Mission

The Women & Girls Collective Action Network is a center for consciousness-raising, training, dialogue and action around issues that matter to women and girls. We strengthen connections across communities to promote collective action. We provide resources and support to create safe spaces for girls and women to develop as leaders, learn from one another, and take action to promote social justice.

These are our guiding principles:

• We acknowledge and respect women’s and girls’ multiple identities.
• We believe that women and girls can learn from one another, and strive to provide the space for this to happen.
• We recognize the connection among the many issues that women and girls face.
• We are committed to identifying areas of shared history and experiences among women and girls.
• We believe that connecting across differences allows us to learn from one another and build bridges to challenge stereotypes about women and girls in society.
• We are committed to redefining organizing, to better reflect women’s lived experiences and multiple identities.
• We are committed to building, and participating in, a movement for social justice.
• We strive to make society a safe environment for women and girls.
• We believe in community-wide accountability and are committed to partnering with men who are allies in our work.
• Safety is a process, not an assumption.

Our Initiatives

Women & Girls CAN has several initiatives:

Females United for Action, a citywide youth organizing coalition, which addresses issues of media justice and violence against women, girls and genderqueer youth;

FUFAration, a space for young women in their twenties to explore social justice issues

the Community Accountability Project, which serves as a catalyst, documenter and supporter of innovative efforts to end violence against women & girls.

Anti White Supremacy Initiative, in partnership with the Chicago Freedom School

Status of Girls project, in partnership the Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola University, and girls groups from across Chicago.  This project is documenting the real issues facing girls in Chicago and Illinois, to advocate for needed resources.

An intergenerational writers’ circle