Why is it important to reflect on the struggles one identifies with? Why is it essential to reflect on the the feelings one relates to in those struggles? These were the starting questions posed by UAF-Latin America and FRIDA| The Young Feminist Fund to start a conversation about the politics of care placed at the center of the EDGE conference 2018 held at New Orleans, USA.
This mini-plenary was an invitation to reflect on the dimensions of care at the individual, collective and organizational level from an intergenerational perspective and diverse cultural experiences. The aim was to broaden the understanding of an obliterated issue within philanthropy and funding social transformation: how we care for ourselves and others.
On April 17, both feminist funds reminded progressive donors that safety and wellbeing are key elements in sustaining activists and movements. As committed funders to social justice and system change, we need to revise our approaches and practices of care with those we support, with as much urgency as we need to revise practices of care within our own institutions. Caring practices are deeply political as they reflect how we define risk and the relationship between power and protection.
Together, UAF-LA and FRIDA shared some internal practices and methodologies that have begun a transformation of care within their organizations, and their communities. Of course, this is an ongoing learning process and we continue to get better at this.
Start the conversation in your community now.
Download HERE some didactic materials to open this dialogue within your organization. Click on the images below ?
“Self and collective care are political strategies of resistance that help us becoming more resilient and to better respond to the threats, violence and discrimination we face” : FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund
“System change could only be possible if CARE is at the CENTER of organizations and societal relations” : Urgent Action Fund-Latin America
Join the conversation on social media by following the hashtag #CareIsPolitical.
Facebook: FRIDAFund /FondoAccionUrgente-LAC
Instagram: @fridafund // @fondoaccionurgenteal
Twitter: FRIDAfund //FAU_LAC
