Episode 23: Emergent Strategies to Support Cultures of Repair and Care

The Gender at Work Podcast

How do feminist organizations get beyond ‘calling out’ to repair and care? What can we learn from feminist leaders who are experimenting with strategies to build trust, reverse practices that undermine feminist collective action, and prioritize care, connection and thriving?

In this episode, we talk to Michal Friedman, a longtime associate of G@W, a feminist activist and a personal and social change facilitator based in South Africa and Janet Wong, a close partner of G@W and former UN Women Country Representative in Timor Leste and Cambodia. Several years ago, Michal and Janet collaborated on a process of supporting Cambodian feminist activists. Janet lays out what it takes to create safe spaces for activists who live in contexts where trust is understandably elusive and Michal shares the methods used to help activists become more at ease in their bodies, recognize each other as persons, acknowledge trauma and its impact on self and the collective, and use storytelling that enabled communicating from the heart. Much of this work is emergent; it can’t be scripted.

We also reflect on what this means for how we work to change the cultures of our organizations. How do we, as individuals, build our capacity to confront with respect and nurture cultures of care? How do we let go of rage? How do we remain open and curious in order to fuel stronger collaborations and solidarity? How can we nurture allyship and trust to challenge patriarchal ways of working and find new pathways to fortify organizing and organizations driven by our feminist principles?

Join us and take a listen!