Doors are now open!
The 3rd annual Feminist Summer Camp kicks off on 25th June - you don’t want to miss it!
Back for the 3rd summer in a row, it’s Feminist Summer Camp! Do you feel like you are intuitively a feminist, but don’t have the level of knowledge you’d like to ground your politics? Would you like to be better able talk about about current events without feeling muddled or unsure of the facts? Any anyways - what do feminists actually think about kids and gender, reproductive rights, relationships, or diet culture? Is there a ‘feminist perspective’?
Whether you’re a lifelong feminist who wants to expand your knowledge, or if you’re just beginning to wonder if the f-word describes you, Feminist Summer Camp is for you!
Feminist Summer Camp is a fun deep dive into the theory and practice of feminism – think of it as a bite-sized version of an Intro to Women’s Studies course you might attend at University, but with more down to earth chat and language. The course is packed full of opportunities for reflection, discussion, and connection with other campmates. You spend so much time learning about things to support your children’s development – this one’s for you!
Feminist Summer Camp happens over 5 weeks. Each week, you’ll receive an interesting, easy to read self-directed study guide, plus links to other materials like podcasts and videos to enhance your learning. You’ll also hear from me via our private Discord server - some weeks you’ll have a podcast from me, other weeks a video. We’ll mix it up! You’ll have access to other campmates via Discord so you can chat, ask questions, and talk about the topic.
You’ll also be invited to two live discussion sessions about this year’s bonus topics, which will be at 8pm BST on Thursday, 6th July and Thursday, 27th July. The bonus topics this year are feminism and motherhood and what feminist parents need to know about the kids + gender identity discussion.
At the end of camp, we’ll have a final wrap up session via Discord where you’ll make a practical plan for grounding what you’ve learned in everyday life, and taking your knowledge to the next level.
You’ll end the course with a good understanding of the important thoughts and arguments in feminist history and current feminist arguments, including:
- The main ideas feminists have held throughout the ages
- What feminists say about love, marriage, and family responsibilities
- Feminist perspectives on reproductive rights, body image/fat shaming, and how women’s bodies appear in visual culture
- The relationship between women and care
- How unconscious bias and the patriarchy affect our daily life
- Feminism and its relationship to gender identity in different national contexts
How the course works:
Each week, you’ll receive an email package of easy-to-read lecture notes on the week’s topic, along with a workbook questions, and further links on the week’s subject. You’ll read and reflect in your own time, and use the Discord server to chat, ask questions, and connect. This course is packed with information that you can revisit after Feminist Summer Camp is over.
Camp begins begin on 25th June, and is £37. Bring a friend rates are back for another year though! Because camp is more fun with friends, you can book a double spot for a discounted rate of £70.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Week 1: This is What A Feminist Looks Like
A whistlestop tour of the history of feminist thought in the western world, from the fight for suffrage to today. Votes for women, second wave feminism, postcolonial and global feminisms, LGBTQ+ rights, riot grrl, me too, decolonising feminism….and more!
Week 2: In Love and Struggle
A feminist examination of relationships, sexuality, marriage, family and love. Can marriage be truly equal in patriarchy? What’s a feminist friend? We also delve into the unsavoury world of incels and MGTOWs (men going their own way).
Week 3: Your Body is a Battleground
A look at feminist body politics, from reproductive rights to body positivity, and lots in between. We talk about the current state of affairs in the USA regarding birth control access, rights to gender-affirming care, and the hot discussion in some feminist circles about who qualifies as a woman. We also discuss body neutrality and positivity, diet culture, and bodily representations in pop culture.
Week 4: Women and Care
Globally, care work is done predominantly by women. Covid lockdowns showed us that no matter your socioeconomic status, race, or age, when it comes to the wire women are ultimately responsible for the care of children, elders, and domestic responsibility. This week we look at the connection between women and care, and what feminists have to say about the value of women’s caring labour.
Week 5: You Call Yourself a Feminist
The big one: how patriarchy impacts our daily lives. It's in everything from where we work to what we wear, how safe we feel at night, the language we use, the company we keep...and once we see it, what can we do about it?
Bonus live discussion topics:
6th July: Feminism and Motherhood
What does it mean to be a feminist mother? How has your motherhood informed your feminism, and how has feminism informed your mothering? What does feminist motherhood look like? We’ll unpack it in the live session this evening.
27th July: Kids and Gender Identity
In the USA and UK there’s been an incredible amount of debate about kids and gender identity. In this session we reflect some on the state of politics currently, and talk about the various ways feminism has been used to promote an anti-trans agenda in mainstream culture.
People who have taken the course before say:
“Motherhood has made me a feminist but I didn’t have much information about actual feminist ideas until now. I loved hearing about the ‘waves’ of feminism and also talking about media portrayals of women’s bodies.”
“It was so nice to do something just for me! I loved our conversations about mental load and motherhood….I’m not the only one feeling [overwhelmed] like this.”
“Thank you so much for this course! I always wished I had taken a gender studies course at uni. I have a stack of books to read now and I finally feel like I can talk about patriarchy without sounding like a t*t.”