Since our inception, FRIDA has been committed to supporting spaces where activists come together, share strategies, debate, reflect and forge alliances and common agendas. From the very beginning, in response to young feminist organizers requests and in recognition of the importance of bringing activists  together we have co-created physical spaces for young feminists to connect, converge and plot to change the world.  As the bulk of FRIDA’s work and engagement with its constituency is done through online and social media platforms - the opportunity to meet face to face and build relationships is invaluable for strengthening connections and skill building; which is essential to our individual and collective survival and resilience. 

Why did we decide to commission this review and open space for reflection?

There are four parts that make up this review. Click on the covers below to view or download a pdf of each report.

Our story of convening young feminists

How far have we come? A review of FRIDA’s convenings over the last five years Independent review by Amiera Sawas and Sian Maseko

After holding more than five convenings in the last five years, we felt the time had come to do some external evaluation and really challenge and question our approach. To assess the impact and value of convenings, to ask our community how best to continue supporting movement building spaces, and whether we should do convenings at all: interrogating our role as a funder, the power dynamics and accountability that come with this responsibility.  Our aim is to utilise this reflection process to guide how we continue to do convenings in the near and distant future. FRIDA is committed to assessing the potential, past and future impact of these convenings and reflecting on the learnings to date, as well as documenting and sharing what did not work.  And finally, we genuinely just want to organise and attend better convenings. Many of us have had the privilege to participate in a regional or global activist spaces or convenings. Many of us similarly, would have had mixed experiences. You might meet amazing people, feel moved in a session, dream up incredible plans to change everything. Other times you may sit in boring sessions, with people talking at you, the organisation waits forever to give you your per diem, logistics go horribly wrong, or the content just doesn’t hit the mark.  In our experience, convenings, while an incredibly important part of how we build relationships and strengthen movements, need to be interrogated, questioned, strengthened and embraced as a critical birthing ground to converging strategies to fight injustices in the world at this moment. Honest reflections, analysing our own failures to extract lessons and creative spirit will enable us to get closer to using these spaces more effectively. 

Strengthening communities of resistance: A Reflection Paper A report on FRIDA’s approach to convenings and reflections on movements by Rudo Chigudu

Perspectives from AWID, CREA, JASS, and RESURJ Compilation of perspectives from activists and practitioners on the value of convenings and how funders can support movements. Contributers: JASS Staff, Aimee Santos, Melissa M.K. Wainaina, RESURJ Staff

Come together

learnings from FRIDA convenings & where to next?

Young Feminists Converging FRIDA’s Approach to Convenings 2018 This document aims to guide FRIDA in how we support and respond to feminist movements now and in the future.

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Project Coordinators: Ruby Johnson & Boikanyo Modungwa Project Contributors: Jovana Djordjevic & María Díaz Ezquerro Design & illustration: Jessica Bromley Bartram Design & Illustration

FRIDA has has taken part and collaborated in coordinating in numerous global, regional and thematic meetings. Below is a list of just some of these:  1. Global Convening, Istanbul, Turkey, 2012
2. Global Convening, Chiang Mai Thailand, 2013
3. Sub Saharan Africa Regional Convening, Nairobi, Kenya, 2015
4. MENA Barcamp, Amman, Jordan, 2016
5. Global Convening at AWID Forum, Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, 2016
6. LAC Regional Convening, Mexico City, Mexico, 2016
 The experiences at each of these spaces have been vastly diverse. Each convening has resulted in different challenges and learnings as well as valuable experiences and connections between participants.  Although these convenings come at a high cost of time and resources and have mixed results, they can be strategic places for young feminist activists to connect across issues, generations, and geographics, increase their capacities, build collaborations, and contribute to stronger movements.