At our Saturday, September 12th general meeting, Saheli volunteers will be facilitating a new gender workshop! The facilitators for this workshop are: Janhavi Madabushi and Uma Venkatraman (more information below) who will be supported by Saheli’s Program Coordinator, Mariya Taher.
The presentation will focus on gender in connection to Saheli’s reach within the South Asian community. The workshop covers a brief history of gender in South Asia and the relevance of this topic in South Asian communities. We will also discuss themes of gender and language and look more specifically at these themes in relation to Saheli’s survivor support work. Lastly, this workshop will emphasize that violence does not exist within a vacuum. We hope to place this conversation about gender in the wider context of gender violence, immigration, and systems of oppression.
Workshop Details
Location: 11 Bedford Street, Burlington, MA 01803
General Meeting Time: 2 to 4 pm, Workshop Time: 2:30 to 3:30 pm
Who Can Attend: It is open to everyone, even if you have not previously attended a Saheli General Meeting.
The structure of the workshop is interactive and will allow a safe space for questions (both to the group and anonymously) as well as opportunities for whole group discussion. The facilitators gladly welcome all feedback about the workshop and would like to emphasize that this topic is vast and cannot be covered in just one hour. Through this workshop, they hope to be able to open up a conversation about gender and create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas and reflections.
If you have any questions or if you would like more information regarding the content, please e-mail info@saheliboston.org. We look forward to seeing you there!
Facilitator:
Uma Venkatraman is a graduate of Oberlin College, with an emphasis on Gender Studies and History. She is originally from Massachusetts and recently completed a project studying histories of South Asian feminist activism in Boston, MA. Through this project, she sought to highlight the deep histories of South Asian feminisms that are repeatedly marginalized in mainstream feminist dialogue. Uma is focused on survivor support and has worked as an advocate and as a peer counselor for several years. She is specifically invested in working with queer communities/communities of color and seeks to place violence prevention and survivor support work within the broader context of anti-oppressive organizing.
Janhavi Madabushi is a humbled queer South Asian feminist. She is serving a service year with Americorps with the South End Community Health Center as a wellness coordinator for their children’s health program and their breastfeeding support group. She is currently a student with the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance: Basic Course in Midwifery and is a volunteer for The Boston Doula Project. Next fall, she is applying to graduate programs to become a Certified Nurse Midwife, aiming to contribute to birth work by supporting marginalized voices and help advocate for reproductive justice as racial justice. Janhavi hopes to continue working towards anti-oppressive frameworks, with the goal that her work along with the tireless work of others will no longer be needed.
