At the intersection of feminism and environmental justice, the Womxn’s Leadership Collective for Nature and Climate Action supports and connects women-identified and gender diverse changemakers to advance innovative climate solutions. The Collective fosters deep, trust-based networks between generations of strong leaders, across identities, regions, and sectors, to weave a new power base to tackle the systems that uphold discrimination and the destruction of nature.
When space is created for womxn to nurture processes that are care based and healing-centered, we start to strategically shift systems for long-lasting change. Young women, Black women, Indigenous women, Northern, queer-identified and/or women of colour have been marginalized by colonial patriarchal systems – the same systems that threaten the health of our planet. While economists, environmental groups, and policy-makers work to “build back better”, many recommendations remain siloed, absent of feminist voices.
MakeWay is working in partnership with Systems Sanctuary, Community Knowledge Exchange (CKX) and Canadian Federal Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) to create space and respond meaningfully to the challenges womxn face pursuing climate justice, as well as to forge new paths by shifting power to womxn leaders to enact systems change.
Systems Sanctuary: System Sanctuary coaches and trains people on systems change practice, and functions as a support system for leaders trying to shift unhealthy systems.
WAGE: Works to advance equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of people of all genders, including women, in Canada’s economic, social, and political life.
MakeWay: MakeWay is a national charity and public foundation with a goal to enable nature and communities to thrive together. We do this by building partnerships, providing solutions, grants, and services for the charitable sector across the country.
Webinar learning series: In this series, we will bring together and amplify emerging and fresh voices in systems change and women-identified leadership at this moment in history. This will be a space for truly meeting at intersections and making new connections. A time for reflecting on where we are, listening, and being together. It will be a monthly deep dive that leaves you energized, sparks new frames, and an opportunity to connect to an expanding network of new leaders who are shifting systems internationally. Hosted monthly by Systems Sanctuary and Turtle Island Institute. First episode airs Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 6:00-7:30 PM (EST), To read more and register, see here.
Womxn’s leadership cohorts: Nurturing the development of seven intersectional cohorts of 100 womxn leaders from all demographics to tackle the nature, climate, and inequality crisis. The cohorts will co-create a process that is trauma-informed, peer-based, safe, strategic, and built upon understanding how to shift the systems for long-lasting change. Building off the success and lessons learned from a pilot leadership cohort launched in 2020 in response to COVID-19, we hope to continue the model of strong trust-based networks between generations of womxn, across identities and regions, and to weave a new power base to tackle the systems that uphold discrimination and the destruction of nature. Registration deadline February 14, 2022.
Virtual and in-person gatherings: Annual virtual and in-person gatherings for all the cohorts to convene and share learnings, experiences, and understandings.
Indigenous fellow and healing justice practice: We will also support Indigenous fellow Melina Massimo-Laboucan founder of Sacred Earth Solar and co-founder and Healing Justice Director at Indigenous Climate Action who is an active on the ground leader in climate justice and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movements. The intent is to create a healing justice framework and incorporate this approach into the overall initiative.
Funding collaborative: Details to follow
Community Advised Fund: Details to follow
Link to webinar on systems Sanctuary’s website (Same as above): Women Leading Systems Change — The Systems Sanctuary (systemsanctuary.com)
Link to the kitchen cabinet cohort on system Sanctuary’s website (Same as above): The KItchen Cabinet — The Systems Sanctuary (systemsanctuary.com)
CKX Cohort: About Cohort X — Community Knowledge Exchange (CKX)
Information on our Indigenous fellow Melina: Melina Laboucan-Massimo — Sacred Earth Solar
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