📍 Location: Cité Blue, 176 Rue Achard, Bordeaux (France)
🕒 Time: 14:00–17:00
👥 Participants: Youth from the YouthCare project and members of the Gender Commission (10–15 people)
🎙 Facilitators: Haris Paliogiannis (MIO-ECSDE), Akylas Mitilinaios (Praxis Greece) and Isabel Pascual (RIPESS Intercontinental)
Reframing Care Through Ecofeminism and the Social and Solidarity Economy
In a global context increasingly shaped by individualistic and extractivist narratives, the workshop “What Do Care Practices Mean to You?” offered a transformative space to reclaim the political and collective dimension of care. From an ecofeminist Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) perspective, more than a dozen young people and activists gathered in Bordeaux to explore new ways of communicating, defending and making care visible as a central pillar of sustaining life.
Held during the GSEF, the workshop aimed to strengthen youth participation and contribute to the global campaign led by the RIPESS Gender Commission: “And for you, what is care?”, in preparation for the International Day of Care (29 October).
Welcome and Creating a Shared Space
The session opened with a sensory exercise inviting participants to connect with the space through a color, a sound or a physical sensation. This initial circle created an atmosphere of trust and openness that guided the rest of the workshop.
A collaborative word cloud followed, where participants shared what “communicating care” meant to them. Words such as interdependence, protection, community and resistance surfaced, sparking a discussion on the challenge of taking these narratives beyond activist circles.
The facilitators then introduced the workshop goals: reframing the communication around care, sharing youth-led communication practices, co-creating campaign materials and strengthening intergenerational ties within the SSE.
Communicating from Values and Empathy
The second part introduced an ecofeminist communication framework that centres care as a political practice. Using the model Values → Problem → Solution → Hope, participants worked in small groups to design campaign messages grounded in dignity, reciprocity and the sustainability of life.
Nature metaphors —roots, weeds, sunlight, flowers— were used to represent what sustains or obstructs care. Each group appointed a “care person” to ensure balanced and respectful dialogue.
The resulting messages highlighted the need to transform extractive systems, promote community-based alternatives and imagine futures where care is shared, visible and valued.
Advocacy Through the Lens of Care
Next, facilitators and participants presented inspiring examples of advocacy and communication initiatives centred on care:
- Haris Paliogiannis shared experiences from Be2aty and SHARE GREEN DEAL.
- Akylas Mytilinaios presented lessons from Who Needs Feminism.
- The RIPESS Gender Commission introduced its International Day of Care campaign.
These examples provided the foundation for participants to imagine their own strategies and understand the role of communication activism in driving systemic change.
Care Labs: Collective Creation
The core activity of the workshop was the creative lab, where participants transformed their ideas into concrete materials for the global campaign. Through visual, digital, narrative and artistic formats, they created a collective mural responding to the question:
“And for you, what is care?”
The mural will be displayed in upcoming RIPESS and GSEF events, showcasing diverse youth voices and perspectives.
Closing and Reflection
To conclude, participants presented their creations and reflected on the day’s learnings. Key takeaways included:
- Communicating from empathy rather than confrontation
- Recognising care as a political force for social transformation
- Building narratives that resonate with diverse communities
- Strengthening youth leadership within the SSE
The workshop ended with a shared commitment to continue shaping communication practices that value interdependence, challenge systems that harm life and contribute to a global movement for care.
