- The Girlfesto -
creating
The Girlfesto
imagining a future free from violence.
Girls and young women imagine a future in which homes, schools, communities, universities, and digital spaces would be free from violence. The Girlfesto is a reflection on what needs to be changed and ways to take action to address gender-based violence.
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These are the steps that were taken to create the Girlfesto at the Circles Within Circles conference:
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sharing through participatory arts methods
Using arts-based methods are a participatory way to conduct research, encourage activism, and build knowledge.
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Prior to the conference, each group collaborated on a panel for the Speaking Back exhibition. At the exhibition opening, each group presented their panel as an overview of their experiences, the issues they addressed through their artwork, and the processes they went through.
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joining together through arts-based, knowledge-building activities
The conference attedees made collages in response to the prompt "what does GBV look like in our community?". Additionally, the girls produced cellphilms as Public Service Announcements (PSAs) within the “How We See It: Sending a Message about Addressing GenderBased Violence” workshop.
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For this step, participants co-created new knowledge that reflects their similarities and differences.
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reflecting on what was learned
Imagining A Future was a collaborative and reflective activity. The session started with participants considering the questions:
How do the art works add to your knowledge of girls’ and young women’s experiences of gender-based violence and sexual violence? In looking at these images what are some of the things that you think need changing? What are some of the ways you may take action to address gender-based violence and sexual violence?
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creating small group manifestos
Each group generated a list of declarations and statements. These lists were powerfully formulated as mottos, slogans and artwork, and then compiled together. It was decided collectively that the proposed manifesto would instead become the Girlfesto — a shared group statement of ideas and recommendations based on the views of girls and young women to take forward and advocate for more safe, liberating spaces.
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drafting the Girlfesto
Small group manifestos are shared with the whole group in a reporting-back session. Manifestos are compiled into a first draft of the “Girlfesto” that reflects all demands together.
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validating
The draft is validated after the event with participants and stakeholders. The Girlfesto draft is also circulated to every Networks for Change fieldsite. Through local workshops, the girls reviewed the material, held discussions, and sent feedback. This meant all youth were able to participate in the process, regardless of whether they were able to attend the conference.
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so what comes next?
The Girlfesto also serves as a call to action, to inspire more youth to create and share their own demands.
The Young Indigenous Women’s Utopia
Girlfesto
The Rankin Inlet
Girlfesto
On the top left is the Girlfesto from the Young Indigenous Women’s Utopia (YIWU). Jessica McNab, a youth participant from Treaty 6, mentions the Girlfesto in the YIWU book (p.67) alongside YIWU's local Girlfesto artwork.
On the top right is the Girlfesto from the Rankin Inlet group, created during a week-long media workshop called “Girls Talk Back.” The girls collaboratively created their Girlfesto – drawing on the original Girlfesto. While the Rankin Inlet girls, saw many similarities to the demands in the prior Girlfesto they also saw some differences. They created a Girlfesto that spoke to their reality of living in the far North.
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To the right is a recent article entitled "Everything is written there; there should be something that is going to follow: A girlfesto as a strategy for girl-led activism in rural communities. Ì‹ It is written by Naydene de Lange and Relebohile Moletsane, and reports on the Girlfesto as a means of empowering survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
Since the creation of the Girlfesto, the Participatory Cultures Lab (PCL) added a Girlfesto panel to the Speaking Back exhibition, as well as other panels reflecting the collages and photovoice work created at the Circles within Circles conference. The exhibition, including the Girlfesto, was exhibited at McGill University, the University of Victoria, PAVED Art gallery in Saskatoon, ACCESS Open Minds Youth building in Eskasoni, and at sites in South Africa. The girls themselves became advocates, and were able to present the Girlfesto at various events, including the International Girls Studies Association (IGSA) conference in South Bend, Indiana, March 2019.