Join us on the first Tuesday of every month for whichever session(s) you want:
- 6.30 pm. Help set up
- 6.45 pm. Cuppa tea, biskit, and a chat
- 7 pm. Consciousness raising (‘CR’)
- 8 pm. Strategy and activism planning
- 9 pm. Close and help pack up
Interested? Email women@womensactionalliance.org for details. Suggested reading and resources will be sent around before each meeting.
June
Consciousness-raising: Sexualised advertising. Ugh. What have we noticed? What messages do these images convey? How is it affecting our kids? How does it affect us as a woman, and as women? Analysis of posters from Down. Tha. Mall. Building media literacy.
Strategy: What should we fight and were should we start? Where are we most likely to have a win?
July
Consciousness-raising: Rape culture. What is it? Once we define it, we can start seeing it everywhere. Why is male sexual violence against women not taken seriously? How does it affect us as a woman, and as women? Indeed, even joked about? Analysis of rape myths.
Strategy: Ongoing
August
Consciousness-raising: Pornography and porn culture. How did we get here? Why has it become normalised? What is it doing to sex and sexuality? How does it affect us as a woman, and as women? Analysis of the porn industry. Porn as an expression of patriarchy.
Strategy: Ongoing
Report: from ASASE (Australian Summit Against Sexual Exploitation)
September
Consciousness-raising: Patriarchy. What is it? How is it expressed? How does it affect us as a woman, and as women? Discussion on systems of power and how capitalism and neo-liberalism serve partriarchy to keep women down. Don’t worry, it’s just Sociology 101!
Strategy: Ongoing
Do we want to swap this session with the August session, just so we have a basic framework for analysis? Let’s discuss in June.
October
Consciousness-raising: Prostitution. Who is involved and why? Who benefits? What is real ‘choice’ and ‘consent’? Why does the pro-prostitution lobby have so much power? How does it affect us as a woman, and as women? Analysis of the prostitution industry. Prostitution as an expression of patriarchy.
Strategy: Ongoing
November
Consciousness-raising: Women’s experiences in non-western countries. What do women elsewhere endure just because they are women? Does any of this happen in Australia? How does it affect us as a woman, and as women? Female genital mutilation, ‘honour’ killings, ‘child’ (i.e., girl) marriage, acid throwing, restrictions on movement, state violence. The list, literally, and sadly, goes on.
Strategy: Ongoing
December
Consciousness-raising: Feminist and women’s history. Why do we know so little? Where are all the women in history? Who are the women who fought — and are fighting — for us? How does it affect us as a woman, and as women? Do some googling and bring along some info to share about two feminists and/or women you think we should know about.
Strategy: Ongoing
