IWomen can do anything their hearts desire. While decades of fighting for equality have helped elevate the status of women across all sectors of society, work needs to be done to make sure entire communities become inclusive, safe spaces.
The battle rages on, and individuals like yourself might consider starting your campaign to help other women find and use their voices to enact major changes. If you want to initiate a project or campaign for women’s empowerment in your neighborhood or community, follow these essentials:
1. Establish A Purpose Or Goal
Knowing your objectives for starting a movement is crucial, as this will help you identify the activities you plan later. Start by drafting a vision and mission statement and developing a long-term goal to serve your campaign’s purpose. You can relate this purpose to the things you’re passionate about.
For instance, if you advocate for art, use your movement to support female creatives. If you aim to support equal employment opportunities, consider creating an organization around that advocacy. With a clear vision, you should know how and where to get started. What’s more, you will need this if you plan to get your movement recognized for greater funding opportunities.
2. Create A Dedicated Team
Your movement isn’t a one-woman show. Organizing events that align with your campaign’s goals requires a collective effort. Recruit people within your circle who share the same values. You can also reach out to potential volunteers eager to join a worthy advocacy.
Consider creating separate teams that can handle admin and PR work and a core unit that does much of the legwork in networking and organizing activities. This will lead to proper division of labor, allowing your movement to accomplish its goals faster. Moreover, you can foster partnerships with other organizations and influencers who can use their platform to promote your initiatives and drive fundraisers.
3. Look To Men As Allies
When starting an advocacy, it won’t help if you support the view that men are enemies. Instead, you need to see them as active partners who can help create a more inclusive environment.
Reach out to business leaders and personalities who strongly advocate for gender equity. You can also organize seminars and other events that talk about the goals of your movement and lay down the important role of men in breaking down the culture of sexism.
4. Arrange Support Groups
Alongside your main advocacy, you should also set up a help desk or support group that members can turn to if they’re facing cases of harassment, including workplace discrimination and video voyeurism. For this, you will need a team comprising counselors and a lawyer who can provide legal assistance.
Make this team available to women outside your organization, so your campaign does its part in nurturing safe spaces in your community. You can also set up a team to provide resources to help other women start their own grassroots advocacies in their communities.
5. Use Online Spaces To Mobilize
Your advocacy shouldn’t be limited to weekly meetings and fundraisers. You can also use social media platforms to highlight the work your organization has been doing and feature the success stories of your members.
Creating a website is also important since you will need it to recruit volunteers, attract donors, and provide information about your current initiatives and plans. A podcast series will also be a great way to talk about the gender topics that matter locally and nationally.
Endnote
You have the power to enact significant change for women in your area. All it takes is having a clear target and allies who can provide you with the material, legal, and emotional support you need to accomplish daily victories for your advocacy.
