VIDEA’s feminist movement building project – funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada
VIDEA supports Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+ young leaders, including those with disabilities, with the skills, knowledge and support necessary to advance gender justice in their communities, in national and international decision-making spaces, and systemically. Through this project we seek to enhance our collective capacity to advance gender equality – organizationally, as a sector, individuals and collectively.
“Gender justice is a human right, it is the systemic redistribution of power, opportunities and access for marginalized people… Gender justice happens through the dismantling of racist and sexist systems and institutions that oppress, and through the dismantling of patriarchy. Gender justice is intersectional and centers the needs experiences and leadership of those most impacted by discrimination and oppression.”
We are grateful for all of the brilliant, bold, determined gender experts we have learned from throughout this project, including those who are new to the VIDEA community. We are guided by the teachings shared with us by Elders, movement organizers, activists and feminist leaders, from across Canada and Zambia.
We’ve hosted a number of gatherings focused on building awareness, capacity, and connections to advance gender justice. We believe that the success of these virtual gatherings (thank you all for your feedback) is because of our kind, inclusive, intersectional, strength-based, feminist approach. These gatherings have helped to guide the resources we create, knowledge and partnerships we seek out, and information we share. We uplift lived experience, community and cultural knowledge, and work hard to make sure that those most impacted by systemic violence have the support, knowledge, tools and confidence to participate in feminist and other movement spaces. Colonial systems count on us feeling uninformed, divided, and unqualified – but we hold power, especially together!
Our team has organized gatherings to raise awareness about the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people (MMIWG2S). These spaces have been centered on learning, healing, and connection while encouraging collective action and creating room to share experiences, stories, and knowledge. They are also spaces of support, where people can come together, feel seen and heard, and find the strength to keep speaking up and taking action. Each gathering reminds us of the power we hold as a community to push for justice and meaningful change.
We organized letter-writing campaigns to Members of Parliament after the government removed the Minister of Women and Gender Equality Canada. As part of this, we helped community members navigate how to contact their MPs, offering tips and encouragement to make the process feel less intimidating. These campaigns created space for people to raise their voices, share their concerns, and call for continued leadership, accountability, and real action toward gender equity.
Right now, we’re working on a national campaign to stand up against the proposed 80% budget cuts to Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). These cuts would cause immediate and long-term harm to women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people and communities across the country, especially those experiencing systemic barriers and violence, and cause harm to organizations and leaders filling gaps across the country, so we’re raising awareness and sharing resources that support people to take action.
This work didn’t start here – the funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) has enhanced our capacity – but it is rooted in decades of learning, partnerships and strategic advocacy. VIDEA’s history of promoting intercultural understanding, awareness of global issues and solidarity-building dates back to 1978, with a focus on challenging systemic injustice and violence, uplifting youth and community solutions, and advancing gender justice locally and globally.
We have spent time reflecting on this, our organizational roots, throughout this project. We have worked alongside long-time partners, feminist leaders, and a wide diversity of emerging leaders – created spaces for connection, learning, and collective action. In a full-circle moment, we collaborated with some of VIDEA’s original supporters at the Victoria International Women’s Day Society, supporting the delivery of their second annual International Women’s Day event.
Our work is shaped by a decolonized, intersectional feminism — one that is anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and grounded in solidarity rather than charity. It’s about sharing power, centering those most impacted by injustice, and creating conditions where diverse youth, women, and 2SLGBTQ+ people can lead.
Our relationships with people, organizations, and movements across the country are built on friendship, trust, and accountability — the foundation of all meaningful change. This project is another step in that shared journey: deepening solidarity, uplifting systemically excluded voices, and continuing to build our collective power towards gender justice.
