Feminist School

Co-created by Gender at Work and the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), Feminist School is a dynamic and immersive learning experience with the goal of challenging, disrupting, and dismantling global power inequalities, such as patriarchy.

Addressing Critical Gaps to Accelerate Gender Equality

Drawing on feminist pedagogical methodologies, Feminist School is designed to equip diverse participants—education leaders, community organisers and mobilisers, movement builders, activists—with the information, tools, and confidence needed to drive social change and promoting gender equality.

Feminist leadership, pedagogical approaches, and activism are fundamental to driving gender-just policy and practice change. The Feminist School programme builds on the importance of these elements to empower changemakers in their own contexts while addressing three key gaps in the current landscape of movements for gender equality:

Virtual Spaces for Knowledge Sharing

There is a need for online platforms where activists can share and deepen their understanding of feminism and its application to concretely challenge and dismantle patriarchy. Furthermore, advancing gender equality in today’s world is stressful, and thus Feminist School fosters a virtual space to recharge, grow, and connect with oneself and others.

Global Learning Platforms

The creation of virtual communities and safe spaces to learn about feminist principles and tools with peers from different locations, ages, experiences, and contexts is crucial to strengthening solidarity across borders and bolstering transnational movements for gender justice.

Bridging Silos

To foster a more integrated—and much-needed—approach to gender justice and social change in and through education, Feminist School connects feminist mobilisers with education leaders in an environment that encourages mutual learning and fosters personal relationships and network-building.

I have learned so much about how important it is to remain grounded as an individual so that when I bring myself to a group or to a movement like feminism, I understand my purpose and I am aware of my politics and even my privileges as well. I will apply that awareness to my work and I will also always remember the “head, heart, hands and feet” concept and I’ve done some of my own personal learning on it to take it back to spaces I organise.

Feminist School participant

Feminist School allows you to develop the ability to think critically: think critically about your activism through a feminist lens; think critically about the education system you seek to transform and think critically about feminist ways of being and doing and how those can become embodied in our ways of being and doing as feminist activists in the education landscape.

Feminist School facilitator

Our Approach to Learning

Feminist School does not offer traditional training. Instead, it creates a space for experimentation with feminist ideas, tools, and resources. Utilising feminist pedagogy, Feminist School supports participants in challenging their thinking, building knowledge, and developing skills for both personal and professional growth.

At Feminist School, each edition typically includes six to eight online sessions over several weeks or months, with 20 to 40 participants from various countries and organisations. These sessions last two to three hours, with reflective assignments in between.

Here are some central pillars of our learning approach:

collage featuring a three yellow flairs, a purple flower, and hand holding an oversized pencil

Feminist Pedagogy

>> Diverse ways of knowing, such as storytelling, movement, drawing, music, intuition, traditional knowledge, spirituality, and academic knowledge, are incorporated into the programme.
>> The use of analytical, dialogic, and somatic tools to address real-life challenges is encouraged.
>> Individual and collective action, experimentation, and reflection to disrupt norms and systems of inequality are nurtured throughout the sessions.

collage featuring a purple star, pink butterfly and a child in orange dungarees sitting on a chair and holding a digital tablet

Interactive and Holistic Learning

>> Music, drawing, dance, and innovative online tools are used to create an inclusive and engaging atmosphere.
>> Learning is addressed on three fronts: conceptually, emotionally, and through practical action.
>> Sessions are facilitated by a diverse, intergenerational team skilled in fostering intimate online conversations.

collage featuring blue flowers, a yellow blast and a wide open mouth

Curriculum and Themes

>> Feminist School’s curriculum is an evolving set of themes and resources tailored to inspire and equip a diverse cohort of participants with feminist practices and principles.
>> Themes explored include feminist leadership, conflict and power dynamics, intersectionality, communications and advocacy, self- and collective care.
>> Reflective thinking is encouraged to promote systems thinking and drive transformative aspirations that challenge patriarchal binaries.

Previous Editions

Youth Gender Equality Activists’ Edition

In April 2021, a cohort of 26 young feminist activists working in the gender justice and education space joined us for the pilot edition of Feminist School.

“Patriarchy Disrupted: Embracing Innovative Feminist Learning and Digital Tools for Gender Equality!” & Informal Space for Young Activists

In March 2023, UNGEI and Gender at Work showcased a sample of the Feminist School’s magic on two occasions at the 67th Commission on the Status of Women, in New York City, USA.

Education Civil Society Organisations Edition

Between April and May 2023, the second edition of Feminist School engaged a passionate group of 40 people from different civil society organisations engaged in a variety of initiatives to promote gender equality and social transformation.

Education Civil Society Organisations in partnership with the Collective Rising Leadership Institute Edition

Between April 11 and May 14, 2024, a new Feminist School with an education civil society organisations edition was rolled out. This time, a vibrant cohort of 31 participants from 6 East Africa-based organisations joined us.

Adolescent Girls and Young Women Activists Edition

Between September 12 and November 6, 2024, Feminist School brought together an online cohort of 20 adolescent girls and young women activists (AGYWA) from four countries – Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa. The curriculum and format of the sessions were adapted to the particular needs and opportunities of AGYWA, including innovations such as trauma-informed support and English-Sign Language translation.

Graphic Recordings

Graphic recording for Feminist School CSOs edition (2024)

Graphic recording for Feminist School CSOs edition (2023)

Graphic recording for Feminist School Youth Gender Equality Activists edition (pilot, 2021)

group photo of the Feminist Schools facilitators

Interested?

If you and your organisation are interested in participating, co-creating, supporting or exploring how Feminist School’s gender transformative vision and feminist methodologies can contribute to your mission, let us know!

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