Mission Statement

Cork Feminista Activism

Cork Feminista is committed to progressing, upholding and representing women’s issues in all domains. We aim to bring women’s issues to the fore of society through activism.

Cork Feminista is committed to gender equality and advancing women’s rights. The driving force of social change is action. Cork Feminista actively promotes gender equality by organising and taking part in campaigns, protests and Local and National events. 

Principles

Autonomy

Cork Feminista believe in our ability and our right to create change in our own lives. As a principle, we support all women and their efforts gain the power to make their own choices. We believe in every woman’s right to self-determination and governance over the self, and the importance of these traits in the formulation and reclamation of a more secure self-identification. Our ethos is accordance with the core belief of feminism that one’s own identity and personhood, as defined by them, is valid and should be acknowledged as such. We are affirmatively a pro-choice group, and we support women’s right to their own bodily integrity.

Inclusivity

Cork Feminista strives at all times to embody an ethos of intersectionality and inclusivity. Our intent is to create and maintain a safe space for all women, and disenfranchised people of all genders and sexes, to have their voices heard. We also seek to amplify the voices of marginalised communities who may experience multiple levels of oppressions. Baring in mind that many women experience these intersections of oppression, we strive to acknowledge our individual privileges and communally discourage the use of exclusionist or oppressive language. In our events, campaigns and promotions we strive to maintain a balanced approach to discussing and promoting issues by allowing those most affected to take the floor. One of our core beliefs is that we cannot advocate for equality if we do not prioritise the experiences of those most marginalised in activism for their rights.

Equality

Echoing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), a UN Resolution following the Fourth World Conference on Women, Cork Feminista declares that advancing the goals of equality and development for women everywhere is in the interest of all humanity. We believe that equal rights, equal access to resources and opportunities, and balanced partnerships between genders are critical to a developed society. While we acknowledge that the status of women has progressed in certain respects, advancement has been uneven and inequalities persist within societal structures with detrimental effects on the well-being of all people. Recognising women’s lived experiences and circumstances, Cork Feminista is fully committed to promoting equal rights, while also encouraging men to fully participate in all actions towards achieving equality. The issue of equality of genders is fundamentally a human rights matter, and should not be seen as exclusively a women’s issue, but as a way to build a sustainable and just society. Cork Feminista recognises and wants to combat the enduring burden of poverty on women, unequal access to healthcare and related services, violence against women, inequality in economic structures and access to resources, inequality of genders in the sharing of power in all spheres of society, and the lack of respect for the human rights of women. Women’s empowerment is critical for the achievement of equality, development and peace.

Empowerment

Cork Feminista operates from a grassroots level and the organisation strives to empower women, with particular attention to marginalised and oppressed women, and advocating for equality under the nine grounds of discrimination. We aim to provide all people with the critical tools to examine systems of oppression, and allow all affected the safe space to confront and dismantle them. It is imperative to us that all women have the right to free speech and have their voices heard. Where voices are actively ignored or silenced in society, Cork Feminista offer a platform for attention to be placed on their acceptance and amplification. Dialogue and discussion is facilitated for all and encouragement is given to our members through writings in the newsletter, blog, and postings on the Facebook page. Our members are also encouraged to lobby and campaign for their rights by attending demonstrations, protests, etc.

Activities

Team Activism

Cork Feminista is made up of a team of volunteers. These team members meet weekly to organise and plan meetings and events, and to discuss the overall status of the organisation. Any follow-up action is noted in the minutes taken at meetings. Each team member is responsible for the task that they have been allocated/put themselves forward for. However, all team members are welcome to submit their own unique skill sets to help complete certain tasks or support other volunteers in their roles.

Monthly Meetings

Cork Feminista host monthly meetings in order to bring feminist issues forward to the broader community. Cork Feminista’s monthly meetings are held in an inclusive space that is disability friendly. Meetings should be donation based only. The topics that are covered at Monthly Meetings should be varied and represent the diversity of feminism. Topics are chosen by volunteers, who are then responsible for the successful arrangement of the event. Cork Feminista sends a yearly questionnaire to its members to gain insight into the issues that its members are interested in, and plans the meetings accordingly.

Campaigns

Cork Feminista will intermittently choose to develop and support campaigns. Any campaign that Cork Feminista either develops or supports must be discussed at length at weekly meetings. It might also be useful to put the topic of the campaign out on social media to understand where our members stand on the topic. Any campaigns which promote greater equality or inclusivity in society, or denounces oppressive structures which inordinately affect certain marginalised groups will be considered.

Fundraisers

Cork Feminista makes genuine efforts to include fundraising as a frequent activity of the organisation. Cork Feminista’s first priority is to the equality, safety and wellbeing of all women. Any funds that are raised by Cork Feminista will be given to an organisation, agreed upon by either volunteers or members, who support and empower women. Cork Feminista may also host fundraisers for the organisation, in which case, the funds raised will be used to support Cork Feminista activities.

Protests

Cork Feminista organises and engages in public protests. Cork Feminista’s ethos is based around the inclusivity of gender, race, class, (dis)ability, sexual orientation and age – these issues take priority within our organisation.

Cork Feminista is pro-choice and is against any oppressive structures. Any person or body that threatens any aspect of the livelihood of women, most specifically reproductive rights, will give right to the organisation to take action in the format of protest. Cork Feminista may take action with the support of our members and broader communities to advocate issues affecting them directly.

Online activism

Cork Feminista uses virtual networking as a means of connecting with the myriads interested in feminism and social justice. Social media is used as a space of discussion, debate, information and promotion. Cork Feminista manages social networking websites, an online blog, and composes a weekly E-Newsletter. Cork Feminista makes a conscious effort to be as online inclusive as possible, offering a space to a diverse range of members. Cork Feminista highlights articles that represent the issues of feminism as a multi-faceted ideology.