How We Do It

JASS builds movements by linking learning and analysis with action, focusing on both individuals and the collective at different moments. Between these moments, JASS staff and allies accompany activists through mentoring, regular check-ins and other forms of support – providing a thread that sustains the strategizing begun at gatherings, and ensures that activists feel empowered and connected. This work can include supporting activists to negotiate conflict created by their work within their organizations and families.

Periodic workshops and regular on-line communication renew analysis about contexts and power, facilitate debate and information sharing, and build relationships among diverse activists across divides of age, class, race, nationality and sector. Sometimes workshops provide political education and skill-building for effective feminist leadership and movement strategies. In other cases, the process aims to resolve conflicts and find common ground. Given the diversity of women’s contexts and identities, processes always surface questions of power and privilege. To rejuvenate and re-energize activists, gatherings often include artistic expression and self-care.

Analysis and learning never stand alone but are always linked to strategic action and broadening alliances. Actions include mobilization and advocacy strategies on a wide range of issues, including HIV/AIDS, gender violence and political repression, corruption, access to resources, and livelihoods. Initially, action may be modest: for example, a meeting with decisionmakers to get information or to demand resources or a response. But the confidence gained through this meeting usually creates momentum so that subsequent actions involve a larger mobilization of women to influence a strategic process and eventually evolve into advocacy. A critical part of accompaniment includes guiding activists to reflect on what they achieve and to regroup for the next step.

In keeping with JASS’ commitment to generating knowledge from practice, we also produce common sense tools, framework, accessible analyses and materials to share with a broad range of activists, educators, researchers, and donors worldwide.

Methodology

The JASS Strategic Framework outlines our rationale, mission, aims, strategies and structures. It also offers some highlights from the diverse regional and crossregional actions and the women of JASS.

Knowledge + Noise: Change is shaped by information, messages and good ideas but these are never enough to shift power. Citizen numbers, unite through action and alliances at critical moments, must use communications to ramp up the noise.

JASS Power Framework: Core concepts and tools for understanding and analyzing the forces shaping inequality, plus how-tos for strategizing and building alternative forms of power. Read the full document.

Power, HIV/AIDS + Women

Original Movement-Building Methodology (2005-2009): JASS shifted direction to focus exclusively on women’s local to global organizing in 2005. This document explains the process and substance of that shift, and the methodology woven into JASS training and learning processes.

JASS 2009:

An overview of where we’ve come and where we are as of December 2009

JASS History in 2008:

How Did We Get Here?

Strategies from Mesoamerica: A broad coalition of Petateras, JASS, Radio Feminista and allies carry out mobilization, visibility and solidarity action through Observatorios de la Transgresion Feminista – urgent action in an increasingly violent context. This document captures initial insights and reflections.