Feminist Society Meeting 17/04/13

Hello everyone! Welcome back (if you've been away for Easter) and here's your invite to the next Feminist Society meeting. 

17th April 2013

2.30pm

The Crumblin' Cookie, Leicester

Hope you've all had a lovely relaxing Easter break and are ready to get back down to business! Pop along for a cup of tea and some great feminist discussion. During the meeting I plan to discuss the upcoming Campus Safety Campaign and also the possibility of a spoken work/poetry night. We will also be speaking about getting the monthly zine up and running, and of course, as always, please feel free to bring up any issues/concerns or suggestions you might have!

Hope to see you all there,

Anna xoxo

Note: Photo does not belong to us, origin unknown

Endometriosis UK Bake Sale!

Thank you so much to everyone who was involved in today's charity bake sale. All together we raised £72.92 for Endometriosis UK! This is way above what we were all expecting so thank you so much to everyone who supported the event by buying the goodies, giving generous donations, baking/providing the snacks and helping out in the cold!

An especially big thank you to Sam Sharman-Dunn, Meera Mila Sakaria, Chloe Allam, Harriet Lowne, Red Imlah, Sam Read and Robert Barry for all your support!

Harriet, Anna, Chloe

Harriet, Sam, Chloe 

Anna xoxo

Thank you feminists!

Work by Meera Mila Sakaria (minus the banana)

Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting today! We were unfortunately greeted by some defaced artwork (pictured above) from the current exhibition but, in true feminist fashion, society members rose above the immaturity and named the banana 'Banana of Patriarchy' (pictured below) before half-eating it and leaving it on a coffee cup. Take that, sexism! Meera's artwork is thankfully unharmed and will hopefully stay this way!

Stay tuned for the next official society meeting which will take place in a few weeks after the Easter holidays (mid-April).

Banana of Patriarchy

Anna xoxo

Feminism and then some ...

 Here are some photographs from the opening night of Feminism and then some..., an art exhibition curated by the society's own Katie Carroll, featuring artwork by eight young feminist artists based at De Montfort University. Everyone had a fantastic night discussing all of the extremely powerful and thought-provoking work over a glass of wine. The exhibition runs until 24th March upstairs at The Crumblin' Cookie in Leicester.

Sam Sharman-Dunn

Sarah Gray

Indie Prasad

Andriana Nikolaidou

Meera Mila Sakaria

Red Imlah

Katie Carroll

Charlotte Walker

more photos to come soon...

Anna xoxo

FEMINISM AND THEN SOME... Art Exhibition!

Please come along to an exhibition curated by Katie Carroll, featuring works by young artists from the DMU Feminist Society.

Opening night:

Monday 11th March
The Crumblin' Cookie, Leicester
6.30 - 9.00pm

Live Poetry and art!


Exhibition continues until the 24th March.

Calling all Leicester Feminists!

To all current society members and anyone else who may be interested in the society (any age/gender), our next meeting is on Wednesday 13th March at The Crumblin' Cookie cafe and bar in Leicester. Come along for an informal chat and a cup of tea! The meeting will take place from 2.30pm and we will be discussing:

- Plans to create and print a monthly zine
- Committee member nominations for September 2013 (if you are a DMU Student)
- The upcoming Endometriosis UK Bake Sale (Monday 18th March)
- 'Safety Awareness Campaign' plans

... plus anything else you'd like to bring up will be welcomed warmly.


Hope to see you all there and if you cannot make it but would like to enquire about any of the issues/events mentioned, please contact AnnaRidley@aol.com


Anna xoxo



Image does not belong to us, origin unknown.

British by Dissent

Events update!

Just a quick update for anyone who may be interested in the following events (please note that dates and times are subject to change).


MONDAY 11TH MARCH - Feminism and then some Art Exhibition

@ The Crumblin' Cookie, Leicester, time TBC
The opening of an art exhibition curated by Katie Carroll, featuring a wide range of artists. The exhibition will run until 24th March. Stay tuned for more information!


WEDNESDAY 13TH MARCH - Society Meeting

@ The Crumblin' Cookie, Leicester, 3pm
Feel free to come along for a cup of tea and discussions about the present and future of the society.


MONDAY 18TH MARCH - Fundraiser Bake Sale for Endometriosis UK

@ DMU Students Union, Leicester, time TBC
Help us out by making food or baking cakes for the event, stick around to help us shift them, or just stop by and buy a few! It's all for a good cause!

For more information about the foundation, please click here.




Anna xoxo

Barnardo’s petition launched to get better justice for victims of child sexual exploitation

This week sees the launch of Barnardo’s Remember they are children campaign, in which the children’s charity is calling for our legal system to remember that young victims of sexual exploitation are children. You can support them by taking action today.

Why this campaign?

All too often, children who are sexually exploited tell Barnardo’s services that people’s perceptions of them mean they are either not believed or they are made to think that the sexual exploitation is their fault.

Sometimes this is just because they look mature for their age. It can be because their behaviour is seen as difficult or because they had sex at a young age and so are seen as sexually mature.

