#FemFestNL 2.0 Accessibility Plan

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FemFest NL Accessibility Plan

To see plan with colour photos please click ->  Here 

The Space and Eastern Edge Gallery – 72 Harbour Drive

Entrances

Main entrance:  72 Harbour Drive

  • External double door is 6 ft wide
  • Concrete ramped entrance
  • No automated button for opening

Parking

Parking lot spaces and on street parking is free on weekends. There is a large public parking lot adjacent to 72 Harbour Drive; in this parking lot there are no designated Blue Zone spaces.

The Space

Upon entering the Space from Harbour Drive, please note the hallway has an uneven floor positioned approximately half way up the hallway. The floor dips by 1 inch for 6 feet, with a ramp installed throughout the doorways.

(First section of hallway into The Space)

(Second section of enterance hallway, ramp installed)

(Enterance into main space, ramps installed)

 Washrooms

Single stall gender neutral washroom located in hallway from Harbour Dr entrance.

  • Door width is 30 inches
  • Washroom is at least 6 ft x 4 ft for maneuverability

Designated Women’s Accessible single stall washroom located down long hallway.

  • Door Width is 30 inches
  • Stall is at least 6 ft x 4.5 ft for maneuverability
  • Grab bars near toilet

Designated Men’s Accessible single stall washroom located down long hallway.

  • Door Width is 30 inches
  • Washroom is at least 6 ft x 4.5 ft for maneuverability
  • Grab bars near toilet

Alternate Formats

FemFestNL schedule is available in braille, in large print, and on a prerecorded MP3 file.

Additional Conference Supports

FemFestNL will honour attendant passes. Formal American Sign Language for Saturday night Keynote Speaker. Certified service animals are welcome – water bowls available for working animals. Hearing Amplification device available on site from CHHA-NL. One on one closed captioning available on site as requested. Additional accessibility information and supports provided by inclusionNL…for Everyone. For additional questions please contact Kathy with InclusionNL toll free at 1 844 517 1376.

Safe Crew onsite and identifiable at all times. 
Inclusion Crew onsite and identifiable with Guided Sight Training completed from CNIB. A designated “Quiet space” area available for individuals requiring a short term space. A Cultural Support person will be onsite and identifiable throughout the weekend.

All FemFest NL events are breastfeeding friendly. There will be nut-free snacks, water, tea, and coffee at all conference events.

There will be alcohol served on site during set times.

FemFestNL 2.0 Safer Space Policy

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FemFestNL 2.0 Safer Space Policy

FemFest NL has made an explicit decision to prioritize voices of people who experience oppression, to challenge oppressive culture, and emphasize the empowerment of marginalized individuals. FemFest NL events, and all affiliated programming is a designated safer space. FemFest NL is dedicated to making all of our events a safer space for all women and anyone who has experienced gender oppression; particularly Indigenous women, women of colour, LGBTQI2S+ folks, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.

According to the Safe Space Network, a Safe Space is a place where anyone can relax and be able to fully express themselves, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation or spiritual belief, age, physical or mental ability, family status, source of income, real of perceived socioeconomic status, or lived experience. FemFest NL asks us all to be aware of language, behavior, and to consider if it might be offensive or presumptuous towards others. This is not a space for violence, for touching without consent, for intolerance of religious or spiritual beliefs or lack-thereof. If you experience language or behaviour that perpetuates discrimination, please notify a designated Safe Person or member of the FemFest NL committee. These incidences will be addressed by FemFest NL, and people may be asked to leave.

FemFest NL encourages the expression of different opinions, choices and tactics. This means as a community we must work hard not to silence each other; and also that some voices must be given more of a platform than others. We are asking that we work through these possible conflicts or disconnects as a group in this space of learning. When we disagree, let us do it in a way where we can hear each other, and communicate with care while respecting and considering context. This means also engaging with people outside of academia, non-profit sectors and relating in honest, non-discriminatory, and compassionate ways. As a community, we can work to develop safer spaces for us all.

Things we can all do to create a safer space:

  • Respect people’s physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries.
  • Respect pronouns and ask before assuming pronouns
  • Be aware that raising your voice or other aggressive body language may be understood as abusive behavior by others.
  • Respect people’s differing opinions, beliefs, and view points.
  • Be responsible for your own actions. Be aware that your actions do have an effect on others despite what your intentions may be.
  • Identify what makes a space safer for you.
  • Be mindful and acknowledge that cultural differences exist, while working to embrace them
  • Honor that safety looks different for everyone.

