The current context challenges us every day to create new alternatives to move forward. With courage and determination, we transformed our face-to-face Dialogue into extensive virtual conversations. This year's methodology was "Talking through the windows" and this is how we broadened our horizons.
The butterflies or stars that are part of our new name, ELAS+, which was presented at the opening of the Online Dialogue by our President of the Council, Helena Theodoro, and our Executive Coordinator, K.K. Verdade. The stars flew brightly, as women fly for determination and resilience to continue our fight for rights. We learned a lot in the talking, shouting, laughing windows! And more than talking, we experienced that we are more! Groups and organizations of black, indigenous, quilombola, domestic workers, sex workers, lesbians, bisexuals, trans women and men, women with disabilities, women from terreiro, from favelas and peripheries, from the countryside, cities, forests. Young activists and those who have been young for longer.
The meetings took place over four days: July 1, 2, 5 and 6, 2021. The complete program, themes and participants of the roundtables, workshops and panel were made available on an exclusive website so that everyone could be informed about the rooms and themes.
The rooms created for the Dialogue were named after honorees: Marielle Franco Room and João Nery Room. There were 30 hours of conversations in the windows which included participants from several countries on three continents: America, Europe and Africa.
We talked about Pandemic, COVID 19, Inequality and Poverty; Anti-Racist Activism; Gender Violence, Domestic Violence and Feminicides; Land Defense and Territories; Mobility, Capacitism and Territorial Segregation; Political Participation and Elections; LBT+ Rights ;Climate Justice, Environment, Field and Forest Knowledge; Activism and Mental Health and about Alliances and Collective Action.
In addition, we had two thematic workshops on Digital Security, Data Protection Law, Communication and Telework and Technology. We also had a panel with funders on "Where are the resources for women's and trans activism?".
We recreated the "coffee and lunch hour" in an online chat application, stimulating exchanges, relationships and the important formation of alliances.
The ELAS+ had the support of translators of Libras and English and in the technology area. We are very grateful to everyone who helped with the "Conversations at the Windows". It was possible to deepen the themes in dialog and advance in alliances and collective action.
Leaders of women's groups and transgender people from all over Brazil shared their challenges during the pandemic and told how they found solutions to not stop. They all valued the resource that was made flexible by ELAS+ and how it enabled autonomy in meeting emergency humanitarian needs and made it possible to take important steps towards institutional support. Organizations and groups felt the problems created by the pandemic, in addition to the Brazilian situation.
To give you an idea in numbers, more than 250 participants were gathered at the opening circle alone.
There were more than 300 activists, representing about 150 groups and organizations of the most diverse, from all parts of Brazil, showing their resistance, talking about their activism, the defense of democracy and the promotion of transformations.