By Joyce Mukucha
As the new year unfurls, the Young Feminist Organisation Fund (FRIDA) continues to believe in the collective power of young feminists to lead and transform their own communities urging allies scattered around the globe to invest in the future of young feminists.
Being the only fund and run by young feminists to support and establish other emerging feminist organizations, collectives, and movements, the organisation paves its community’s strategic vision reaffirming its members’ commitment to transformation and growth, guided by five strategic principles that will deepen the organisation’s work with young feminist communities.
In a world that is violent and harmful to young women, girls, trans, and intersex activists and communities, FRIDA highlighted that investing in the dreams of young feminists was imperative indicating that it brings sanctuary and security which are crucial necessities for learning.
FRIDA’s community-informed 2020 to 2025 Strategic Framework celebrates complexity, learning, and growing together with interacting commitments or constellations.
Over the past two years, FRIDA has been on a collaborative planning voyage, led by its Change Team, resulting in FRIDA’s new Strategic Framework.
“We invite you to dream with us of the decade to come. As FRIDA draws this phase of participatory planning to a close and we commemorate our 10th anniversary, there is a lot to celebrate. We are a community abundant in gratitude, knowledge, and love.
“The past decade is a product and testament of what happens when our communities have the autonomy to shape our own realities. We hope that you feel energized by our strategic vision and that you consider investing in the dreams of our community,” said FRIDA.
Articulating its strategic principles, for the coming decade, the first vision is ‘bridging’ wherein this constellation, FRIDA is aimed at continuing to bridge young feminist movements with much-needed resources.
“This constellation envisions shared power, collective engagement, and enhanced mutual accountability and solidarity. We are committed to bridging connections, co-accountability, and accessibility,” said FRIDA.
‘Flourishing’ is FRIDA’s second principle which entails radical care and planetary well-being.
“In this vision, burnout is replaced with value, energy, love, and balance for everyone. Systems of foundational radical collective and self – care are mutually reinforced.”
In its third perspective ‘Queering’ which is guided by creative disruption and strengthening diverse feminist movements, FRIDA seeks in the long term to make its role obsolete with widespread repair and recovery of what has been harmed and stolen by colonial histories, patriarchal economic violence, and capitalism.
“This constellation imagines the wholeness of young feminists’ realities, identities, and visions secure and welcome throughout the world.”
For the fourth constellation of ‘Co-creating’ a culture of collaboration, FRIDA envisions to strengthen collaboration over competition, engaging new Global South donors, strengthening and fostering South-South collaborations and intergenerational co-creation.
“This is, without overburdening ourselves or anyone, while sustaining and deepening our work.”
The fifth and final vision of FRIDA is ‘Moving’ with agility, flexibility and adaptability to dreams of the necessary outcomes for change to be met; for resources to move with agility to those who need it the most and lack it the most.
“This constellation envisions a reality where the principles of listening and adjusting to the changing needs of young feminist activists, is ingrained across funding spaces. With all of this growth, there is also a lot for us to learn. Learning takes space, practice, and love.”
Encouraging young people to join, invest and support the mission of the organisation, FRIDA revealed that it has an opportunity going forward to take time to look within, to strengthen its universe, to deepen its learning, and to grow even more impactful in the years to come.
The organisation applauded and expressed its gratitude to all community members and young feminist activists who participated in the surveys, consultations, interviews, check-ins and more; bringing their genuine care, commitment and honesty, and their time, expertise and wisdom.
FRIDA also commended the Change Team and its community of grantee partners, advisors, staff, board, funders who support them, hold the organisation accountable, and build it through the journey of transformation.
“FRIDA is because of you. This is here for you. To all of FRIDA staff and board, we say thank you for your engagement throughout this entire process, from ideation to finish. Thank you for your trust and care. Thank you for walking towards these constellations, together.
“As you dive into our FRIDA verse, we hope you consider joining our feminist resource ally community. We are so excited to see what is in store for us as we shift into a new era of building feminist futures together.Investing in a feminist future, whether the contribution be big or small.”