Rebelles Meetings

Hi All!

The Rebelles have had two meetings so far and everything seems to be rolling out well on our end. If you're interested in attending out next meeting, it is Monday, September 1st at 6:00 p.m. at the Eating Disorders Action Group (EGAD) at t 6156 Quinpool Road, Suite 201.

If you're not able to attend this meeting (or any other), but want to be a part of our group via email, contact us at halifaxrebelles@gmail.com.

The next meeting is going to focus more on our planned fundraising events for September.

Our goal is to raise at least 100$ / woman who will go to Montreal in October. If you're wanting to hook in to our fundraising, let us know! There are lots of volunteer stuff we would love help with.

I'll update again soon with details on our fundraising efforts.

Feel free to contact me with questions or concerns regarding our blog at anna@annaoverseas.com.

~ Anna

First Meeting!

The first gathering for Halifax Rebelles (the local mobilizing body for the Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering taking place in Montreal on October 11, 12 and 13th) will take place on Monday, August 18th at the YWCA Halifax located at 1233 Barrington Street.
Gathering will start at 6pm.
Free refreshments!

When you show up to 1233 Barrington buzz "Resource Room" at the door.

While the Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering is open to women-identified individuals between 14 and 35 everyone is welcome to come out, learn more and help mobilize.

Welcome!

“Waves of Resistance” follows the successful Quebecois gathering, “S’Unir pour être RebELLEs”, that took place in 2003 as a participatory event that creates a space for young women and young feminists from all across Canada to meet, exchange, and discuss issues that affect them directly. The Gathering will provide an opportunity for young women to share their analyses and experiences while building solidarity within the feminist movement. Participants will experiment with the process of participative democracy, and gain knowledge of organizational tools that favour collective action in opposition to the approach of the political right, enabling its participants to take action.” (From the Organizing Committee).

Delegates to the Gathering will be interested individuals who identify as female and are between the ages of 14 and 35.

There is a lot to discuss as a community regarding the Gathering, the Organizing Committee is dedicated to ensuring that it truly reflects the diverse landscape of feminists across Canada and therefore strongly encourages input and participation from any and all women-identified individuals between the ages of 14 and 35. With that in mind, I am sending out a community-wide invitation to the first Halifax Rebelles gathering. The date of this first gathering will be on the evening of either Sunday, August 17th or Monday, August 18th. Check this blog on the morning of Tuesday, August 12 for exact details.

Anyone interested in attending or helping to mobilize for the Gathering is invited to come along, ask questions and discuss ways to generate interest in the Gathering in the community and strategies to fundraise for the cost of sending delegates to Montreal (the conference cost is $1 per $1000 made annually and accommodations and meals are provided). Also, the Organizing Committee is looking for delegates to sign up for various roles at the Gathering:

-A series of workshops will be presented on the Saturday, October 11. If you are interested in being a facilitator for one of these workshops please refer to the list of workshop themes at the bottom of this post.

-The Organizing Committee is looking for at least one woman per province help write the Gathering’s manifesto which will be a fluid, evolving document. The manifesto could perhaps be printed on a large cloth banner and then be displayed across Canada at feminist events and actions to make the existence of young feminists' struggles more visible. The team in charge of the manifesto will be made up of at least one young woman per province or territory. These young women must like to play with words and images, and be comfortable taking part in a process of collective creation.

-Those wanting to artistically contribute to the conference can do so in the following ways:
1) Permanent exhibition: Your work could be displayed for the duration of the Gathering in the public hall of the Université du Québec.
2) Video/documentaries: During the Gathering, we plan to have a video/documentary corner, to show different feminist works. We would like the filmmakers to make a short presentation on their project, in person, on video, in writing, etc.
3) Artistic expression stands: For the duration of the Gathering, various workshops will be organized for participants. However, we'd like to add a more artistic side to the event by having stands scattered around UQAM where young women can give themselves over to different artistic and feminist expressions.
4) Big feminist show on Sunday, October 12! We're looking for a variety of young women artists and/or feminists to put on an unforgettable evening. Whether it's singing, dancing, theatre, circus art or something else, all ideas are welcome.
5) The manifesto will transcend the meeting; it will be a way to leave our mark and to be heard by the women's movement as a whole, but we want to give it an artistic touch. Therefore, we call on activist illustrators to make their contribution to this great common tool!.

If you are interested in participating in any of the above ways please contact me at halifaxrebelles@gmail.com or post a comment here so I can send you more information. If you are interested in being an artistic contributor I will send you the registration form asking for a proposal and list of materials required. (Please note: if you are interested in performing in the “Big Feminist Show” you have to send in a demo or a link to a website where a video or recording of your talent is posted as well as the artist registration form.)

