[NOTE: The deadline for application for the Engendering Social Solidarity Economy online training program is extended until 8 June 2021 (Tuesday).]

The University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), the United Nations (UN) Women Philippines WeEmpowerAsia, and the Asian Solidarity Economy Council (ASEC) have collaborated in offering an online training program entitled Engendering Social Solidarity Economy (SSE). This blended learning program will run on 15 June – 30 July 2021 through the Data, Knowledge, and Information Launcher (DaKILa) online learning platform of the UPCWGS.

The course is FREE for deserving applicants as part of its pilot offering, which is supported by UN Women Philippines WeEmpowerAsia, a joint program by UN Women and the European Union (EU). Certificate of Completion will be provided to successful trainees.

Who may apply:

• social entrepreneurs
• member/s of cooperatives who own/operate their own enterprises/businesses
• advocates of SSE
• gender equality advocates who want to promote sustainable livelihoods and enterprises
• business owners and entrepreneurs who would like to learn more about gender perspectives in enterprise development and operations

Interested applicants may register through the link:
http://bit.ly/EngenderingSSE.

Deadline for application is on 22 May 2021 (Saturday).

For questions, please get in touch with Vince Hermoso of the UPCWGS through the following details:
Mobile Number: 09953422151
Email Address: [email protected]

Unpacking Masculinities through Poetry

Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities includes understanding both men’s power and men’s vulnerabilities.

The University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), in partnership with the Feminist Media Lab (FEMMELAB) and the Art Ventures and Advocacy Network (ART VAN), and with the support of the Sexual Health and Empowerment (SHE) Project, which is funded by Oxfam and Global Affairs Canada, continues with the discussion series, “Conversations through Art (CTA): Tapping Various Creative Modalities for Intervention, Growth, and Transformation.” The ninth session of the series, Ang Tunay na Lalake ay Hindi (Raw) Tumutula?: Unpacking Masculinities through Poetry, will be held on 15 May 2021 (Saturday), 4:00-6:00 PM via Zoom. The session wishes to unpack men’s understanding of their own masculinity through the use of poetry as an art form. It also aims to expand our definition of “being a man” and “masculinities” through the lens of men of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).

Register through this link https://bit.ly/CTASesh9.

CTA is an initiative by artists, advocacy builders, social workers, and those in the helping professions to collectively promote arts for social change. Envisioned as a series wherein various creative modalities are highlighted in each session, the invited resource speakers will be individuals from different parts of the world who are making contributions to the establishment of the expressive arts practice or use specific creative modalities for personal-professional, community, and sectoral development.

A Webinar on the Awareness and Understanding of COVID-19 Vaccines: Implications and Considerations for Child Development Programs

The Kalinga Day Care Center (KDCC), in partnership with the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), invites everyone to the webinar, Magpapabakuna Ka Ba? A Webinar on the Awareness and Understanding of COVID-19 Vaccines: Implications and Considerations for Child Development Programs, on 24 April 2021 (Saturday), 1:00-3:00 PM via Zoom.

Register here: bit.ly/MagpapabakunaKaBa.

As part of its celebration of Women’s Month, the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), in partnership with the UP Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc. (UPCWSFI) and Oxfam Pilipinas, will be conducting a webinar on the Situationer of Women and Men in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic on 27 March 2021 (Saturday), 1:30-3:30 PM via Zoom.

Register using the link: https://forms.gle/LKmYm58PDPf2vKU67.

Healing Power of Postcolonial Indigenous Women: Lessons from Aeta Women Healers in the Philippines and Implications

The University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), in partnership with the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS) Decolonial Studies Program, invites everyone to the webinar, Healing Power of Postcolonial Indigenous Women: Lessons from Aeta Women Healers in the Philippines and Implications, by Dr. Rose Ann Torres. The third session of the lecture series, “Site of Convergence: Weaving Tapestries of Knowledge,” the event will be held on 7 April 2021 (Wednesday), 9:00-10:30 AM (Manila Time) via Zoom.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/UPCWGSHEALINGPOWER.

Dr. Torres will talk about her research study, which focuses a reconsidered gaze and empirical lens on the healing practices of Aeta women healers as well as the lessons, insights, and perspectives which may have been previously missed. The research attempts not to be “neutral” but instead to be an exercise in participatory action research, and, as such, hopefully brings a new space of decolonization by documenting Aeta women healers’ contributions in the political and academic arena. It is an original contribution to postcolonial, anti-colonial, and indigenous feminist theories, particularly through its demonstration of the utility of these theories in understanding the health of indigenous peoples and global health.

Dr. Torres is currently an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social Science at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, Canada. Dr. Torres is the principal investigator of two research projects entitled “Caring for Others and Uncaring of the State: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Filipino Health Care Workers in Canada” and “The Role of Indigenous Healers in Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

To conclude its celebration of Women’s Month, the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), in partnership with the UP Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc. (UPCWSFI), the Sexual Health and Empowerment (SHE) Project, Oxfam, and Global Affairs Canada, is inviting you to the webinar, SRHR Conversations: Sharing of Initial Findings of the UPCWGS-SHE Project Research Studies, on 30 March 2021 (Tuesday), 3:00-5:00 PM via Zoom.

This event aims to share recent and local research studies on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) concerning gender-based violence, COVID-19, community care, and government and civil society initiatives.

To register, go to the link and input your details: bit.ly/SRHRconvo.

As part of its celebration of Women’s Month, the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS) through its Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Fellowship Program, in partnership with the Office of District Representative Maria Lourdes Acosta-Alba, the House of Representatives Committee on Women and Gender Equality, and the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance, would like to invite you to the online event, Women Can Lead: A Virtual Forum on Women’s Political Participation, on 22 March 2021 (Monday), 10:00 AM – 12:00 NN through the Facebook Live of the House of Representatives of the Philippines.

The virtual forum will feature women leaders in politics and their experience and pathways to power. The event will be an opportunity for women leaders to share strategies and insights, build solidarity among themselves, and put forward recommendations on how to enable other young women to aspire for political leadership.

The University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), in partnership with the UP Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc. (UPCWSFI) and Oxfam Pilipinas, is inviting everyone to the webinar, Local and International Laws and Policies in Line with COVID-19, on 24 March 2021 (Wednesday), 2:00-4:00 PM via Zoom.

Interested participants may register through the link: https://forms.gle/wdD5iUigpGojL7KW7.

Equal Writes is a free online tool that lets you know if a page is creating gender-inclusive content by giving it a score. It can also teach you alternatives for gender-biased terms of reference – all for its mission to make writing equal and gender-fair. This project is brought to you by Amplab Inc. and the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS).

You may try the tool here.

Through Memorandum No. OVCAA-MTTP 21-029, the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA) released the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS) Guidelines on Affirming Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Students’ Names, Pronouns, and Titles on 15 March 2021. The guidelines are in compliance with Section 1 of the UP Anti-Sexual Harassment Code, which states that “the University values and upholds the dignity of every individual, and guarantees the full respect for human rights of all members of the UP community” and “the University shall maintain an enabling, gender-fair, safe and healthy learning and working environment for the members of the UP community.”

You may view and download the memo and guidelines here.