Results so far

The project has contributed to knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, movement building and agenda setting in Europe. Although we are sad that the Warsaw conference will not take place, this was not the only goal the European Feminist Forum had on its agenda, but one among different activities planned and developed. We are very proud of the achievements of the European Feminist Forum and its participants so far. The effects of the work done by the Affinity Groups go far beyond the preparations for the large meeting in Warsaw. We are confident that the effects of the European Feminist Forum will persist even after the project will come to an end. The Secretariat is presently writing a review of the results of the Affinity Groups and other planned results, which will be published at the end of the year. We hope that the publication will also contribute to the transparency of the project to all people involved, as well as outsiders. Here are some highlights:

Position papers

The European Feminist Forum Program Committee planned to commission position papers (paper or video) as part of the dialogue-building process.

Results:
 To initiate the debate on feminism and LGBT issues (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People), the Program Committee invited Patricia Prendiville, the director of ILGA-Europe, to contribute to the discussion with a position paper. Her position paper “Feminism and LBGT Issues” was presented on the website of the European Feminist Forum in August 2007.
 The Affinity Groups have contributed position papers on a variety of issues that are all presented on the website.
 The number of papers produced has surpassed the planning. The participation of people in the dialogues and the distribution of papers to individuals, organizations and networks was 3.200 in September 2007, which is higher than the minimum of output defined in the original project plan.

Website www.europeanfeministforum.org

The website is an important part of the overall European Feminist Forum. It is a space where the European feminist discussions are brought together and shared. It is a way to have the process of building the European Feminist Agenda open and accessible to all. The website is an important tool for dissemination, and documents can be published in French, Spanish, English and Russian. According to the statistics of October 2007 the average number visitors a day are 158. There are 200 website links to the European Feminist Forum site.

Conferences and other relevant meetings

Key persons involved in the European Feminist Forum will promote the Forum at relevant national and international meetings. In 2007 the members of the Steering Committee have been promoting the European Feminist Forum in annual conferences and (board)meetings of WIDE (European network), of Babaylan (Philippine Women’s Network in Europe) and the KARAT Coalition (network of Women’s NGO’s from Central and Eastern Europe). There have also been several meetings and workshops to disseminate the information on European Feminist Forum in Berlin, Dagomys, Krakow, Sarajevo, Stockholm and Warsaw.

Travelling Circus

“The European Feminist Forum is coming to you!” is the slogan of the so-called travelling circus that started in September 2007. Members of the Steering Committee and staff of the Secretariat visited local organizations, spoke at events and met with funders, promoting participation in the process. The first stop was the PitchWise Festival in Sarajevo from 6-11 September. Stockholm followed, from 12th-15th of September, where meetings and a forum debate were organised by a local coordinator. The next stop was Berlin from 19-21 September to present a workshop at the Queer Feministische Tage. Finally the Travelling Circus visited the International Media Festival in Dagomys, Russia, from 25 – 30 September.

Young women

A special networking and capacity building event is being organised by and for young women from Caucasus and Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. This event will reflects the cutting edge thinking on feminist economy, politics and feminist organizing of the new generation of leaders in Europe.

Affinity Groups

There were 21 Affinity Groups formed per September 2007, surpassing the planned outcome of 12 Affinity Groups. . The work of the Affinity Groups was manifold and played an important part in the development of the European Feminist Forum. Using the European Feminist Forum as a platform, the Affinity Groups were involved in various activities, ranging from creating videos, publishing articles, and developing websites to holding workshops and organizing national and international meetings of their members and between different groups of feminists. All this enhanced the international feminist dialog which the European Feminist Forum aimed to stimulate.