Where next?…

We hope you all enjoyed the march as much as we did, we really felt the atmosphere was incredible and the overall energy was one of fun as well as purpose.   The men’s discussion group was a huge success, with around 15 men joining to discuss how they can actively end violence against women, and from this they had the first Edinburgh White Ribbon group on Thursday night.   The rally was amazing and very moving, with Sandy Brindley and Iain Wallace speaking passionately about their role in ending violence against women. Women from EFN read survivor stories, an incredibly powerful reminder of the impact of rape and sexual violence and why we need to continue challenging the society in which rape occurs.   We decided that from now on our motto should be Yay! Feminism! as the march really reflected the passionate enthusiasm that all women have brought to EFN organising.   On Wednesday 24th October EFN will host the first of many organised discussion groups. This has been a fluid process so far with women from facebook and meetup coming to meetings and informally discussing issues we all face as women.   This week however, we will be hosting a discussion on “What does feminism mean to you-would you call yourself a feminist?” Which looks like it will be a great starting point to continue the enthusiasm of women after the march.   This will be 7-9ish at the Harlequin Café, and we hope that from about 8:30 onwards we can have a get together over some wine and cake-so bring whatever you can carry if you can!   We will also provide some interesting resources-from blog print outs, magazines, music to traditional books for all women to have a look at, and if you have anything you want to bring, please do-it’s a feminist show and tell!   The discussion group will be women only and whilst we actively welcome all women’s voices, we would also like to create a supportive environment, where we can come together to be heard and respected. If any men are interested in how they can get involved, the new Edinburgh White Ribbon group will soon be up and running.   We are also in the process of defining our shared aims, and hopefully within a few weeks we will be able to let women know what we plan to achieve and represent through EFN.   If you know of anyone who may be interested in any part of EFN’s work, please get in touch, and we look forward to seeing all you women there on Wednesday! Edinburgh Feminist Network