If these things are taken into account in a courtroom it can result in the abuse of sexual exploitation being seen as a less serious crime. What’s worse, the victim can be left thinking they are to blame for the abuse they suffered.

But a child or young person should never feel that it was their fault that they were sexually exploited, no matter how they look or behave. That is why it is vital our legal system remembers that they are children and that no child can ever truly agree to be sexually exploited.

How can we get change?

Legal guidelines currently enable children to be treated in the way that children have described to Barnardo’s. But fortunately they are currently being reviewed – this means we have an opportunity to change them.

We need as many signatures as possible to ensure a change in the legal system, so that victims of child sexual exploitation are always treated as children.

This is a great opportunity for you to make a difference to the lives of children and young people who have had a very difficult start to their lives. Ensuring a change in the legal system will be invaluable to them as they attempt to put the abuse behind them and move forward with their lives.

What can you do?

Sign Barnardo's petition.

Feminist Exhibition Opening Night

Some of the exhibiting artists
(Left to right) Ruth Schechner, Anna Ridley, Sam Sharman-Dunn, Meera Mila Sakaria, Robert Barry, Alison Leggatt

As you all may know, the opening night for The DMU Feminist Society's Art Exhibition at The Crumblin' Cookie in Leicester took place on Monday 4th February from 6-9pm. There was an excellent, no, FANTASTIC turnout from both men and women of all ages and lifestyles. Some who attended were either current students or graduates of De Montfort University. Some had heard of the exhibition through posters placed around Leicester. Overall, a very diverse group came along and The DMU Feminist Society even made some links to other feminist organisations and film makers who are currently interested in joining forces. We have also received comments from these organisations explaining how delighted they are that a group of artists have declared themselves as feminists without shame; apparently the DMU Feminist Society and exhibitions such as this have been a rarity around Leicester in recent years.

Here are some photographs from the hanging of the exhibition on Sunday 3rd February...

Indie and Sam

Amanda and Anna

Indie, Anna and Red

Monday 4th February - Opening night...

A few of the lovely people who made it down to our opening night

Lots of discussion and plenty of wine

A preview of the artworks exhibited. For more information, get yourself down to see the exhibition! Or alternatively if you cannot make it, email AnnaRidley@aol.com

Sam Sharman-Dunn

Alison Leggatt

Amanda Lynch

Charlotte Walker

Indie Prasad

Meera Mila Sakaria

Karina Geddes

Red Imlah

Anna Ridley

Robert Barry

Ruth Schechner

Anna Ridley

Red Imlah

Sam Sharman-Dunn

To order an exhibition booklet or merchandise from below, please contact AnnaRidley@aol.com. A digital version of the booklet will be available soon, and an online shop will soon be up and running for each piece of merchandise. All proceeds go towards The DMU Feminist Society.

Exhibition guides (bookets), leaflets, pin badges, patches, necklaces, underwear

Pin badges, leaflets, bracelets, necklaces

Underwear, sizes 8-18 

Donation Box

Booklets

Pin Badges

The exhibition is open to view indefinitely until further notice (at least two weeks).

There is also a Comedy Festival in Leicester, and The Crumblin' Cookie is being used as a venue for several of these comedy performances throughout February, so there are two good reasons to visit!

Like The Crumblin' Cookie on Facebook. 

Visit The Crumblin' Cookie Website.

Directions to The Crumblin' Cookie.

Please note that the exhibition is upstairs. You must walk through the cafe/bar and up the stairs on your left to view the exhibition.

Stay tuned for more information regarding our online merchandise store!

Credits to Sam Sharman-Dunn, Red Imlah and Alison Leggatt for photographs.

Anna Ridley

xo

P.S.
Spotted this during the opening night...
'BREASTFEEDING WELCOME'

Feminist Exhibition reminder...

Just a reminder to everyone that our Feminist Art Exhibition kicks off at 6pm next Monday evening (4th February) until 9pm. Please come along and check out a wide range of fantastic Leicester artists, and expect some interesting discussions and debates too! There will also be a performance artist (TBC) and plenty of drinks being served at the Crumblin' Cookie bar, as well as original handmade feminist merchandise being sold upstairs in the exhibition space. If you can't get down Monday evening, do not panic! The exhibition runs until 17th February.

The Crumblin’ Cookie
68 High Street
Leicester
LE1 5YP

Daytime telephone – 0116 2531212

Hope to see you all there!
Anna Ridley
xo

DMU Refreshers Fair

We set up a stall at the DMU Refreshers Fair to promote the society, and it was surprisingly successful! Apart from strange looks from the odd passerby here and there, most people appeared to be very open-minded and interested in what the society represents and what kind of things we do, and rightly so!

Sam, Anna, Meera

Amanda, Anna, Meera

Sam, Anna, Amanda

Sam, Anna, Amanda

I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to help out with the stall and make some fantastic merchandise!

A lot of this merchandise will be up for sale soon, so keep your eye out and please send any enquiries to annaridley@aol.com

Photographs by Meera, Anna and Sam.

Merchandise by Meera, Anna, Sam, Karina and Amanda.

xoxo