The insights I have gained over this 7-week course are nothing short of miraculous for me. With a lifetime of anger and even combustible rage at the constant barrage of patriarchy I have experienced, this course has allowed me breathing space to start trusting that change is possible, and even within my lifetime. I shared this online space with men and women of courage who were not afraid to be vulnerable, and not afraid to listen or to be heard. Thank you, GERI, for this transformational journey of love, compassion and empowerment.
~ Ananda Fuchs, South Africa
“When I heard the other women tell their stories, and I related to them, I was like, ‘Oh, okay, now, today – 2nd of November 2022 – today is the day of releasing; because you have been given the opportunity to release, the opportunity to be courageous, the opportunity to heal, and to move on.’
When I started talking, I just kind of laid [my story] all out there, and having the men listening was really helping me. It was like, ‘I’m here, I acknowledge you, I hear you’
I got to share how this whole experience, the experience as women sharing our pain, our disappointments, and when the men reflected back, I saw it in them, I saw the vulnerability, I saw they really were sad on our behalf, and I saw how – I promise you – from today onwards, they are going to look at us differently. . .
This was a safe place for me; I didn’t feel any judgement, and I don’t feel ashamed anymore. I see men differently, and was able to listen to them without interrupting, to actually feel their pain. And from all this I am coming away with the healing”
~Woman Participant, South Africa
“This provided a platform to me to deeply reflect on some of the wounds I have faced as a man over years, and this is providing me a way and a means to look at myself and face my own healing.”
~Man Participant, South Africa
The year started off with excitement and much anticipation for the expansion and growth of the GERI work in southern Africa and the rest of the African continent. Ever mindful of the spirit of ubuntu, the intentions that vibrated alongside this excitement focused on creating more awareness of the GERI programme, increasing visibility and presence in our in-person workshops, highlighting greater voice on social media platforms, and formalising partnerships for collaboration in the shared vision of a gender-healed society. Genderworks, the South African non-profit affiliate partner of GERI, implemented extensive networking and the parallel summit conference, and was also served by a dedicated team of volunteers, all of whom are GERI trained facilitators, facilitator interns, and some serving the global GERI work as trainers and senior trainers.
Gender-based violence has been declared the second pandemic in South Africa and many projects, conversations, and programmes were embarked on across the country. Some of these interventions created opportunities for the GERI work to be shared in formal and informal ways. Online and in-person introduction sessions were offered as individual events or integrated into meetings, conferences and other public events with the aim of sharing how the GERI programmes offer impactful and transformative interventions addressing the issues relating to gender-based violence. These events offered and continue to offer valued opportunities for connection at individual, organisational and community levels and have created the foundation for further exploration and implementation of the GERI work in 2023 and beyond. The GERI MeToo to WeTogether programme was offered in two online, 7-week courses, one starting in early February and the other in August. Both courses had a global audience participating.
Groendal is a small community situated at the foot of a mountain range as part of the town of Franschoek just outside of Cape Town. Crime and violence are part of the daily lived experiences of many of the community members and a group of them participated in a GERI Introduction workshop in early October as part of in-person events hosted in honouring the 30-year celebration of the GERI work and to create awareness of programmes that could be a source of intervention at the community level to address the impact of and also to contribute towards reducing the prevalence of gender-based violence. This community-level intervention is definitely part of the future plans of the GERI work in 2023.
The conclusion of a formal Memorandum of Agreement in November with the Chrysalis Academy, a leading youth development academy in Cape Town, was a highlight and cause for great celebration as it will strengthen the implementation of the GERI work within institutions and the work of communities focussing on the empowerment of youth. This partnership will also foster and facilitate access to and collaboration with a greater network of government and educational institutions. Chrysalis Academy also has an internal team of trained facilitators who supplement and complement the broader team of resources actively implementing the GERI work.
Engagements with tertiary institutions such as the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the University of Stellenbosch (US) have gained positive ground towards the implementation of the GERI programmes for academic and administrative staff as well as students. Specific events that contributed to this are a 90-minute online GERI Introduction session hosted for a group of staff members from across all faculties of the University of the Western Cape in July as well the presentation of a half-day GERI Introduction workshop as a pre-conference event for the conference participants of the University of Stellenbosch “Legacies of Violence” conference in December.
A highlight was the invitation to address the South African National Men’s Parliament on 21 November. A visiting GERI facilitator and trainer, Garrett Evans from the USA and Canada humbly and with great heart addressed the parliament, hosted in the National Council of Provinces Chamber at the parliament buildings in Cape Town. This event offered the opportunity to engage with national and provincial coordinators and office bearers in the work of the National Men’s Sector. This is significant for the GERI work as it created a valued connection within a national network and the introduction of the GERI work was warmly received with great interest and invitations for further dialogue in the new year.
The conditions and environment in which we always aim to present the GERI workshops are that of physical and emotional safety, comfort and ease. The reality and context often are that participants and facilitators alike need to navigate challenges beyond their control. These include the aspect of electricity outages, which has been part of the South African reality for a few years now but brought to the forefront in a major way during this year with record-breaking periods of load shedding of electricity, impacting the logistical and operational arrangements for both online and in-person programmes. Despite this, the spirit of ubuntu, resilience and determination prevailed, and all interventions were implemented with commitment, heart, compassion and love. This is the way it will continue.
The aspirations and plans for the GERI work to continually grow and flourish in 2023 and beyond includes a focused intention to build on the individual, organisation and community connections made during this year. This will include scheduled meetings with individuals and groups; getting to know and understand the context of provincial and national plans with regard to GBVF (gender-based violence and femicide) and clearly demonstrating how the GERI work can be instrumental, impactful and transformative in the agenda to end GBVF and to offer, invite and influence a new language and expression toward the reality of a gender-healed society. In order to achieve this funding and human resources are needed and much of the work and plans will also be in realising what is needed through partnerships successful funding applications and leveraging the power of community.
~ Desireé English, GERI Director of Training in Africa and Chairperson of Genderworks EXCO