Equipe Hope, a group of young volunteers in the Île-de-France region, was officially created on December 13. The sorority-themed launch party attracted around thirty young feminists keen to get involved in defending women's rights and reaffirmed Equipop's desire to mobilize, raise awareness, and give young people a voice.
Strengthening the mobilization of young feminists in the Paris region
The Hope Team was created to mobilize and support young French people, enabling them to drive change for a more just and equal society. For the past 20 years, Equipop has been working with young volunteers in West Africa, France, and around the world. In Paris in particular, employees, members, and volunteers demonstrate together, co-organize events to raise awareness about sexual and reproductive rights and health, and work together to promote and defend the association's messages. This was particularly the case during Solidays where, for three days, volunteers and employees of Equipop combined their creativity and energy to raise awareness of gender equality among hundreds of young festival-goers. The Hope Team was created with the aim of strengthening, sustaining, and expanding these volunteer commitments. In 2023, this group of young feminist activists from the Paris region will participate in and organize numerous activities and initiatives, such as meetings with parliamentarians, training sessions, demonstrations, debates, conferences, film screenings, and digital activism campaigns. With the launch party barely over, Team Hope is already organizing its first meeting on Thursday, December 22, with a verbal self-defense workshop where everyone can share their tips and responses to sexist remarks during the holiday season.
Motivating prospects for 2023
The launch of Team Hope brought together around thirty people aged between 20 and 32 for an informative and friendly evening. Participants were able to find out about Equipop, how it works and what it does, as well as taking part in a range of activities.[vc_column width= »1/2″]For Blanche Holbé, a new volunteer, there was a "great atmosphere around discovery games and a glass of 'Consent On the Beach' (NDA: mocktail served during the evening). Each workshop to get to know each other and discover Team Hope was a success and an opportunity to share with each other."
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The volunteers took part in an interactive workshop on feminist communication. Some of them carried out their first action: a TikTok video on consent. Advocacy actions that could be carried out—meetings with parliamentarians, forums, public speaking training, etc.—were also presented. The young people demonstrated their talent for eloquence and argumentation during a debate exercise that was as serious as it was playful. The evening was an opportunity to share ideas and desires for action. It allowed volunteers to reflect on the future direction of Team Hope.
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"I had the opportunity to lead one of the engagement tables at the Team Hope launch party. The participants naturally spoke about their aspirations, desires, and strengths for this fledgling volunteer team. It was incredibly motivating!" – Solenn Lorre, Innovation & Support Manager at Equipop
All this accompanied by feminist music thanks to Maëlle Imbert, communications assistant at the Paris office and talented singer. See you in 2023 to find out what Team Hope has been up to!
If you are between 18 and 35 years old, live in Paris or its suburbs, and would like to get involved with Team Hope, please send an email to Philippine Lambert: philippine.lambert@equipop.org
