Gender Training Workshop 25-26 August 2011

On 25-26 August, 2011, Workshop on "Facilitation /skills for addressing Gender Issues in Colleges" was organised by Population First (supported by UNFPA), Research Centre for Women's Studies and Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research of SNDT Women's University. Training Modules on Concepts, Media and Culture, Research Methodology in Gender Studies and Violence Against women were prepared by Dr. Gita Chadda (coordinator, Avabai Wadia Archives on Women), Dr. Shadara (Director, Population First) Prof. Veena Poonacha (Director, Research Centre for Women's Studies) and Prof. Vibhuti Patel (Director, Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research) respectively. Teachers from K.J. Somaiya College, Dr. Ambedkar College, Nirmala Niketan of Universityof Mumbai; Population first team, PVDT College of Education, Maniben Nanavati College for Women, P.N. Doshi College for Women, Dept. of Continuing, PVDT College of Education,Adult and Extension Education and PGSR of SNDT Women's University took part in this interactive workshop that provided platform for critical questioning and conveyed that feminism is doing, explaining, theorizing, analyzing, questioning, integrating to construct knowledge that is gender sensitive. Though there were only three men in the workshop, Shree Bobby Sista (chairman, Population first), Dr. Daya Kisan Mangal (Head, UNFPA, Maharashtra) and Dr. Devre (PVDT College for Education), they were actively participating in discussions and group activities. With the help of power point presentations, documentary film screening, analysis of newspaper clippings, images, posters, handouts, excerpts of well-known writings from different disciplines animated deliberations were ensured. Tools of decontrcution, discourse analysis, focus group discussions were used in a non-threatening and non-judgmental environment. All participants promised to organise similar workshops with students, teachers and communities.