In September 2018, we shared the embarking of an important transformative journey at FRIDA. Staying relevant to the young feminist agenda and true to our values, we designed a participatory way of co-creating FRIDA’s next strategic plan 2020-2024. It has been our aim to draw on the perspectives and voices of young feminist organizers and their allies to determine the future direction of the world’s first and only global young feminist fund.
As you know, FRIDA’s amazing Change Team has been guiding us through the different phases of collecting and analyzing perspectives and information to set our next course. Through surveys, interviews, consultations, focussed group discussions, mapping and researching, this team has been digging deep into the needs of young feminist organizers across the FRIDA ecosystem, consulting with grantee partners, taking support from advisors, listening to staff viewpoints, hearing what young feminist groups have to say. In January 2019, the Change Team comprising of representatives from FRIDA staff, board, advisory and grantee partners, met in person to discuss some of their ongoing work. We learned from each others lessons and experiences, shared the data we have been collecting over the months trying to put all of it together and figure out the shape this is taking.
Over the last couple of months, this team has gathered phenomenal data to better understand the waves of the movement we are all so proud to be part of:
- Community Survey: The community survey was open for six weeks and available in 7 languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and Mandarin), we were blown away by the 125 people who took the survey! Respondents belonged to multiple ethnicities with varying levels of interest and knowledge about FRIDA (one of them said they learned about us, thanks to a shoutout by Emma Watson) and from all over the world. Our fun social media survey gave us a lot of motivation too! For instance, did you know that 76% of Facebookers said Okoye embodies FRIDA’s superhero spirit? #GunsSoPrimitive
- Regional & Thematic Consultations: The consultation working group successfully organized 12 uniqe consultations in the last 6 months, 10 of which were in-person meetings while 2 were organized virtually to better understand the specific needs and trends in different regions and constituencies. Over 500 participants from 50 countries have been engaged in these consultations, discussing an array of issues ranging from Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Socio-economic Empowerment, Capacity Building, Institutional strengthening, Resource Mobilisation, Mental Health, Research & Knowledge Sharing, Trans representation, Climate Justice and more.
Research & Data: The research working group have been digging into ongoing and previous research in and around young feminist organizing directly or indirectly supported by and/or influenced by FRIDA. This included looking at previous Strategic Plans, internal documents, grantee partner reports and publications developed by FRIDA, external reports developed by women’s funds and human rights and feminists organizations and analysing a variety of information provided by young feminist organizers and other activists from the FRIDA community and the broader feminist movements. Yes, we have a lot of data already and are gearing up to best use this massive knowledge in service of building the next strategic plan for FRIDA.
The Change Team is now looking at all the information we’ve gathered and working to synthesize, analyse and weave together. We asked, you answered and it is now our job to really listen to what you have been telling us. Together, with you, we have embarked on a transformative, complex, thrilling journey, and it is with you that we will find the end point. Look out for future updates in the coming months as we move closer to the plan. Until then…
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of this critical process that personifies so much of FRIDA’s energy, values and spirit. . We value you, today and always.
With love,
The FRIDA Change Team 🙂
