Showing posts with label AWID Forum 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AWID Forum 2008. Show all posts
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Presence of Pink
Thursday, December 4, 2008
What Do the Pink Scarves Mean?
What Do the Pink Scarves Mean?
On Monday (Dec 1) an anonymous blogger asked this question in response to my posting "Post Forum Blues and the ‘What now?’ Syndrome". This post is in response to you personally and to others who might have had the same question.
Hi there, thanks for the question. The Pink Scarf was a symbol. Like the red ribbon that symbolised awareness of HIV/AIDs and possibly aslo active participation (whether through activism or personally practicing safe sex, for example) to end the spread of HIV. The Pink Scarves that we made and wore at the Forum represent the presence and active participation of young women at the Forum and in the movement. They also represent awareness of the challenges (and possibly a committmnent to resolving these) and opportunities of working with young women in the women's movement. For some, this means a committment to intergenerational movement building. We wanted the scarves to bring awareness to young women because often young women do not get the opportunity to attend big conferences, and when they do attend, it is sometimes a chlalnge for them to participate fully. The scarves were one of many activities that we (AWID YFA) carried out to facilitate the participation of young women and the recognition of young women's activism and contributions to our work. I hope that all makes sense?
Thanks again!
On Monday (Dec 1) an anonymous blogger asked this question in response to my posting "Post Forum Blues and the ‘What now?’ Syndrome". This post is in response to you personally and to others who might have had the same question.
Hi there, thanks for the question. The Pink Scarf was a symbol. Like the red ribbon that symbolised awareness of HIV/AIDs and possibly aslo active participation (whether through activism or personally practicing safe sex, for example) to end the spread of HIV. The Pink Scarves that we made and wore at the Forum represent the presence and active participation of young women at the Forum and in the movement. They also represent awareness of the challenges (and possibly a committmnent to resolving these) and opportunities of working with young women in the women's movement. For some, this means a committment to intergenerational movement building. We wanted the scarves to bring awareness to young women because often young women do not get the opportunity to attend big conferences, and when they do attend, it is sometimes a chlalnge for them to participate fully. The scarves were one of many activities that we (AWID YFA) carried out to facilitate the participation of young women and the recognition of young women's activism and contributions to our work. I hope that all makes sense?
Thanks again!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The 1 in 9 Campaign March
Check out this footage from the 1 in 9 Campaign March that took place in Cape Town on Saturady November 15th 2008.
http://ftx.apcwomen.org/content/most-powerful-march-history-women-struggle
http://ftx.apcwomen.org/content/most-powerful-march-history-women-struggle
Post Forum Blues and the ‘What now?’ Syndrome
While the Forum was all about the colour pink, post forum has been rather blue! It has been over a week since the final plenary on Monday November 17th and after a few days of slowing down and sleeping in I’m feeling a sense of ‘what now?’ Perhaps one way to get at answering that question is to write.
As a young woman attending the Forum (and any international conference of that size) for the first time, my experience of the Forum was similar to Manjeet’s. At times I was lost, confused about which session to go to and what relevance it might have to me and my work. For the most part I attended really interesting sessions, so that worked out quite well! I saw lots of pink scarves, indicating that the message was out there! I also heard plenary speakers and panel debater’s talk about what the scarves mean and endorse our message publically. I actually had a genuine sense that something was happening at the Forum that took ‘age’ on.
Our ‘political’ aim, as young feminists participating in the YFA Forum Committee at the Forum, was to create awareness of the presence and value of young women at the Forum and in the movement more generally, and to also encourage reflection and even action related to intergenerational issues in the women’s movement.
As a member of the YFA, one question that we have been asking and thinking about is who constitutes young women and what are some of the issues that young women in the movement deal with. Quite crudely perhaps, I have been able to distinguish between those issues that we might mobilize around (such as abortion rights, sexual identity and orientation, and violence against young women), and then those issues that we face on a day to day basis working in organisations, and these are elated to ageism. Here we’ve talking about access to positions of leadership and decision making for young women, and the ability of young women to attract and to access funding and other resources for the work we do. We are talking about the experiences of young women who are new to feminism and the women’s movement and their experiences of ‘cracking in’, as well as young women working in donor organisations and their ability to decide where funding goes. We’re talking the difference between young women being ‘reached out’ to and ‘pulled in’ to the movement and the movement coming to us and including itself in what we are doing as agents in our own right. We’re talking Power. The power to act. The power to determine.
