All posts by UPCWGS

Announcements

Conversations through Art with Jasmine Cruz

The University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), the Art Ventures and Advocacy Network (ART VAN), and the Feminist Media Lab (FEMMELAB), in partnership with Bayi, Inc., Time’s Up Ateneo, the Candon Youth for Empowerment Movement, Inc., UP Lipad, Lunas Collective, the Nagkahiusang Magsusulat sa Cagayan de Oro (NAGMAC), the UP Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc. (UPCWSFI), the Young Feminists Collective, Sexual Health and Empowerment (SHE), Oxfam, and Global Affairs Canada, continue with the discussion series, “Conversations through Art (CTA): Tapping Various Creative Modalities for Intervention, Growth, and Transformation,” with Jasmine Cruz. The 10th session of the series, Pumapag-ibig in a Feminist Way: A Feminist Spoken Word Workshop, will be held on 12 March 2022 (Saturday), 2:00-4:30 PM via Zoom. The workshop will tackle sexual and reproductive health and rights by exploring the intersections between the craft of spoken word and bell hook’s feminist reconceptualization of love where she defines love as a “combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust.” Through spoken word poetry, participants will learn how to reclaim romantic love from the clutches of patriarchy, celebrate friendship, and exult our bonds with our community.

Performing at the event are Alvin Bello Caldona and Jesame Villa.

Everyone is welcome to this workshop but we especially encourage young women to attend. Register at https://bit.ly/CTAFemPoem.

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.

Announcements

UPCWSFI: Chikahan with Young and Older Feminists

The University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc. (UPCWSFI) is organizing a Chikahan with Young and Older Feminists to be held on 16 February 2022 (Wednesday), 2:00-3:30 PM via Zoom. They will be sharing their insights and perspectives on, as well as their experiences with, some of the important issues of women in the country.

Register for free through the link: https://forms.gle/sTYTJ8okJxZt3Y8MA.

Announcements

Call for Applications: Angat Bayi Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Program for Civil Servants

Do you value feminist leadership, inclusive and good governance, and the building and protection of democratic institutions and processes?

To all women (including trans women) occupying a director level position in the civil service, we want you for the Angat Bayi Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Program (ABWELP) for Civil Servants! If you:

  • Occupy the director level position (at minimum);
  • Adhere to the Angat Bayi principles and values (assessed through an online questionnaire);
  • Commit to attend and complete all sessions;
  • Commit to submit and implement a Likhang Bayi Proposal; and
  • Have strong and stable internet connection.

Please click here to apply: https://bit.ly/ApplyABWELP.

Don’t forget to attach your application letter, short bio note, and curriculum vitae.

The fellowship period is from April to December 2022. Deadline for applications is on 31 March 2022.

For queries, email us at [email protected].

This initiative is brought to you by the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), the UP Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc. (UPCWSFI), and Bayi, Inc. ABWELP is supported by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and Global Affairs Canada.

Publications

Finding Integrity in (Bodily) Autonomy and Lunas Collective

Finding Integrity in (Bodily) Autonomy: Unpacking the Narratives on Sexuality, Gender-Based Violence, and Bodily Autonomy Through the Lens of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Key Players is a policy brief that analyzes the assemblage of socio-economic, cultural, legal, and political factors that impede on the implementation of laws and policies that incorporate sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). It also discusses good practices and ways of moving forward that can be instrumental for women and people to reclaim their integrity through the realization of their bodily autonomy.

Lunas Collective: Feminist Care Methods as Applied to Pandemic Response is a policy brief that discusses the ways in which communities can lead the care initiative, and presents the Lunas Collective Care and Action Principles. It is important to note that community-based responses are not meant to be a substitute for public health and government services for people needing care for gender-based violence and/or sexual and reproductive health concerns.

The policy briefs and their content were developed and produced by Amanda Lee Centeno and Sabrina Laya Gacad respectively for the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS) and OXFAM Philippines.

You may view and download Finding Integrity in (Bodily) Autonomy here and Lunas Collective here.

Publications

Beyond Lockdowns: Narratives of SRHR Initiatives in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Various women’s experiences and positions, overlaid with the differing challenges of COVID-19, posed different challenges in women’s lives and access to health services. As in most crises, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted access to critical sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and hampered authorities’ ability to respond at a time when these services are needed the most. 

While sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) should be considered as an essential health service, the response has shown how needs, generally perceived to be more of women’s concerns, had to take a backseat in response to health gaps created by the pandemic. This study highlighted serious gaps in access to service and provision which were already existing prior to the pandemic but was amplified due to the disruption.

Learn key recommendations to address SRHR and gender-based violence (GBV) concerns of women and people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE) with our policy brief entitled Beyond Lockdowns: Narratives of SRHR Initiatives in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The policy brief and its content were developed and produced by Diana Kathrina Fontamillas and Alyanna Tamayo for the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS) and OXFAM Philippines.

You may view and download the policy brief here.

Announcements

Safe in Cyberspace – A Youth Fellowship for Developing Capacity and Inclusivity in the Digital Sphere: Fellowship Graduation

The University of the Philippines Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS), in partnership with UN Women Philippines, is concluding Safe in Cyberspace – A Youth Fellowship for Developing Capacity and Inclusivity in the Digital Sphere, a short course on digital literacy to counter hate speech and promote positive online engagement, on 4 December 2021 (Saturday), 4:00 PM via Zoom. The fellowship is a series of five (5) small group discussions on feminism, cybersecurity, and online advocacy, including creative workshops on photography, videography, and digital illustrations.

The program aims to build media and information literacy skills for young leaders, with a focus on women, to facilitate their positive digital engagement; craft, pilot, and roll out an interactive and inclusive training module that includes concepts of feminism and media, cybersecurity, safe spaces, and mental health, among others; surface and analyze emerging issues of young leaders, advocates, and cyber defenders on online security threats prevailing in the Philippines; and equip and empower young leaders, advocates, and cyber defenders in creating positive content online and countering hate speech, misogyny, sexism, and other online threats to women towards using social media as a platform for advocacy building.

Announcements

UPCWSFI: Newly Elected Board of Trustees

Congratulations to the newly elected officers and members of the Board of Trustees of the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies Foundation, Inc. (UPCWSFI)!

As officers and members of the Board, they will continue the legacy of the respected pillars of the esteemed organization especially in strengthening its core principles and values by creating and sharpening awareness of women and other gender-related issues; encouraging and strengthening teaching, research, extension, and advocacy programs on and for women; strengthening and vitalizing women’s studies multi- and interdisciplinary programs; initiating the integration of gender concepts in academic curricula; promoting incentives for, and recognition of, women’s achievements and contributions to national development and gender consciousness; and providing an organizational umbrella within the University of the Philippines for university-wide activities in women’s studies.