Adapted from Black Futures Now Toronto: Safer Spaces Policy

Safe Space Network: http://safespacenetwork.tumblr.com/Safespace

St. John’s Status of Women Council to host Chandra Kavanaugh as Feminist in Residence

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MEDIA RELEASE

June 29th, 2017

St. John’s, NL

St. John’s Status of Women Council hosts Chandra Kavanaugh as Feminist in Residence

 In the lead up to FemFestNL 2.0, The St. John’s Status of Women Council will host Chandra Kavanagh as Feminist in Residence. During her residence Kavanagh will hold a series of talks titled “Introduction to Feminist Activism.”

  • July 6th: Feminism and Activism
  • July 13th: Feminism, Love and Sex
  • July 20th: Feminism and Healthcare
  • July 27th: Feminism and Parenting
  • August 3rd: Feminism and Solidarity

I am deeply honoured to have been selected to serve as the St. John’s Status of Women Council’s newest Feminist in Residence. Many of my early experiences with feminist activism began at the SJSWC/Women’s Centre and I am incredibly excited to be able to offer something back to my community and this important organization. – Chandra Kavanaugh

All talks will be held at St. John’s Status of Women Council’s at 170 Cashin Ave. Extension, from 7-9 pm. All are welcome to attend and the space is physically accessible with parking and gender-neutral washrooms.

Jenny Wright, Executive Director of the St. John’s Status of Women Council said:

“It is an integral part of our role at the St. John’s Status of Women Council to foster feminism and create a space where the work towards equality rights and justice can happen.”

As Feminist in Residence, Kavanagh will also host a Feminist Working Hub.  Mondays from 12-4pm, beginning Monday, July 10th, 2017. The council encourages feminists who work from home or remotely to join us and share a communal working space.

FemFestNL 2.0 begins Friday August 11th and runs to Sunday August 13th, 2017, downtown St. John’s at The Space, 72 Harbour Drive.

-30-

Media contact:

Jenny Wright

Executive Director, St. John’s Status of Women Council

jenny@sjwomenscentre.ca

Chandra Kavanagh

Ethicist, author, international public speaker, and PhD Candidate

chandrakavanagh@gmail.com

About St. John’s Status of Women Council: The St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre is a feminist organization that since 1972 is continually working to achieve equality and justice through political activism, community collaboration and the creation of a safe and inclusive space for all women in the St. John’s area.

About Chandra Kavanagh: Chandra Kavanagh is ethicist, author, international public speaker, and PhD Candidate in the philosophy department at McMaster University where she studies feminist thought and biomedical ethics. Chandra has delivered presentations on political and ethical issues that have received high acclaim across Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. An award-winning feminist and labour activist, Chandra received the 2016 Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario “Sisters in Solidarity” award for her outstanding work on gender issues in her role as president of CUPE Local 3906. Chandra has 20+ publications in both academic and popular media formats with a strong focus on ethics and gender.

 

 

FemFestNL 2.0 Call for Submissions

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FemFestNL 2.0 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

FemFestNL is a festival of all things feminist, including concerts, film screenings, readings – to be held in downtown St. John’s. We are asking you to help shape the conference through a call for submissions!

When: August 11th to 13th, 2017

Where: The Space, Harbour Drive, St. John’s

Who we are: A committee of feminist organizations, students and activists who are organizing FemFest NL – a feminist conference to take place in St. John’s. It will be carried out from August 11th-13th, 2017 with a two-day forum (August 12th and 13th) with panel discussions and lectures, to happen at The Space.

FemFestNL prioritizes the voice and experience of women in our community. We welcome submissions from all women (trans, intersex, cis, 2S) and all those who experience gendered oppression (including non-binary and gender non-conforming people) and all those who identify as women for the purpose of political organizing.

FemFestNL events are open to everyone.

For this conference, will be accepting proposals for panel discussions, workshops, and interactive sessions based around feminist organizing, community activism and political action in Newfoundland and Labrador. We want to know how our community does direct political action, how they work to create community solidarity and how we can share these skills with each other.

What we would like from you: Your name and organization (if affiliated) with short two sentence bios, proposed topic, session type (panel, TED Talk, workshop, roundtable, etc.), and length of session, how many presenters (and their names and short bios if already planned).

We are prioritizing submissions focused on Feminist activism:

Direct action

Political action

Community solidarity 

Allyship

Submissions open from June 24th to July 15th, 2017 (12 pm NL standard time)
Please submit to: nlfemfest@gmail.com

FemFestNL

FemFest NL is a festival of all things feminist, with events being held at different venues throughout St. John’s from August 25-28, 2016.

