We are less than a week away from the 2022 Conference on Gender and International Affairs, and as a team would like to take some time out to give thanks for our community here at Fletcher. Organising this conference over the past six months has been an overwhelming journey. There have been surprises, some good, some less than. But most importantly, there has been support.
So, if you’re reading this, and have, at any point in the past six months, checked in on how conference prep is going, lent a patient ear to someone’s rant about difficult logistics, brainstormed back up plans in the hallways of Fletcher, sent messages of support to your friends on the CGIA team, help spread the word in your networks, or shared in our joy, sadness, anxiety, and excitement in any form, this conference is a celebration of YOU.
We want you to know what a remarkable and brave choice you make, when you choose to show up for another human being. As our lord and saviour Audre Lorde famously said, “Without community there is no liberation.” The overwhelming support we have received exemplifies perfectly what our theme “Challenging for Change” stands for. You, by demonstrating kindness to us and each other, have chosen to challenge, in the most beautiful way, the capitalist heteropatriarchy that tries to define us. You are at the centre of an important movement, the only movement that holds within itself the power to truly change the world.
Please join us next week, on the 18th and 19th of November, as we hear from some wonderful individuals who too, have chosen to be part of this movement by resisting the system in their own beautiful way. Be it Dean Kyte and Rector Federica Mogherini discussing education itself as a form of resistance, or Former Mayor Kim Janey, showing us how happiness can be a policy decision, we promise you that this Conference will hold space for you, celebrate the emotional labour you put into challenging for change, and energise you before releasing you back into the world as future leaders who are ready to fight with kindness and care.
Come celebrate yourselves, your resistances, and the healing power of a supportive community. Register here.
Our wonderful friends at Ginn Library are currently displaying an extensive collection of books providing a crash course in gender and intersectional analysis and a preview into the conference theme. Please stop by and explore.
PS: If you find yourself with a sudden urge to support us, here is the crowdfunding link for you to share with others or donate to.