FRIDA on the EDGE: Holistic Security focus

When I came across FRIDA: The Young Feminist Fund a few months ago I fell into a kind of ally-partner-network love daze. Working across the global south, they’re “… committed to bridging the gap between young feminist groups and access to resources.” And they seem to do it oh so well.

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to be thinking with one of their associates, @nadiael, who works across the MENA region and other parts of Africa. We’ve come up with what I think is a super exciting and on point project around digital security and self-care for young feminist activists and innovators. It weaves together many areas of Edgeryders work - such as the MENA Youth Platform, the Research Network, OpenVillage/the Reef and the Academy.

As we begin to explore funding pathways (@nadiael is in NYC at the Commission on Women flagging it as we speak), we thought to open it up to our collective braintrust - you - and see if you had any feedback or thoughts.

So when and if you have a moment, please take a look at a 2.5pg concept note here and let us know what you think.

Heartfelt thanks :cherries:

Ping @nadia @alberto @teirdes @matthias @Geminiimatt @nabeel_p @woodbinehealth @ramykim @zmorda @owen @hazem @markomanka @johncoate @gregoiremarty @matteo_uguzzoni @hugi @dorra-b @Sohayeb @Romy @Yosser @noemi

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Hello @anique.yael ,

Interesting read here. The introduction of your note got me into it, since I definitely share and care about what’s mentionned right here:

The infiltration of capitalist and colonial mechanisms of power and their effects is not a new challenge facing social-political leaders and engaged citizens. Nonetheless, the intersection of complex decolonial transitioning with the nature of digital innovation and flawed democratic apparatuses, calls in progressive and nuanced responses to open access for personal and collective autonomy.

Your choice of semantic here also give a great picture of how violent this field can be. And, as a white male living in Europe, I’m definitely not the one that could give the best testimony of it…
Yet, as I read your prez, I feel we share common visions on how emergencies could be handled by local communities, on a global scale. And as you often imply in the note, it might be a question of tools, and how to get / build / have access to them.

@SyMorin and I are currently trying to build a project around local food cycles. It’s still at a too early stage to be shared properly here, but some of our inputs join yours:
MAPPING => The fact that we need to map places and people, as a growing basis to gather energies, networks, communities, patterns, …
PLATFORM BUILDING => In order to show the datas collected and how everything is growing and moving forward. Also a good place to empower those who needs solutions, and organize a cause (wich comes with a manifesto of some sort).
SEMANTIC WORK => Language can be a source of colonialism perpetuation, we all know that I presume. It is important I think to use the local terms and avoid any globalisation of semantics.
INTERSECTIONNAL WORK => Cross topics workshops and think tanks might be a good way to transform intersections of causes into real and pragmatic connections, with everything that implies: solutions, structures, tools, etc.

There are quite others leads that could be taken as well, but basically, your note says it all for now.

how could we / I help more now?
What’s your next move?

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Done, in the form of comments on the doc.

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Thank you so, and also to you @johncoate :blush:

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