WeMen: Comic and Feminism

Gender equality has a universally recognized benefit for people. However, our visual references (media, advertisements, movies, ...), are still full of sexist stereotypes and vividly illustrate the depth of stereotypes permeating our contemporary civilization. Yet everyone have much to gain equality of all people, genders and sexes.

Our workshop in Segovia, Spain, from the 22th to the 28th of March 2020, will invite youth workers and artists to lend their support to involve youth for gender equity. We have chosen to address this topic through the use of creative digital tools because images are a powerful tool for reflection and call to action, and digital media has the widest impact reach.

Objectives:

This project will offer professionals and young artists from different European contexts a privileged opportunity to unite, in Spain, their perception and their actions in favor of mobilization in favor of gender equality. This action-training also has the ambition of:

Gathering equal proportions of young workers, visual artists, gender activists and theorists from different parts of Europe so they can compare their personal and professional experiences on the influence of visual arts in the perception of Genders. 

Making them produce webcomics that illustrate their learning outcomes visually and digitally, they are easily transmitted to the largest number of people.

Getting them together to develop reflection and new training tools to address these social issues with the youth and their community.  

Encouraging them to form networks of international contacts and practice other languages ​​suitable for developing their personal and professional skills;

providing new competences to youth workers and youth leaders to support and manage work with diverse young groups, as well as competences to foster gender equality, social inclusion, European values and active youth participation;

Developing strategic plans for action in forms of follow-up activities that will be run by participants with the support of partner organisations back in their local communities and countries.

Participants profile

We are searching for the participation of animators, educators, youth workers, youth leaders, volunteers, artists, sociologists and activists aims to develop the quality of youth work, to strengthen cooperation between the youth sector and the labor market and to support and develop policy youth based on knowledge and research. They may have a strong motivation and open-minded attitude; and also they should be over 18 years old, able to comfortably communicate in English and residents in the involved countries.

WeMen will bring together 13 men and women in equal proportions of youth workers, visual artists and gender activists from different parts of Europe: France, Poland, Bulgaria and Spain. The workshop will end with a local exhibition of comic strips to engage young people in favour of gender equality.