Transformative Feminist Leadership
- June to August, 2019
In order to encourage organisational leaders advancing gender equity to master Transformative Feminist Leadership, HER Fund launched the first phase of training in 2019. There were a total of 40 participants who are organisational leaders that drive changes to promote gender equity: some of them experienced burnout both physically and mentally due to the pressure they faced under organisational leadership and work culture; some were desperate to escape from the top-down organisational structure, and increase the participation of community members in the decision-making process; while some hope to break the task-oriented and results-focused patriarchal culture.
During the five-day, 21-hour workshops, participants exchanged with one another and evaluated their own experiences in areas such as “perceptive and sustainable leadership”, “empathetic communication”, “power and privilege” and so on. We also incorporated the values emphasised in mindfulness and non-violent communication, practised self-care and reconnected with our inner self and bonded with others.
The first level of workshops allowed participants to jump out of their habits that focus on efficiency and uphold rationality, which can help them to re-examine their suppressed and neglected feelings and experiences. They also explored the inner needs that were reflected in these emotions, and reflected on how gender oppression and social culture shape their communication patterns and work attitudes. When participants learn to embrace themselves and accept differences, it is also the beginning of their transformation, which enables them to seek a balance between their everyday life and work needs in the future, and respond to changes in the external environment with resilience.
