World Student Christian Federation Asia Pacific Region

Regional Women’s Programme

Concept Paper on Gender Sensitivity Programme for Women and Men Partnerhsip

Rationale

Gender socialization has always been an influencing factor in determining the roles, images and identities of men and women, conditioning them to certain standard ways of behaviour, assumption, and perception of themselves as well as of each other. Many a time, these conditioning create frustrations in understanding each other and could even result in a very convenient manner of making assumptions on gender and its issues. All these happen is mostly due to the lack of communication and dialogue as well as a platform for active and involved discussions between men and women.

In the recent years, WSCF AP has consciously encouraged the male members of the federation into an active role and participation in the women’s programme, while maintaining its distinct and specific identity of being a women’s programme for women and by women. This effort came out from an evaluation that although the women’s programmme has successfully reached its target audience (the large number of women members in the federation), it has yet to bring the same success to the male counterparts. After much debate and argument on whether it is the women members and women’s programmme responsibility to raise the level of awareness of men on gender and gender issues, the members of the Regional Women’s Committee (RWC) of WSCF women’s programmme agreed to accommodate both concerns. Hence, this year’s programmmes would include men as participants to the activities, and would initiate and facilitate dialogues for men and women in the Federation. The ultimate concern would be the integration of gender concerns and ideas in the consciousness of the constituency of the Federation and National Movements.

Time : November 7-16, 2001

Venue : YMCA Wu Kwai Sha Youth Village, Hong Kong

Participants : 16 men and women from all member movements, 2 form host committee

Resource Persons: 1) Rose Wu for Bible Studies on Exposure Places; 2) Chan Lean Heng for Gender Concepts & Issues; 3) Hope Antone for Bible Studies on Perceptions/Images/Identities on Women & Men in Old & New Testaments, and Women & Men disciples in the Gospel; 4) Yong Tingjin for Partnership issues and Bible Studies in the contexts of WSCF and SCM.

Exposure Places: 1) Bethune House for abused women espcially foreign workers in Hong Kong; 2) Ziteng, centre for sex-workers in China & Hong Kong; 3) Traditional Village in Hong Kong which still maintain the patriarchal rules and regulations for women villagers.

Goals :

The goal of this programme is mainly:

1) to raise the level of consciousness of men and women in the Federation through an activity that enables them to share their perceptions, ideas and concern on gender and its issues;

2) to enable men and women to understand the importance of being in partnership in the context of WSCF, SCM and the ecumenical movement. This will inculcate a generation of youths that are gender sensitive as well as in constant practice of an inclusive, peaceful and holistic faith.

Thereafter, a common framework on gender understanding and partnership within the Federation and the National Movements could be formed and practised.

Objectives:

To enable participants understand the importance and relevance of women issues; discussing on women’s issues that will gather and galvanize support from the male members of the Federation;

To enable participants understand the implications and problems of gender socialization on roles, images and identities of both sexes;

To enable participants learn the importance of being gender sensitive and the need for partnership with each other toward a more humane and compassionate world to live in;

To facilitate the development of strategies and plans for gender and partnership work in the national movements;

To enable participants identify and gain new knowledge and skills relative to handling gender and partnership programmes;

To enable the participants to share their experiences and thoughts on gender, gender issues, gender and partnership work. Also to critically assess these experiences so as to improve and strengthen the Federation and movements understanding on gender and partnership work;

To encourage men in SCMs and WSCF to support gender and partnership programmes and participate in programmes and activities for women (national and regional level);

Components/Activities:

Exposure to groups working on Women’s Issues

Focus Groups Discussions on Women’s and Gender Issues

Basic Gender Awareness Sessions

Input on Gender Issues and Gender Concepts

Men and Women Caucuses – individual and joint

Input on Partnership Issues between Men and Women (Biblical, Spiritual and Practical – in the contexts of WSCF and SCM)

Planning and Visioning on Gender Programmes