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I am a student at a school that claims to be very ''feminist friendly,'' yet there's no feminist student group! I'm in the process of starting one and I have discovered that there is a big market for information: so many people here know very little about feminism! I want to put on some educational workshops or presentations, but am at a loss as to where to start.  I have zero funding, but am not afraid of contacting area organizations for some support, and have a wonderful feminist studies department on hand to help me out.  Do you know of any workshops or activities that I could facilitate, or documentaries or movies that would be great for facilitating discussion and education about feminism?


I think that your club/group sounds like a great idea. And I have also found that the schools that have fewer resources when it comes to progressive outlets often end up having the most lively groups—in part because students aren't inundated with requests and in part because they need each other more.
 
I would cull your campus for resources—I'm sure there are student activity fees you can apply for if you become an official campus group. Also, departments often have some discretionary funds available for this type of programming. I would start by conceiving a concept for your group—a name and a general goal (to raise awareness about women's issues on your campus and beyond, for instance, and to motivate people to become more involved). And do some research on funding. Once you have these things in place, I think you can reach out to local departments for funding. Then, I would have a meeting introducing the club and the goals, as well as one or two events that you already have in place. I think it's important to have some structure before you invite others to join you. I also think it's important to have meetings with a purpose, not just those that are about meeting.
 
You can also go the route of becoming a campus affiliate group of Feminist Majority Foundation, Choice USA, or Planned Parenthood—they offer an easy replicable structure—but I think this is a less ideal route as students tend to get boxed into their structure, which isn't flexible and necessarily appropriate for your campus's needs.
 
There are some films that I know other campuses have success in showing—mostly The Education of Shelby Knox and also a VDay performance—they have been great successes on campuses. And of course, if you want to bring in a speaker to motivate the group, I can help you book speakers through www.soapboxinc.com.


Amy

 

 

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