier. Nous vous invitons à vous joindre à nous pour commémorer la vie de ces femmes, leur activisme et l’héritage qu’elles nous ont laissé. Faites circuler ces mèmes après de vos collègues et amis ainsi que dans vos réseaux et twittez en utilisant les hashtags #WHRDTribute et #16Jours.
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Nuestras/os afiliadas/os tanto individuales como institucionales provienen de todas las regiones del mundo y de 163 países; las/os más recientes se nos han unido desde Zimbabue, Turquía y los Estados Unidos. ¡Todas/os nuestras/os afiliadas/os aportan una rica y diversa gama de perspectivas, experiencias, conocimiento, energía e inspiración!
¿Sabías que cada semana publicamos perfiles de afiliadas/os?
Uno de los beneficios de ser afiliada/o de AWID es que tu historia sea destacada en nuestro boletín informativo, el cual llega a 35,000 suscriptoras/es, y a través de nuestros canales en las redes sociales que tienen más de 60,000 seguidores.
Publicaciones recientes:
Conoce a Angila Ashitua, una joven afiliada a AWID que vive en el condado de Vihiga, Kenia Occidental.
Aprendiendo más acerca del trabajo que hace AWID y de temas relativos a los derechos de las mujeres y la justicia social por medio de nuestras publicaciones y recursos, incluyendo el último video "Cambiando sistemas, cambiando vidas". [disponible solo en inglés]
Participando en nuestras sesiones de aprendizaje electrónico. ¡Mira lo más destacado de nuestro seminario en línea sobre justicia fiscal! [disponible solo en inglés]
¡Y mucho más!
Puedes renovar tu membresía por uno, dos o tres años; también ofrecemos membresías individuales e institucionales gratis a quienes tengan bajos ingresos o presupuestos.
Si tienes alguna dificultad y necesitas apoyo con el proceso de inscripción, por favor no dudes en comunicarte conmigo a través de membership@awid.org
Testemonios de nuestras/os afiliadas/os
"AWID nos ha resultado una red muy interesante y estamos participando en muchas de sus plataformas". - Engabu Za Tooro (afiliada/o institucional AWID)
"Espero una colaboración fructífera con el equipo. Me siento excelente. Gracias por aceptarme como afiliada". - R. Chakraborty (afiliada individual AWID)
"Muchas gracias, AWID, pues el trabajo que hacen es formidable. Aprecio realmente sus esfuerzos". - E. Khan (afiliada individual AWID)
Grupos, organizações e movimentos cujo foco específico ou principal seja os direitos das mulheres, de jovens, a justiça de género, os direitos das pessoas LBTQI+ e de aliados em todas as regiões e em todos os níveis, quer sejam novos ou já estabelecidos.
