CAFRA Hosts Meeting on Political Activism for Young Women

The Beijing Platform for Action recognises the status of the Girl Child as a critical area of concern impeding the advancement of women and the achievement of equality between women and men. It also places significant emphasis on young women. The women’s movement, however, has had limited success in attracting young women to its ranks. This workshop is aimed at harnessing the energy of young women and preparing them for leadership.

Fourteen young women from as many countries will come together under the auspices of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), to "discover their political selves" and in so doing, recognise their role in shaping society. Under the guidance of the CAFRA National Representatives, they will be expected to influence other young women in their respective countries.

The Workshop on Political Activism for Young Women is the first of three meetings being hosted by the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action from June 13-17.

On 14 June, CAFRA’s Regional Committee will meet with representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to discuss a project for the proposed training of Caribbean Police Officers. The project is a follow-up to last year’s UN Inter-Agency Campaign of Women’s Human Rights, implemented by CAFRA and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), with partial funding from Oxfam Canada.

Later that evening, the CAFRA Secretariat will host a Reception to honour staff members Julieta Alfonso, Ann Marie Sinkia and Maggie Williams, for ten years’ service to the Association. Members of the media have been invited to attend.

Advocacy and Lobbying Skills for Caribbean women’s rights activists will be imparted in the third and final workshop from June 15-17. Featured will be case studies of lobbying techniques used at three UN international conferences, analysis of the Beijing Platform for Action, Lomé and other international trade issues and hands-on use of the Internet for advocacy and lobbying.

Funding for the training was provided by the European Commission through Women in Development Europe (WIDE), as part of the project "Monitoring and Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action – Strengthening the Organisational Capacities of Women’s Non-Governmental Organisations.