FemFest NL is a women-centered community festival; we are highlighting the experiences of all women, including trans*, two-spirited, intersex and cis, all folks who experience gendered oppression, including non-binary and gender non-conforming people, and all those who identify as women for the purpose of political organising.

FemFestNL events are open to everyone, with exception of Sunday’s Closing Night Event at The Fifth Ticket Piano Bar which is a women’s-only space. The Space and Eastern Edge are accessible, with some challenges; we will be releasing our accessibility plan and safe space policy soon. All events are pay what you can at the door. Or you can purchase an ALL ACCESS PASS here -> Eventbrite

FemFestNL Safer Space Policy

Posted on

FemFest NL has made an explicit decision to prioritize voices of people who experience oppression, to challenge oppressive culture, and emphasize the empowerment of margin-alized individuals. FemFest NL events and all affiliated programming is a designated safer space. FemFest NL is dedicated to making all of our events a safer space for all women and anyone who has experienced gender oppression; particularly Indigenous women, women of colour, LGBTQI2S+ folks, non-binary and gender non-conforming people.

According to the Safe Space Network, a Safe Space is a place where anyone can relax and be able to fully express themselves, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, physical or mental ability, family status, source of income, real or perceived socioeconomic status, or lived experience. FemFest NL asks us all to be aware of language, behaviour, and to consider if it might be offensive or presumptuous towards others. This is not a space for violence, for touching without consent, for intolerance of religious beliefs of lack-thereof. If you experience language or behaviour that perpetuates discrimination, please notify a designated Safe Person or member of the FemFest NL committee. These incidences will be addressed by FemFest NL, and people may be asked to leave.

FemFest NL encourages the expression of different opinions, choices and tactics. This means as a community we must work hard not to silence each other; and also that some voices must be given more of a platform than others. We are asking that we work through these possible conflicts or disconnects as a group in this space of learning. When we disa-gree, let us do it in a way where we can hear each other, and communicate with care while respecting and considering context. This means also engaging with people outside of academia, non-profit sectors and relating in honest, non-discriminatory, and compas-sionate ways. As a community, we can work to develop safer spaces for us all.

Things we can all do to create a safer space:

• Respect people’s physical and emotional boundaries.
• Be aware that raising your voice or other aggressive body language may be understood as abusive behaviour by others.
• Respect people’s differing opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints.
• Be responsible for your own actions. Be aware that your actions do have an effect on others despite what your intentions may be.
• Identify what makes a space safer for you.
• Honour that safety looks different for everyone.

Adapted from Black Futures Now Toronto: Safer Spaces Policy
Safe Space Network: http://safespacenetwork.tumblr.com/Safespace

FemFestNL LOGO

Call for Submissions – FemFest NL

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FemFestNL is a week long festival of all things feminist, including concerts, film screenings, readings – to be held at different venues throughout St. John’s in August – including a two day conference at The Space! We are asking you to help shape the conference through a call for submissions!

When: August 27th & 28th, 2016

Where: The Space, Harbour Drive, St. John’s

Who we are: A committee of feminist organizations, students and activists who are organizing FemFest NL – a feminist conference to take place in St. John’s. It will be carried out from Aug 26th – 30th, 2016 throughout the city with a two-day forum (Aug 27th & 28th) with panel discussions and lectures, to happen at the Space. For this conference, we will be accepting proposals for panel discussions and lectures based around feminist issues related to Newfoundland and Labrador. We welcome submissions from all women (trans, intersex and cis), all those who experience gendered oppression (including non-binary and gender non-conforming people) and all those who identify as women for the purpose of political organising. The conference events will be open to everyone.

What we would like from you: Your name and/or organization with short two sentence bios, proposed topic, session type (panel, lecture, workshop, roundtable, etc.), and length of session, how many speakers (and their names and short bios if already planned). We are looking for ideas and topics related to Newfoundland and Labrador feminism to build the conference around and to gauge what our community would like to explore.

Topics to consider related to Newfoundland and Labrador feminism:

Rural feminism
Healthcare (LGBTQ)
Midwifery
Childcare
Social media activism
Non-white feminism
Women in politics/leadership
Sex work
Arts & culture
NL feminism; where we’ve been & where we’re going

Submissions open from March 30th, 2016 until April 30, 2016.
Please submit your idea to: nlfemfest@gmail.com

FemFestNL LOGO