Feminist Community Organizing to

Promote Cities of Difference: Insights

from Canada?

Fran Klodawsky, Carleton University

Focus of Presentation

 Setting the scene: “Learning Through Difference”:

research goals and approaches

 Case Studies: Women and Cities International

(WICI/FEVI) and City for All Women Initiative
(CAWI/ITVF)

 Preliminary findings:
 effective organizational strategies?

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Project Goals and Support

 Overall goal: to link social change goals to organizational activities of

certain feminist urban-based organizations

 Support by City for All Women Initiative (CAWI/IVTF) and Women and
Cities International (WICI/FEVI).

 Three year program of research supported by Canada’s Social Sciences

and Humanities Research Council.

 Co-investigators: Dr. Janet Siltanen (Sociology, Carleton) and Dr.

Caroline Andrew (Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa)

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Approaches

 Interdisciplinary

 Engaged

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Methodologies

 Participant observation by CA, FK as founding members who

are active at the Board/Steering Committee level.

 Iterative relations of theory, practice and research, with

reflexive facilitation led by JS.

 Document archiving and analysis.

 Non-participant observation by student research assistants

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Theoretical connections

a) right to the city and links to citizenship on the basis

of residence (Amin 2006; Dikeç 2006; Purcell 2008)

b) politics of possibility (Gibson-Graham 1996, 2006,2008; Escobar 2002;

Harcourt & Escobar 2005)

See Klodawsky, Siltanen, Andrew, “Urban Contestation in a Feminist Register”, Urban

Geography forthcoming

c) *organizational practices and social change (Conway 2004;

Defilippis et al 2006; Purcell 2008; Wekerle 2005 )

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WICI/FEVI

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CASE STUDY #2 - CAWI/IVTF
City for All Women Initiative

 Ottawa-based local initiative to promote

inclusive governance in the City of Ottawa

 Website: http://www.cawi-ivtf.org/EN/home.html

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CAWI/IVTF

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CAWI/IVTF – Origins and
Developments
 Began in 2004 as a new phase of action research (since 1989) to
promote gender inclusive governance at City of Ottawa

 Prior to 2004:
 a focus on public safety and
 an examination of access to municipal services

 Lack of attention to diversity among women and acknowledgement that

existing initiatives were piecemeal and fragmented led to CAWI/IVTF

 Two pronged approach:

 Civic participation training for marginalized women
 Partnership with City bureaucracy to promote inclusive policies and programs

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CAWI/IVTF –
Overview of Projects and Budget
Year Projects (#) Total Revenues
2003 1 $63,000
2004 1 $63,000
2005 2 $60,000
2006 2 $120,416
2007 4 $132,083
2008 3 $213,500
2009 2 $153,100
2010 6 $230,840

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CAWI/IVTF –
Some Examples of Recent Activities
Project Major Funding Duration
Agency or
Agencies
Civic Participation Ontario Trillium 2004-2007
Training Foundation
Civic Participation Ontario Trillium 2008-2009
Training – Foundation
Neighbourhood Focus
Gender Equality Lens Status of Women 2005-2008
Canada; United Way
Ottawa
Equity and Inclusion City of Ottawa; 2008-2011
Lens Status of Women
Canada
Facilitation and Status of Women 2010-2013
Leadership Training Canada
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Eight organizational characteristics identified
for CAWI/IVTF and WICI/FEVI

Participatory

Solution focused

Solidarity amidst differences

Organizationally self-conscious

Multi-dimensional bridging – within the organization

Inside/outside relations with state institutions

Multi-dimensional bridging – with and between others

Embedding strategies

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 Participatory
activities and approaches are closely aligned with in-depth
discussions with broad member base

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 Solution-Focused Organization
proactive interactions with state institutions and other community
groups to identify opportunities and strategies for engagement to
achieve goals
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Solidarity Amidst Differences
encourages ‘habit of solidarity’ (Amin 2006)

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 Organizationally Self- Conscious
inclusive and reflexive interactions among staff and between staff
and other participants

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Multi- Dimensional Bridging:
within the organization
linking of classes, institutions, places

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 Inside/Outside State Relations
works with, and sometimes within, state institutions but retains
autonomy and links to grassroots
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 Multi- Dimensional Bridging:
with and between others
fosters a sense of connectedness and solidarity with like-minded groups at various
scales

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 Embedding Strategies
looks for ways to embed positive gains so less susceptible to
claw backs

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A Closer Look…

 CAWI’s Equity and Inclusion Lens

 Focus on
 Being solution-focused
 Being inside/outside state structures

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CAWI: Equity and Inclusion Lens

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Communities of interest explicitly
acknowledged by the Equality and
Inclusion Lens
 Aboriginal populations
 Visible minority
 GBLT
 Disability community
 People living in poverty
 Rural
 Seniors
 Youth,
 Immigrants
 Francophones
 Women

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Solution focused – CAWI’s
Equity and Inclusion Lens

Aim to create concrete useable tool for City

of Ottawa, while honouring principles of
equity and inclusion

Commitment to work through differences in

perspectives to reach a resolution

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Inside/Outside State Institutions:
CAWI’s Equity and Inclusion Lens

Established strategic partnerships to ease

the concerns of diverse constituencies

Drew on networks and relationships in the

community

Devised a formal yet flexible relationship

with City

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Questions Raised, Next Steps in the
Research Process
 Are the characteristics distinctive or special?
Are their applications re: feminist community
organizing for social change distinctive or
special?

 To what extent are these organizations’

impacts effective in building liveable cities for
all?

 Are these organizations’ approaches having

unexpected, negative impacts?

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Reactions, Suggestions?
 What are your reactions?

 Are the characteristics that we have identified

familiar or unfamiliar in relation to feminist or
women-centred community organizations of
which you are aware?

 Suggestions re: additional related research

activities or approaches?

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Thanks to…
 Staff, board, members and other observers of
WICI/FEVI and CAWI/IVTF for generosity in
support of the research

 Research Assistants: Caroline Larocque, Jena

Davarajah, Margaret Mizzi, Jessica Pinto

 Social Sciences and Humanities Research

Council of Canada

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