Young Feminist Activism
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:
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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.
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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.
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Promoting more effective multigenerational organizing, exploring better ways to work together.
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Supporting young feminists to engage in global development processes such as those within the United Nations
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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.
Related Content
What is the 14th AWID Forum theme?
The 14th Forum theme is “Feminist Realities: our power in action”.
We understand Feminist Realities as the different ways of existing and being that show us what is possible, despite dominant power systems, and in defiance and resistance to them. We understand these feminist realities as reclamations and embodiments of hope and power, and as multi-dimentional, dynamic and rooted in specific contexts and historical moments.
Read more about Feminist Realities
Snippet FEA Intro (EN)
Come meet the feminist economies we LOVE.
The economy is about how we organize our societies, our homes and workplaces. How do we live together? How do we produce food, organize childcare, provide for our health? The economy is also about how we access and manage resources, how we relate with other people, with ourselves and with nature.
Feminists have been building economic alternatives to exploitative capitalist systems for ages. These alternatives exist in the here and now, and they are the pillars of the just, fairer and more sustainable worlds we need and deserve.
We are excited to share with you a taste of feminist economic alternatives, featuring inspiring collectives from all around the world.
هل سيكون هناك دعم لترجمة لغة الإشارة بخلاف لغة الإشارة الدولية؟
إذا تم قبول مقترحك فسيتم الاتصال بك من قبل فريق جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية لتقييم احتياجات الترجمة الفورية وإمكانية الوصول والاستجابة لها.
Barbara Allimadi
Barbara Allimadi était une militante politique et des droits humains originaire d’Ouganda. En 2012, elle a coorganisé une manifestation contre l’agression policière télévisée d’Ingrid Turinawe, opposante politique dont le sein a été pressé par un officier de police. Durant la manifestation, Barbara et d’autres activistes se sont déshabillées et n’ont gardé que leur soutien-gorge devant le poste central de police de Kampala. Cet épisode fut par la suite désigné par la tristement célèbre « manifestation en soutien-gorge » en Ouganda.
« Nous avons opté pour une manifestation en soutien-gorge. Nous avons pensé qu’elle serait la plus appropriée par rapport aux faits. Ce n’est pas comme si nous étions en train de dire que nous ne nous respections pas. Nous étions dégoûtées par les actes commis. » - Barbara Allimadi, 2013 (Daily Monitor)
Diplômée en électronique et en ingénierie des communications de l’Université métropolitaine de Londres, Barbara était ingénieure réseau au Royaume-Uni et une fervente amatrice de musique reggae. Elle retourna en Ouganda en 2007, au moment du décès de sa mère.
En 2019, elle fut désignée Coordonnatrice pour les affaires internationales et la diaspora de l’Alliance for National Transformation (alliance pour la transformation nationale, ANT), un parti politique lancé la même année par un leader d’opposition.
« Nous voulons disposer d’une vie sûre et de biens, sans souffrance, sans blessure ni même de mort aux mains des forces de sécurité, qui sont censées nous protéger. Nous voulons surtout un environnement stable et propice dans lequel nous pourrons réaliser nos rêves et nos ambitions. » - Barbara Allimadi, vidéo de l’ANT
Barbara est décédée le 27 avril 2020.
Hommages :
« J’étais tellement fière de ma sœur pour plein de raisons, mais surtout pour sa recherche téméraire de la paix, de la démocratie, de la justice et de l’égalité en Ouganda. Au summum de son activisme, elle conduisait de nombreuses marches dans les rues de Kampala, jusqu’aux postes de police et au Parlement. » - Doris Allimadi, sœur de Barbara
« C’est avec une tristesse profonde que nous avons appris le décès précoce de Barbara Allimadi. Elle était une force vaillante, infatigable et courageuse pour le mouvement de libération en Ouganda. Nous adressons nos sincères condoléances à sa famille. Elle nous manquera terriblement. » - Akina Mama wa Afrika (tweet du 28 avril 2020)
« Le décès de Barbara est extrêmement triste pour nous, et pour toute sa famille. Elle s’est dévouée entièrement à lutter pour la justice, la liberté et les droits des autres, tout en servant la société civile jusqu’à sa récente adhésion au parti. » Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu, coordonnateur national de l’ANT
« Une soeur magnifique, charmante, drôle, charismatique et inspirante. Mes enfants ont perdu leur tante. L’Ouganda a perdu une combattante pour les libertés, brave et courageuse. Barbara disait autrefois “tant que vous pouvez respirer, continuez à agir pour atteindre vos rêves” » - Doris Allimadi, sœur de Barbara
Mary Rivera
What will be different about this Forum?
We have always worked towards ensuring that our Forums are co-developed with partners, movements and our priority constituencies.
For our upcoming Forum, we aim to deepen and strengthen that spirit and practice of co-creation and collaboration. We also recognize the need to improve the balance between the inclusion of many voices and experiences with room for participants and staff to breathe, take pause and enjoy some downtime.
