WUNRN
Concept Note
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Nicola Popovic Training Specialist Av. César Nicolás Penson, #102A, La Esperilla Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 10108 Tel: +1 829 954-9226 Fax: +1 829-954-9209 |
Resistances in Training for
Gender Equality - 6-13 May, 2015 - Concept Note
Concept Note
Virtual Dialogues are online discussions aimed at promoting debate, dialogue, exchange of good practices, ideas, and information on different topics related to Training for Gender Equality that respond to the interests, needs and motivations of UN Women Community of Practice in Training for Gender Equality. The Community of Practice provides gender experts and practitioners with an open forum for articulation and debate, as well as a clearing house of materials and information on Training for Gender Equality. The overall aim of these Virtual Dialogues is to develop an effective and inclusive processes of collective knowledge production with the end goal of improving the quality and impact of training for gender equality and highlighting its transformative potential.
This will
be the sixth Virtual Dialogue run by the Community of Practice, following
previous dialogues on Evaluation of Training for Gender
Equality in July
2013, Knowledge on Training for Gender
Equality in
February 2014, Transformation through Training for
Gender Equality in
July 2014, Training for Gender Equality and
Beijing +20 in
October 2014 and Online and Mobile Training for
Gender Equality in
February 2015. During the Virtual Dialogue, experts, researchers, practitioners
and other stakeholders will gather to debate the ways in which resistances are
present in training for gender equality. The discussions will be synthesised
into a report which will be disseminated throughout the Community of Practice
and UN Women’s communication channels.
Resistances to gender equality often manifest
themselves at various stages of the training cycle, and can hinder the success
of many training scenarios. Resistances are located at different levels and can
be characterised in a number of different ways – for example, individual,
institutional, organisational, implicit, explicit, gender-specific, etc.[i]However,
although resistances to training for gender equality are prevalent, they remain
understudied and often overlooked in many approaches to training for gender
equality. From the perspective of the UN Women Training Centre, resistances
form part a necessary part of the process of contestation which accompanies
social change. As a
vehicle for transformation, training scenarios are thus often sites of tension
and conflict.[ii]
Resistance
is “a phenomenon that emerges in processes of change and that is aimed at
maintaining the status quo, against change.” [iii]
Understanding the nature of resistances,
their causes, context-specific particularities and strategies to overcome them
is essential if we are to accurately appreciate the challenges faced by
training for gender equality. Only by further exploring resistances in this way
can we work to enhance the transformative potential of training for gender
equality. In this spirit, this Virtual Dialogue will provide a space for
practitioners and experts to exchange experiences of resistances to training
for gender equality; develop tools and methods for overcoming such resistances;
and reflect on the potential of resistances to be harnessed for transformation.
The objective of this Virtual Dialogue is to
reflect on the nature and causes of resistances to training for gender
equality, as well as strategies for overcoming resistances and harnessing them
for transformative change.
The
following substantive questions will be discussed:
1. What kinds of resistances are
manifested during training for gender equality?
2. What tools and strategies can be
shared for dealing with different kinds of resistances?
3. What kinds of resistances are
manifested by the organisations in which training takes place and how can these
be addressed?
4. How can resistances be harnessed as
an essential component of transformation in training for gender equality?
This virtual dialogue is open to the Training for Gender
Equality Community of Practice: UN
Women and UN System Staff; governments; experts and practitioners in Training
for Gender Equality; academia and research institutions; civil society
partners, especially women’s organizations and those working in Training for
Gender Equality.
Due to the nature of this Dialogue, we particularly welcome participation from experienced trainers, as well as representatives of organisations in which training for gender equality takes place. In order to participate in the Virtual Dialogue it is necessary to be a member of the Community of Practice. Please register here if not already a member. The discussion will be available here from 6-13 May.
The
Dialogue will begin with a live panel discussion in which invited speakers will each
give a short presentation explaining their reflections on resistances and
responding to the key questions. Following these presentations, the Moderator
will then pose additional questions with the aim of generating debate between
the panel members. During the live discussion, participants will be able to
submit questions to the presenters, which will be posed on their behalf by the
Moderator.
A recording
of the panel discussion will then be posted to the COP. A dedicated discussion
group will continue over the following week, in which participants will be able
to: share experiences of resistances to training for gender equality, either as
trainer or participant; debate the issues raised in the panel discussion; and
raise further questions for reflection. Both the panel discussion and
discussion forum will be closely moderated by COP Consultant Dr Lucy Ferguson.
Panel
Members
·
Dr Maitrayee Mukhodopadhyay, researcher and
trainer, co-author of Revisiting Gender Training KIT, Netherlands
·
Tura
Lewai, Member of the UN Secretary-General's Network of Men Leaders for the
UNiTE Campaign to end Violence against Women and Girls
·
Professor
Elisabeth Prügl, Leader of ‘Gender Experts and Gender Expertise’ research
project, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva
·
Dr
Lut Mergaert, researcher on resistances to training for gender equality and
director of Gender in EU-Funded Research training programme, Yellow Window,
Antwerp
Participation in this Virtual Dialogue can take two forms – by participating in the live panel discussion, or contributing to the open discussion forum on the COP platform, which will remain open from 6 until 13 May. For more information on the Virtual Dialogue please contact tc.cop@unwomen.org.