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What We Do
Feminist Movement Building
In mid-2006, JASS launched its Movement-Building Initiative, which builds on the experiences gained through our strategic initiatives described below. Going forward, much of our learning, action, knowledge and communications activities are centered around the movement-building efforts to strengthen the voice, leadership and collective power of women to advance justice for all.
The Mesoamerican feminists involved in the JASS movement-building initiative in that region use the word “transgression” to describe how women push against the grain, pushing back in subtle and big ways. Important points to note:
Nothing changes without pressure;
Nothing changes without conflict;
Change comes from the inner self but will not be sustained without the collective.
Respect for differences and the ability to understand them are critical, if organizations are to work through the dynamics of change.
Read more.
Regional Movement Building Institutes:
Meso-America Main Page
Feminist Transformation Watch / Women Crossing the Line: The Watch spotlights and reinforces women’s local actions during political crises or around key regional issues, by mobilizing regional solidarity and media attention.
Sea Change Feminist Leadership School: Sea Change is about strengthening women’s political skills and strategies through individual and collective learning and action grounded in feminist theory, human rights, and basic economic and budget skills. Drawing on popular education methodologies, the school also aims to inspire hope and energy.
Petatera: Radio and Communications Strategy: “Radio Petatera” was created in collaboration with Feminist International Radio Endeavour (FIRE) and kicked off with a 10 hour webcast of local and international commentary during the Nicaraguan elections. Hear FIRE's broadcasts from the Feminist Transformation Watch.
Who are the Petateras?
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South-East Asia Main Page
A June 2007 workshop brought together young women from Indonesia and East Timor to strengthen and diversify the leadership of women’s movements through intergenerational political education, skills-building activities and trans-border learning.
In June 2008, JASS will convene a larger regional institute for women of all ages working to address the combined challenges of poverty, labor exploitation, migration and trafficking facing women. (more) |
Southern Africa Main Page
Building on the 2006 recommendations from the African Feminist Forum and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa’s project to “Renovate Women’s Movements in Southern Africa,” this institute is the first phase of a long-term process that aims to strengthen the leadership, strategies and collective power of African women living with and working on HIV/AIDS in order for their voices and demands to be visible and influential at all levels of decision-making. This effort began with an institute in November and a followup trainings in February and May, and over time, aims to make African women living with HIV visible, influential and at the top of the agenda for the next Global AIDS conference in Mexico in 2008. (more) |
Global Learning and Communications Agenda
JASS uses a structured process for reflecting on, documenting and communicating insights within and across the regional efforts to maximize learning and impact of the movement-building initiative. With the aim of generating new knowledge from practice, the process involves applying analytical tools, sharing perspectives, and drawing on individual creativity. This strategy is carried out in collaboration with diverse media and communications initiatives, currently including FIRE and Pemba Productions, and through broadening alliances with other regionally-based women’s communication initiatives.
Tying this multi-regional initiative together is a common learning agenda that includes questions such as: What do “women’s movements” look like in this NGO-dominated moment? How do women build collective power that responds to and addresses our diversity and challenges privilege among us– how do we apply an intersectional analysis to our alliances, strategic choices, agendas, resource distribution, etc? How to build movements agile enough to respond to women’s pressing needs and diverse realities but also guided by a long-term strategy to advance women’s rights? How to build more effective cross-movement alliances?
For more information on the MBI methodology, click here. |
Strategic Initiatives
JASS’ activities and partnerships in the past have been built around three interconnected strategic initiatives:
Women's
Rights and Empowerment
 JASS works with women’s organizations worldwide to promote fresh leadership, creative and effective strategies for building and using collective power to challenge gender inequality from the personal to the global levels. (more info)
Featured Publications:
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Economic Rights and Citizen Action
 With economic globalization, vital aspects of policymaking are shifting away from national governments to global economic institutions, shrinking public resources and deepening inequality. JASS works to help citizens und
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