The Diotima Centre invites executives and representatives of civil society organizations, members of feminist, women’s and LGBTQ+ associations and clubs, as well as activists from across the country, to a two-day seminar focused on empowerment, awareness raising and capacity building. The goal is to enhance advocacy efforts in the defense of gender rights.
Systematic violations
In the last few years, international and European organisations have documented and published numerous incidents of rights violations and gender-based violence and point out that there is an alarming increase in racism, sexism and homophobia in Greece. The ongoing violations of fundamental rights in the country and the feminist and LGBTQ+ resistance, create the need for broader cooperation and knowledge exchange to defend gender rights. This includes addressing issues such as the protection from gender-based violence, labour rights, political participation and access to education and culture. The aim is to raise the visibility of the affected social groups and to empower the collectivities that often face obstacles in their action.
Interdisciplinary advocacy toolkit
In this context, the Diotima Centre will conduct awareness-raising and empowerment seminars for activists. These seminars will create a collaborative framework for the exchange of experiences and expertise and explore the possibility of establishing a nationwide advocacy network. The seminars will utilize the interdisciplinary advocacy and empowerment toolkit developed by the Diotima Centre, which includes questions and needs of the associations, regarding the use of definitions, inclusivity and interdisciplinary approaches, as well as the understanding of the institutional framework for rights protection and gender mainstreaming.
Goals
The seminars aim to:
a) Highlight the unseen or unreported violations of the rights of women and LGBTQ+ individuals, including those who are indigenous, migrant, or refugees.
b) Strengthen the role of organisations at the advocacy level and empower their activists and staff in order to perform their role more effectively as points of reference, information and advocacy within local communities.
Participation process
The first seminar cycle, lasting 10 hours, will be held in person in Athens on Friday 19th of July (17:00-21:00) and Saturday 20th of July (12:00-18:00). To participate, please complete the participation form by Monday 15th of July 2024.
Participation is free of charge. Participants will receive training materials and a certificate of participation upon completion of the seminar. The scenarios are part of the FEMI-NET project.
For more information
Katerina Sergidou: sergidou.diotima@gmail.com, 6944824470, 210-3244380
Anna Vougiouka: vouyioukas.diotima@gmail.com, 210-3244380
** The project “FEMI-NET: Empowerment, networking and advocacy for the defence of gender rights” is implemented in the framework of the BUILD program, with the Diotima Centre as implementing agency. The project “Building a robust and democratic civic space” (BUILD) aims to the protection, promotion and widespread recognition of fundamental rights and values of the EU, through the support of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Greece and Cyprus and the reinforcement of their capacities and sustainability. BUILD is co-funded by the European Union, through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) program, the Bodossaki Foundation and the NGO Support Centre Cyprus with a total grant amount of €2.9 million. BUILD is coordinated by the Bodossaki Foundation (Greece) in partnership with the NGO Support Centre (Cyprus).
With the funding of the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the European Union, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) or the Bodossaki Foundation. The European Union and the EACEA cannot be held responsible for the views expressed.
