Feminist activists work to overcome oppressive systems and structures. Supporting their struggle requires more than just resourcing their work; it requires support for their collective wellbeing and healing from the trauma inflicted in their fight for liberation.
This collaboration seeks to gather knowledge about diverse local healing practices and apply those practices within healing spaces, viewing healing as an integral part of feminist movement building. Women’s Fund Armenia, Women’s Fund in Georgia, and FemFund (Poland) operate in contexts characterized by rising authoritarianism and conflict. They are united by their shared feminist politics and are on this journey together to develop knowledge, share practice, and create feminist healing spaces.
Their journey begins by acknowledging that trauma results from patriarchal socialization, tensions within feminist movements, political, social, economic crises, war, and oppressive systems. They understand that a feminist response to trauma is collective healing, contrasting neoliberal and individualistic understandings of resilience and wellbeing.
Inspiration
Feminist healing spaces acknowledge trauma and the need for centering healing in the work of women’s funds, activists, and gender justice movements. Healing is a political act that supports the vision of feminist funds.
For healing to happen, the journey and the space must be held with understanding, knowledge, time, and resources, offering both safety and courage. Building and equipping healing spaces provides a safe space for staff, feminist activists, and other social movement actors, based on feminist values, where vulnerability is held with kindness and empathy.
Armenia, Georgia, and Poland are affected by harsh systems and armed conflict. Healing is essential for systemic transformation, requiring safe spaces guided by feminist values. Physical healing spaces support gender justice movements to heal from oppressive forces so they do not inflict those harms on others.
When feminist healing spaces are owned and operated by women’s funds, they serve as the common good of feminist movements and respond to their needs. These spaces contribute to financial sustainability and enable funds to deliver support beyond grants and capacity building.
The Process
Three pillars underpin this collaborative’s work. The first is constructing or developing physical healing spaces. In Poland, a needs assessment on healing and well-being will precede establishing a space. In Georgia and Armenia, existing spaces will be enhanced. The three funds will develop a healing program and retreats for activists based on needs identified from the assessment.
The second pillar is documenting healing resources and wisdom. This involves mapping existing initiatives, conducting study visits to learn from other healing spaces, and developing a library of feminist healing materials.
The third pillar is influencing members of the Prospera INWF and donors to politicize healing. This includes sharing insights in Prospera network spaces, publishing advocacy materials, and including healing in donor conversations.
Ways of Working
The three funds in this collaborative have a long history of collaborating, learning, and supporting each other. They drew on their history to structure their approach to working together, specifically:
- Funding is divided equally among the three funds.
- The sister funds are putting specific individual and collective care measures in place to limit the impacts of the challenging contexts, such as war.
- The collaboration will seek assistance from consultants with regard to the purchase, construction or remodeling of spaces.
- The group will liaise with local healers and trainers that can bring professional expertise to develop healing programs.
- Monthly online meetings support coordination. Strategic decisions will be made by consensus.
- All three women’s funds will participate in each study visit. Depending on the budget, face-to-face could be combined with online sessions.
What Does Success Look Like?
Success for this collaboration is:
- Establishing healing spaces that serve activists and movements while supporting feminist funds.
- Gathering knowledge about local healing practices and assessing healing and wellbeing needs among partners.
- Mapping current initiatives; developing healing programs, modules, and workshops; and creating a feminist library related to healing, pleasure, joy, radical rest, feminist utopia, language justice.
- Sharing and advocating healing practices in the women’s funds’ ecosystem; extending healing practices to work with partners; and co-creating spaces for discussion and practices.
Between the lines
What would the world look like if we centered healing as part of our vision for justice and liberation?
Women’s funds support transformative change rooted in equity and justice. This feminist reality requires healing from collective trauma caused by oppressive systems. Centering healing helps harness collective wisdom to heal ourselves and our relationships, supporting the transformation of harmful systems. Healing allows us to reimagine new ways of relating to ourselves, each other, and the planet.
This collaborative recognizes that healing differs across countries and cultures and happens beyond physical spaces. The funds have relationships with organizations and resources that support their vision. FemFund turned its office into a temporary shelter for refugees, Women’s Fund Armenia operates a feminist retreat, and Women’s Fund Georgia developed a healing space. This collaborative supports their programming, meeting needs in their countries and supporting each other in the critical aspects of healing.