Feminist Workshop
education / feminism / childbirth and maternity / reproductive rights
Ukraine. Lviv
Coverage: Ukraine
Type: NGO/NPO/Social Enterprise
Description:
Feminist Workshop was established as a grassroots initiative in June 2014 and registered as an NGO under the same name in March 2016. It has a horizontal structure which is driven by volunteers. Since 2015, the group has owned a small space in the city center, acquired through the funding received from FRIDA. It is used for work and holding events for 20-30 visitors. There is a modest library inside with feminist books which visitors can take home to read. Besides, the activists and Feminist Workshop’s guests can temporarily live in this accommodation when they are in difficult economic circumstances.
Aims and objectives:
The mission of organization is to create environment which is favorable for development and self-realization of girls and women in Lviv, Ukraine. “We understand feminism not only as improvement of women positions in society, but it is also means deeper changes of the social norms, counteraction to various forms of discrimination and violence. We use the notion of feminism to implement ideas of adiverse inclusive and gender-sensitive world by using methods which unite people,” they say.
Main activities:
Since 2016 the Organization has been working with teenage audience by conducting classes at schools on the topics of tolerance, gender, girls’ self-esteem. There is also the Girl Space teenage club in the office of Feminist Workshop. This work was supported by G. Böll Found. Feminist Workshop helps to organize art and educational exhibitions at its office and other locations. The exhibitions bring up different social issues from the woman’s everyday life. Feminist Workshop has also been annually organizing actions on International Women’s Day on March, 8. In addition, they participated during the 16 days of activism against gender based violence and for the support of the Walnut House (the shelter for women in crisis situations). They now have a functional website for articles on feminist topics for adolescents and young women. In 2017, they created a video podcast, about feminist initiatives in other cities of Ukraine. More recently, they have been organizing schools and workshops on feminist activism, which are focused on involvement of young feminists and development of Feminist Movement in Lviv.