This Forum will be different in the following ways:
- We will have far less organized Forum activities because we want people to have time to engage, experience, process, talk to each other, etc. This is key to communicate: you can come to the Forum, be very engaged and active and not facilitate any organized activity (or “session”).
- We will have Open Spaces - at least one whole afternoon without any organized activities - but also physical spaces available throughout the Forum for people to self-organize meetings, etc.
- We have a Content and Methodology Committee made up of feminists from different regions with expertise on participatory methodologies to support us and all those leading activities at the Forum to use creative and engaging formats for the Forum activities.
Snippet FEA São Paulo City Center (ES)
Centro de la ciudad de São Paulo
Fuente: Censo de População de Rua, Prefeitura de São Paulo
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هل ستكون هناك تدابير لتسهيل الوصول في المنتدى؟
باختصار، نعم! تعمل جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية حاليًا مع لجنة إمكانية الوصول لضمان إمكانية الوصول إلى المنتدى قدر الإمكان. نحن نجري أيضًا تدقيقًا لإمكانية الوصول إلى مكان انعقاد المنتدى والفنادق المحيطة ووسائل النقل. ستكون المعلومات التفصيلية حول إمكانية الوصول في منتدى جمعية حقوق المرأة في التنمية متاحة في هذا القسم قبل فتح التسجيل. وفي الوقت نفسه، لأية أسئلة يرجى الاتصال بنا.
Juventina Villa Mojica
How can I fund my participation in the AWID Forum? Many activists will not be able to afford the cost of the Forum – is AWID doing anything to provide assistance?
Please visit the "Funding ideas" page to get some ideas and inspiration for how you can fund your participation at the next Forum, including the limited support AWID will be able to provide.
Snippet FEA Occupation’s kitchen Instagram (FR)
Campagne publicitaire d'Ocupação 9 de Julho :
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Les Femmes Maintiennent les Soins | Les Soins Soutiennent la Vie | La Vie Soutient l'Économie | Qui s'Occupe des Femmes ? | Pas Une de Moins1 | Ensemble | Déjeuner du Dimanche
1Nenhuna a menos se traduit littéralement par « pas une femme de moins » ou « ni una menos » en espagnol - un célèbre slogan féministe en Amérique latine qui a émergé en Argentine en réponse à l'augmentation de la violence sexiste.
Snippet - CSW68 Intro _Es
Recuperar Nuestro Poder Feminista
Este año, junto con activistas feministas de todo el mundo, estaremos en la CSW68 en Nueva York .Estaremos presentes para desafiar las narrativas capitalistas y neoliberales y las falsas soluciones en torno a la pobreza, el desarrollo y la financiación. A través de eventos presenciales, transmisiones en vivo en nuestras redes sociales, un stand de exhibición y más. Nos presentamos para convocar, amplificar y apoyar las voces y la participación de nuestra membresía y aliades.
Conoce más sobre nuestro programa para este año a continuación.
Fakhra Yunus
Will there be pre-Forum convenings this time around?
We have been contacted by global and regional partners about some ideas for pre-Forum convenings and we will share more information about these ideas soon.
If you plan to organize a meeting before the Forum please let us know!
Many beautiful things emerged from the 2016 Black Feminisms Forum (BFF) that was organized by an Advisory Group and funded by AWID. Some of the independent organizing that arose from the BFF include Black feminist organizing in Brazil. While we won’t have another BFF this year, we remain committed to sharing some key learnings with anyone interested in continuing work around Black feminist organizing.
Snippet FEA Clemencia (EN)
Meet Clemencia Carabalí Rodallega, an extraordinary Afro-Colombian feminist.
She has worked relentlessly for three decades towards the safeguarding of human rights, women’s rights and peace-building in conflict areas on the Pacific Coast of Colombia.
Clemencia has made significant contributions to the fight for truth, reparations and justice for the victims of Colombia’s civil war. She received the National Award for the Defense of Human Rights in 2019, and also participated in the campaign of newly elected Afro-Colombian and long-time friend, vice-president Francia Marquez.
Although Clemencia has faced and continues to face many hardships, including threats and assassination attempts, she continues to fight for the rights of Afro-Colombian women and communities across the country.
Snippet - CSW68 - AWID In-Person Exhibit Booth - EN
AWID In-Person Exhibit Booth
📅Tuesday, March 12
🕒 9am-5pm EST
🏢Armenian Cultural Center, 630 2nd Ave. corner of 35th St
Giulia Tamayo
Where and when will the next AWID Forum take place?
The 14th AWID International Forum will take place 20-23 September 2021 in Taipei, Taiwan.
Snippet FEA Metzineres activists (ES)
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Activistas de Metzineres en acción |














