Europäische Jugendbildungs- und Jugendbegegnungsstätte Weimar

Feminism 2022 – What does it have to do with me?

Time required: 3 hours (5 hours planned)
Age group: from 14 years
Previous knowledge: none

Background

»If you believe in equality, if you stand for equality, then you are a feminist, sorry to tell you« said the actress and UN Special Envoy for Women’s and Girls’ Rights Emma Watson in 2015. Sounds good. But let’s take a closer look! »Equality« can be translated as equal rights, equal treatment, equal value. There is also gender equality. Antisexism. Anti-discrimination work.

What exactly are we campaigning for in the name of feminism? What do you want to stand up for? What does it mean not only to believe in human equality, but also to stand up for it? Does it have anything to do with your life? And why does Emma Watson feel sorry for calling someone a feminist? Is that so uncool?

Let’s put on our gender glasses together and take a closer look: Where can we find conscious and unconscious discrimination based on gender? In our everyday lives, in politics, in the media, in our social relationships, in education, in culture and in our heads? How do we actually feel about it? What can we do about it? We won’t be able to answer all the questions in this workshop, but we will manage to leave with even more questions.

Aims

The aim of the workshop is for participants to realize that feminism is a current topic that is present in all areas of life and also affects them directly. The topic is relevant for the target group, as everyone is currently affected by sexism and gender injustice, even if not everyone is aware of it. I am offering the workshop so that more people become aware of this and the impulse arises to stand up for gender justice and to identify with feminism as a global, cross-gender movement. The aim is to arouse the interest of the participants, to break down the feeling of »this doesn’t affect me« and to strengthen their ability to recognize feminist issues as such.

Procedure

In the workshop, participants are encouraged to engage mentally, discursively and physically with the topics of feminism, sexism and gender equality.

1. In an introductory phase, the focus will be playfully directed towards reflecting on the extent to which the participants already feel affected by these topics and the initial feelings of being affected will be aroused.
2. In the main part of the workshop, the participants talk about various current feminist issues. Short facts, quotes, definitions, key terms and a guiding, critically reflective question on each area of current feminist discourse serve as a stimulus here. During the discussions, the participants note down key thoughts and questions and briefly report on their respective discussions to each other in the plenary.
3. In a creative and reflective round-off to the workshop, the participants engage mentally and physically in a pantomime with the question: What should/​can we do ourselves in view of the central problems of gender equality? Alternative ways of thinking and acting should be developed and physically experienced by the participants themselves.
4. At the end, the playful reflection at the beginning of the workshop on how they are affected by feminist issues is taken up again. The participants give feedback on their experience of the workshop – and at the same time check whether and to what extent their participation has changed their interest in feminism, their subjective feeling of being affected by sexist injustice and their desire to continue dealing with gender justice.
   In this workshop, participants will expand their skills through critical reflection, bodywork and discursive exchange with others.

Notes

• The workshop is offered in German or English.
• It can only be booked as an on-site workshop /​ face-to-face workshop.

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