If you have any questions, comments, feedback, suggestions or ideas please do not hesitate to contact me at halifaxrebelles@gmail.com. I am also excited to hear from individuals, organizations and groups who are interested in attending, mobilizing and / or fundraising or just learning more abou tthe Gathering. If you cannot attend the meeting on the 17th or 18th contact me and I'll make sure to come and chat with you at a time and place convenient for you. The Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering is about bringing together diverse opinions and people; this diversity begins with your voice!

Looking forward to hearing from you,
In Solidarity,
Jordan Roberts.

Themes
Suggested angle of approach (sub-themes)

1. Feminization of poverty
- What is feminization of poverty?
- Causes of the growing poverty among women (gender-based division of labour, the rise of neoliberal policies, increased disengagement by governments and privatization of public services, growing uncertainty in the job market, part-time jobs and lower salaries, lowering of salaries due to discrediting of women’s work, etc.)
- Feminization of poverty in the world
- Experiences of poverty: women on welfare, low-paid women workers, women who are homeless, women without cheques (with no income), single mothers
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

2. Intersection of forms of oppression: class/race/gender/sexuality/disability/religion
- Multiple forms of oppression and systems of privilege
- Naturalization and justification of forms of oppression
- Impact of oppression:
- Economic marginalization
- Obstacles to women’s independence (economic and other)
- Isolation and individualization of problems
- Loss of economic, social, cultural, psychological worth
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

3. Women and work
- New realities at work (flex time, lack of job security, etc.) and impact on women
- Development of capital-labour ratio (causes of lowering of salaries)
- Vertical and horizontal segregation in the job market (women lower down in the hierarchy [vertical] and women who are paid less [horizontal])
- Impact on families’ choices in terms of paid and unpaid work as part of the gender-based division of labour (balancing work and family)
- Trade unionism: obstacles to becoming unionized; obstacles to women’s participation in unions; difficulty of bargaining for sectors that are largely female;
- Non-unionized women: reality of low-paid jobs, more disadvantages for non-unionized women (individualization of negotiations)
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

4. Capitalism, neoliberalism, disengagement by the State, privatization
- Economic and public policy, macro-scale causes (globalization)
- Consequences of State disengagement and privatization: lack of support for caregivers and gender-based division of labour
- Lead to poverty and/or economic dependence
- Deeper criticism of capitalism, economic activities relied on to create employment: do we want a larger share of this polluted pie that creates inequality and destroys the environment?
- Deeper and more radical strategies to demand women’s economic independence
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

5. Abortion
- Why the right to abortion is a condition of gender equality
- History of the fight for the right to abortion in Canada
- Current threats to the right to abortion (Bill C-484 and other bills, strategies of anti-choice groups, etc.)
- Current mobilizations in Canada (mobilizations in September 2008, Conservative Party Congress in October and other events)
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

6. Sexism and the media
- What is sexism?
- Stereotypes conveyed in different media
- Sexist advertising
- Specific treatment by the media of women who are media personalities
- Sexism and pornography on the web
- Trivialization-invisibility of issues affecting women in the media
- Antifeminism in the media
- Current mobilizations and the Coalition against sexist advertising in Québec
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

7. Hypersexualization
- What is hypersexualization? (its different aspects: dress, sexual practices, social pressure, dis-appropriation of one’s body and desire to please at all cost, women seen as sexual objects, etc.)
- Causes (commodification, etc.)
- Situation in high schools
- Adolescent girls’ experiences
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

8. Women and the environment
- Eco-feminism (links between colonialism, the destruction of nature and the oppression of women)
- Women and climate change
- Impact of the deteriorating environment on women’s health
- Women’s relationship to territory, to the land
- Need to relate social and environmental struggles
- The issue of essentialism
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

9. Native women and colonization
- History of the rights and struggles of Native women in Canada
- Impact of colonization on Native women and on relations between men and women
- Present-day reality: situation of Native women, relations between men and women
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

10. Violence against women
- Violence as a patriarchal instrument of domination
- Different forms of violence and their impact
- Experiences of violence
- Past and present struggles
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

11. Sexual identities, gender identities and heterosexism
- Differences between these two types of identity
- Explanation of different term used
- What is heterosexism?
- Feminism and struggles against heterosexism
- Feminism and gender deconstruction
- Deconstruction of heterosexual privilege and non-trans people
- Gender deconstruction given the reality of patriarchy (the category “woman” as an operative social category in this reality)
- Experiences of homosexuality, transgenderism and transsexuality
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

