The FIERCE project intends to combine the study of anti-gender forces in Europe with research on and support to feminist movements to defend gender equality policies and expand those beyond binary conceptions to integrate an intersectional approach that contrasts sexism along with racism, class -based inequalities, homophobia and transphobia, ageism and ableism etc.
FIERCE labs are one of the central components of the project, intended to integrate research activities with the implementation of 9 labs, coherently with the overall Participatory Action Research approach.
In particular, 8 labs have been launched in Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey, engaging feminist movements and organizations mostly, and institutional allies — party representatives or policy implementers —, as well as scholars.
In parallel, one transnational forum will be a space of exchange for the participants of the national labs, as well as a place of encounter with members of the feminist actors active at a European level.
At Smart Venice we have worked hard in tailoring a co-creation methodology for the project that conceives Labs as action-oriented spaces of dialogue amongst feminist movements and their allies to address the most pressing issues on the feminist political agendas and thus strengthen and expanding intersectional alliances and strategies in a political landscape where anti-gender discourses and political forces are rampant.
The complete process will last a year. After coordinating training and mutual learning sessions for and with the FIERCE partners since early this year, in June/July 2023 the first of the three co-creation cycles has been completed in 7 out of the 8 partners’ countries, via face to face Labs meetings.
Meanwhile, we are busy preparing for the first European level Lab meeting in Brussels, scheduled to take place on 19th September. The entire co-creation process will feed into the Launch of an Open Call for Feminist Democratic Actions to support feminist movements/NGOs in their campaigns and activities.
We will keep you updated! Stay tuned to our social media channels to be aware of all our upcoming actions!