As I reflect on all of the interesting and engaging conversations that were had, the ideas that were born and the intentions to carry these out that were shared and declared, I look forward to seeing and being an active part in what will come next. I look forward to the ‘what now’.
As a young woman attending the Forum (and any international conference of that size) for the first time, my experience of the Forum was similar to Manjeet’s. At times I was lost, confused about which session to go to and what relevance it might have to me and my work. For the most part I attended really interesting sessions, so that worked out quite well! I saw lots of pink scarves, indicating that the message was out there! I also heard plenary speakers and panel debater’s talk about what the scarves mean and endorse our message publically. I actually had a genuine sense that something was happening at the Forum that took ‘age’ on.
Our ‘political’ aim, as young feminists participating in the YFA Forum Committee at the Forum, was to create awareness of the presence and value of young women at the Forum and in the movement more generally, and to also encourage reflection and even action related to intergenerational issues in the women’s movement.
As a member of the YFA, one question that we have been asking and thinking about is who constitutes young women and what are some of the issues that young women in the movement deal with. Quite crudely perhaps, I have been able to distinguish between those issues that we might mobilize around (such as abortion rights, sexual identity and orientation, and violence against young women), and then those issues that we face on a day to day basis working in organisations, and these are elated to ageism. Here we’ve talking about access to positions of leadership and decision making for young women, and the ability of young women to attract and to access funding and other resources for the work we do. We are talking about the experiences of young women who are new to feminism and the women’s movement and their experiences of ‘cracking in’, as well as young women working in donor organisations and their ability to decide where funding goes. We’re talking the difference between young women being ‘reached out’ to and ‘pulled in’ to the movement and the movement coming to us and including itself in what we are doing as agents in our own right. We’re talking Power. The power to act. The power to determine.
As I reflect on all of the interesting and engaging conversations that were had, the ideas that were born and the intentions to carry these out that were shared and declared, I look forward to seeing and being an active part in what will come next. I look forward to the ‘what now’.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Day Three of the Forum
We have all just come out of the Plenary session "The Contexts of Our Organising". The panel was a remarkable selection of women's righst activists focusing on sex workers in India, women headed households in Indonesia, law reform for women's righst in Iran, abortion righst for women in Poland, freedom of communication and access to ICT for women in South Africa and as issue pertinent to women in southern africa, women living with HIV in Zimbabwe. The converstaion was rich with detail of the challenges and victories of women activists in these countries working on these issues. One highlight is that Feminism is still a dirty word in many of these contexts. Feminism, they say, is still described by those against us as a 'curse' and a 'swear word'. But feminist activists devise ways to survive and flourish nonethe less. Slogans like "Feminism: I desrve it" is used on camouses in Poland and "A world without husbands is wonderful" is used by women headed household in Indonesia who face the stigma of being unmarried or divorced is a society where marriage, no matter the quailty of that marriage, remains a goal for women, an achievemnt of femininity, that many women have intrenalised. The session ended with women singing, standing and dancing in memory of Miriam Makeba. It was another emotional morning - of pain, hope and celebration!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
YFA at the Forum
Hi Young Feminist Bloggers!
We have been at the Forum for almost two days now. There has been many interesting sessions running and I have had the opportunity to attend some of these. In particular, the youung women's caucus that takes place in teh Roof Terrace Room every lunch time (13:00). Yesterday there was a good turn out of about 50 young women, many of whom were wearing their pink scarves! Solidarity! Tara has begun to make a video of that session and I'm looking forward to having is posted here!
We have been at the Forum for almost two days now. There has been many interesting sessions running and I have had the opportunity to attend some of these. In particular, the youung women's caucus that takes place in teh Roof Terrace Room every lunch time (13:00). Yesterday there was a good turn out of about 50 young women, many of whom were wearing their pink scarves! Solidarity! Tara has begun to make a video of that session and I'm looking forward to having is posted here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)