Feminist Climate Ambassadors – Bottom-Up Activism

About the Event:

Our aim is to build bridges across Europe for feminist climate change advocates and activists. This training will equip selected Feminist Climate Ambassadors with the tools needed to get their message through in their own region and media, to support sustainable and feminist community-level impact across Europe. In addition, the training provides space for more political level conversation on the intersections of gender and climate change.

The theme of the third meeting is bottom-up activism: how can we promote a change towards an equal, just, and viable world from the grassroots level upwards?

Context:

This training is part of the project Feminists in the Climate Movement, organised by the Green European Foundation with the support of Visio, the Green Economics Institute, Strefa Zieleni, and Oikos. While the training is for selected participants only, the project also features a webinar series and summer school, which are open to the general public.

Speakers:

Oliver Varmanen – Trans ry (association for the rights of gender minorities), Finland

Devika Partiman – Stem op een Vrouw / Vote for a Woman, the Netherlands

Taru Anttonen – Green Women’s Association, Finland

Leen Schelfhout – XR Belgium and Citizen’s Spring, Belgium

Kati Juva – Vihreät De Gröna, Finland

Fatima Verwijnen – human rights activist and Instagram blogger, Finland

Programme:

10:00-10:05 Welcome

10:05-10:20 Discussion on assignments

10:20-11:00 Guest Expert: Oliver Varmanen on Oikeus olla / Right to Be campaign

• The hugely successful Right to Be citizens’ initiative launched in Finland in the beginning of August and achieved the minimum number of signatures in a mere 2 days. It strives to establish a trans law in Finland that respects the fundamental and human rights of all who amend their legal gender. A member of the social media and communications team behind the campaign, Oliver Varmanen, joins us to discuss why and how the campaign was put together and why it is so successful.

11:00-11:20 Guest expert: Devika Partiman on Vote for a Woman

• Vote for a Woman / Stem op een Vrouw dedicates itself to improving women’s political representation and emancipation by, amongst others, getting more women elected and politically active. We will be joined by the Chair, Devika Partiman, to discuss campaigning for equality in politics.

11:20-11:50 How to deal with online harassment? – Taru Anttonen presents the booklet “SAFE – What is online violence? A guide for people targeted by online violence.”

• Political participation is everyone’s right. Harassment and silencing are not parts of a thriving democracy. Women, LGBTQI+ people, persons of colour, and persons with disability who are active in politics are increasingly targeted by silencing and threats of violence.

Followed by a short presentation of GEF’s Green Academy e-learning course: “Combatting Online Hate Speech”

11:50-12:30 Break

12:30–13:15 The Spectrum of Environmental Activism

• Round table discussion with Leen Schelfthout, Kati Juva, and Fatima Verwijnen – moderated by Louisa Mandt and Ana Díaz Vidal.

13:15-13:30 Summary and next steps

Practicalities:

This event is for selected participants only and will take place online via Zoom and Howspace. Applications for the training programme are now closed.

This event is organised by the Green European Foundation with the support of Visio and with the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this event.