Call for Applications: Io Feminist Activist School (15–20 May 2019)

Are you a part of local or national feminist organizing and advocacy in the East or Southeast Asian context? Ever wondered if there were better ways to facilitate feminist meetings and movement processes? If so, then the next Io Feminist Activist School on Facilitation as Feminist Leadership Praxis might be just the thing for you!

Deadline extended to 12 April 2019!!

Introduction

Io: Facilitating Spaces for Feminist Conversations cordially invites you to be a part of their first Feminist Activist School on Facilitation as Feminist Leadership Praxis happening from 15–20 May 2019 in Manila, Philippines. The 6-day training aims to create a learning space where participants have the opportunity to reflect upon their core principles and values, develop facilitation and communication skills, and learn to design and lead participatory processes that strengthen feminist conversations for movement building.

The training will bring together 16–24 participants who are feminist activists working on feminist movement building, social justice, and human rights initiatives in the context of East and Southeast Asia.

There is a training fee of US$600.00. This training fee will cover the 6-day in-house training and training materials, co-sharing accommodation at the Bahay ni Io International House (training venue), inclusive of breakfast, lunch and late afternoon snacks.

Full scholarships (limited to 5 participants) to attend the training are provided for applicants selected from the following countries: Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and the Southern region of the Philippines.

Expected Outcomes

What can you expect from this training?

1. A solid understanding of core facilitation principles and values that provide the basic framework for effective meeting and group process facilitation;
2. A set of basic essential skills that will guide participants towards facilitating meetings and other group processes more effectively;
3. A choice-filled, liberatory learning space where participants are able to engage each other in deep conversations about the interconnections between facilitation principles, feminist leadership praxis and the organisations, collectives and movements they are a part of;
4. An opportunity for greater self-reflexivity about core values and principles and mindfulness about group processes and our presence as leaders in groups;
5. A training space facilitated by trainers and resource people who are feminist activists and seasoned facilitators;
6. An opportunity to network and build relationships with other like-minded feminists and social justice activists from the East and Southeast Asian region.

Selection Criteria

Who should apply for this training?

1. Women and trans activists working on feminist movement building in the context of East and Southeast Asia
2. Women and trans activists working on social justice and human rights initiatives in the context of East and Southeast Asia
3. Those who are in leadership positions within their organisations, networks, or initiatives and/or engaged in training and meeting facilitation
4. Preferably between the ages of 21 to 40 years old
5. Those with a functional ability to communicate in English, which is the working language for our training
6. Must already have a valid passport and the capacity to attain a Philippine visa, if necessary
7. From a network, organisation, or initiative that is in need of strengthening
8. Priority will be given to those who represent marginalized communities or organisations. There is no age limitation to those applying, but preference will be given to those who have not had previous leadership development opportunities, or have had limited opportunities for cross-cultural exchange.

Training Fee

The training will cost USD$600.00. This training fee will cover the 6-day in-house training and training materials, co-sharing accommodation at the Bahay ni Io International House (training venue), inclusive of breakfast, lunch and late afternoon snacks.

Full scholarships (limited to 5 participants) to attend the training are provided for applicants selected from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and the Southern region of the Philippines. For those who receive scholarships, Io will cover the participant’s airfare, land travels (to and from the airport), accommodation, daytime meals at the training venue, and a modest per diem for dinner outside. Depending on the best rate that can be attained, participants may be asked to book and purchase their ticket from their home countries and will be fully reimbursed upon submission of receipts in Manila.

All other participants who do not receive scholarships will need to pay the full registration fee. All participants, both self-funding and scholarship-funded, are expected to cover their personal expenses including communications and personal needs.

Participants may also choose to book private accommodations in nearby hotels at their own cost — this list will be provided once applicants have been selected. Those who decide to make their own accommodation arrangements will only need to pay US$500.00 as their training fee.

Guidelines for Application

1. Fill in the online application form. Submit this form by 05 April2019,
   at the latest. The application deadline is extended to 12 April 2019.
2. Your application can be supported and endorsed by your organisation (if any) based on their internal capacity building plan.
3. If you are selected, 50% of the registration fee must be paid within five days following confirmation of your registration. This is to allow the organizers to plan forward and consider other applications based on the set criteria for this training. Details on payment transfer arrangements will be advised by the Io Secretariat in a separate email for the selected applicants.
4. Participants who are not selected for scholarship are expected to cover their own visa fees, airfare and terminal fees, local (home country) airport transfers, and any other overlay/transit costs, as Io International does not have the resources to cover these.
5. For participants receiving a full scholarship, Io will cover the cost of the visa only and expect the selected participant to cover any incurred expenses to attain it (such as travel and accommodation) as participants’ counterpart contribution. Io International will not cover the cost of renewing your passport.

Selection Process

The application form needs to be submitted by 12 April 2019.

After this, the Io Feminist Activist School training team will review all applications based on the set criteria and priorities and prepare the final list of participants.

Selected participants will be notified via email by 19 April 2019. Notifications about scholarships will be made at the same time.

Training Venue

Bahay ni Io International House (BnI) is a custom-designed Filipiniana-inspired bungalow house that provides a safe, women- and trans-friendly haven for guests visiting Metro Manila. BnI has lodgings, a co-working space, meeting spaces, a patio back garden, and facilities for workshops and other social events. It is located within a quiet, green corner of a vibrant hub of non-governmental organisations and civil society in Quezon City, and is near major academic institutions, a wide range of restaurants, bars, malls, and other places of interest.

About the Trainers

Susanna George is a feminist activist, a passionate birdwatcher, and a firm believer in the possibility of changing the world by changing the quality and depth of the conversations we have with each other. In the past decade, Susanna has nurtured her passion for transformative group processes and now works primarily as an organisational consultant and a large group process facilitator. Susanna has substantive experience in training feminist leaders and has a MA in Organisational Development and Leadership. She is a certified Clean Leadership Coach and trained in a range of facilitation methodologies including Open Space Technology (OST). Susanna is the current Chair of the Board of Io.

Luz Maria Martinez is a feminist activist with many years of engagement in regional feminist movement building. It is her belief that by merging feminist principles and ethos with non-hierarchical facilitation techniques, women will find more effective modalities when engaging in critical dialogues and conversations. Luz teaches at Miriam College, a small women’s college where she uses adult learning and facilitation principles in designing her classes and has developed a number of training programs for professionals. Besides Open Space Technology (OST), Luz has also experimented with World Café methodology (the Art of Hosting) in Manila and Bangkok. She currently sits on the Board of Io.

Contact Person

For further inquiries, please contact the Io Activist School Coordinator, Malen Ibanez-Tarrobago, at malen@feminists.io.

Funding Partner

The Io Feminist Activist School is made possible by the generous support of the Global Fund for Women (GFW).