12. Racism and women
- What is racism?
- Intersection of different forms of oppression (particularly gender-race)
- Different expressions of racism and deconstruction of white privilege
- Experiences of racialized women
- Racism in the post-September 2001 world (immigration, deportation, refugees, etc.)
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

13. Rise of antifeminism
- Different forms of antifeminism
- Male and female actors of antifeminism: men’s movement, organized groups of antifeminist women (R.E.A.L. Women of Canada), etc.
- Impact of antifeminism on women’s rights and struggles
- Learn the strategy of male and female actors of antifeminism and deconstruct their arguments
- How to counterattack?
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

14. Motherhood
- Current context (rise of the right) in which traditional roles are extolled anew
- Challenges for motherhood in a capitalist and patriarchal context (traditional roles, gender-based division of labour, etc.)
- Experiences of mothers of different ages and social circumstances
- Alternatives to traditional roles
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

15. Sex trade
- Sex trade in Canada within the context of globalization
- Situations and experiences on the ground
- Prevention
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

16. Sexuality
- Different forms of appropriation by men of women’s sexuality: conservative patriarchy and pornocratic patriarchy
- Commodification of women’s bodies
- Young women’s experiences of sexuality
- Emotional aspects of sexuality
- Feminist responses: re-appropriation of our bodies, etc.
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

17. Women and war/militarization
- Rise of the right and militarization in Canada
- Associated with violence and a stronger machista ideology
- Impact of armed conflict on women
- Impact of military bases on women (prostitution)
- Significance and impact of the presence of women in the armed forces (from the standpoint of an anti-militarist position)
- The war in Afghanistan and deceitful cooptation of feminist arguments (“Let’s save the women of Afghanistan”)
- Military recruitment in Canada
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

18. Ways of organizing and protesting
- Overall look at protest and organizing practices, both conventional and non-conventional
- Criminalization of legal activism
- How to make demands to different authorities, how to exert political pressure?
- The ABCs of consciousness-raising and mobilization
- Non-hierarchical organizing
- Popular education
- Direct action
- Creative resistance in general
- Action ideas
- Best practices: what works?
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

19. Women and education
- Impact of access to education on the development of women’s rights in Canada
- Right to education and women’s problems accessing education in the neoliberal framework- Issues of accessibility to the various levels of education (cost, time, motherhood, etc.)
- Privatization of the various levels of education
- Education and independence
- Education and knowledge of our rights
- Popular education and social struggle
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

20. Women’s health and reproductive health
- Neoliberalism and access to health care
- Social class and health: access to information, living conditions, life expectancy
- Medicalization as a loss of women’s power over their own bodies and health
- Reproductive health as a specific issue
- Loss of power for women patients with mental health problems
- Alternatives to conventional health care approaches
- More specific alternatives (childbirth and menstruation)
- HIV-AIDS
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

21. Women and the legal and prison system
- Native women overrepresented in the federal prison system
- Women treated differently in the Canadian prison system
- Female minors under State tutorship
- Women’s access to justice
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

22. What are feminism and patriarchy?
- Consciousness-raising workshop on specific and systemic oppression of women (economic dimension, gender-based division of labour, forms of violence, cultural dimension, stereotypes, etc.)
- Patriarchy as a system of male privilege
- What is feminism: general definition, history, different currents, etc.)
- Specific forms of oppression of young women today
- Participants’ experiences
- As young women, what kind of feminism do we want for ourselves? What battles do we want to wage?
- Strategies of struggle (global overview of possibilities)

23. Feminist photography
- Introduction to feminist photography!

24. Feminist fanzine
- How to create one’s own feminist fanzine (free publication created and disseminated using the do it yourself principle)

25. Resistance theatre
- Introduction to resistance theatre techniques!

26. Resistance dance
- Introduction to dance as a means of resistance (e.g., flamenco, hip-hop, gumboots, etc.)

27. Feminist self-defence
- Discover how to protect yourself and defend against attacks, as a means to build self-confidence, self-esteem and assertiveness.

28. Radical cheerleading
- Introduction to radical cheerleading. Radical cheerleaders have appropriated the traditional role of cheerleaders in the world of sports and have turned it into a tool of activism. Radical cheerleading is simply shouting cheers in small groups (usually 3 to 10 people), often accompanied by dance moves to get across the message more effectively. It’s a mix of theatre, gymnastics and political criticism.

29. Poetry/song/slogans of feminist resistance/batucadas
- Writing poetry, songs and slogans of feminist resistance accompanied by batucadas: feminists walking and playing percussive instruments they make themselves with recycled materials. They make lots of noise!

30 Silkscreen
- Discover how to make your own t-shirt or poster!

31. Giant puppets and masks
- Making giant puppets and masks to punctuate our creative actions and give them a more impressive symbolic character!