The first online feminist school in Alcorcón was a success

It was spurred on by coronavirus lockdown measures during the month of June

On 1 July, a presentation entitled “The city that we need” given by Raquel Rodríguez, Councillor for Feminism and LGBTQ Rights in the local municipal government, was the culmination of a nearly month-long course. Its graduates were 30 women who attended five presentations remotely.

This might represent a new approach to human rights issues

The online school served as a mixture of an educational platform, safe space environment and a debate forum concerning topics relevant to women’s concerns. Previous presentations dwelt upon issues, such as the economy from a gender equality point of view, sexual violence and its prevention, the social situation of senior women and aspects of self-care, as well as the ethics of care in general.

“This school has been a very enriching experience because, in addition to being able to learn from speakers as exceptional as those who have participated, we have been able to share a space for feminist debate and analysis through the experiences of our neighbours, helping us to better understand the reality of our city. Our objective is to turn Alcorcón into a benchmark city regarding the issue of Equality. We will achieve this, firstly, by listening, and secondly, by putting ideas into action,” summarized the experience Councillor Rodríguez for the municipal web portal.

The seminars were organized over the web platform Zoom giving chance for equal participation. This kind of feminist initiatives were also offered in other municipalities in the southern periphery of Madrid, such as Coslada, trying to address the critical circumstances in which many women found themselves during the coronavirus lockdown.

The online school was considered a success since it helped establish new contacts between participants and Councillor Rodríguez is confident that there will be future seminars of that nature.