Description
In the context of a low level of civic involvement of the citizens of Bucharest in civic actions against gender segregation and discrimination, the objective of the project comes to mark women’s active presence in the urban space, and to offer alternative narratives to the dominant ones, by arguing for the need to adapt the urban space to society’s contemporary requests of inclusion and respect of difference among people. The project will develop an interactive citizenship gender sensitive programme, which will increase civic involvement of people from Bucharest in the spirit of tolerance, social equity and inclusive democracy. An interactive platform, street actions, lobby for naming a street, park or building under construction with the name of a feminine personality will be developed. The project is addressed to the citizens of Bucharest in general, mainly young people, and to the local authorities in particular.
Summary of project results
If other social institutions have been scrutinized over time from the perspective of their gender dimension (family, politics, health, education, labour market etc.) - the city was never part of such an investigation up to now in Romania. The project „Urban Discriminations. Gender Sensitive Active Citizenship Programme”, through its documentation, research and activism activities, has analysed for the first time the material city (Bucharest) from the perspective of its gender explicit and implicit segregations and discriminations. In the context of low levels of both civic involvement and visibility of women in the collective memory of the city, the project created and tested a model of active informed citizenship, combining online activities (e.g. an interactive platform – including an interactive map of gender discriminations, online publications, online petitions) with various offline interdisciplinary initiatives (book, journal, DVD, flash mob, art exhibition, contests, interdisciplinary debates etc.). Citizens of Bucharest, authorities, members of various NGOs with interests in the domain, artists, have been involved in the project contributing either to specific activities or following the development of the project, sending ideas, suggestions, sustaining the online campaigns. As a whole the project, through its activities and results, it proved the existence of various sexist manifestations of/in the city and has shown that well designed and creative ”calls” for civic engagement in the name of a gender sensitive cause may create solidarity and bring people together.
Summary of bilateral results