A thriving ecosystem

is at the heart of our approach

We drive change through collaborations with funders, policy makers, activists, culture change makers, artists, and practitioners who work with and for girls across the world. By fostering a stronger, more collaborative intergenerational movement of people who believe in the power of girls, we can move beyond silos and build our collective power to better resources and support them.

WE ARE GROUNDED IN AN UNSHAKABLE BELIEF THAT GIRLS' POWER AND RESISTANCE ARE KEY TO OUR COLLECTIVE LIBERATION.

WE ARE GUIDED BY THE POSSIBILITIES WHEN WE ASK: WHAT WOULD THE WORLD LOOK LIKE IF WE SUPPORTED GIRLS’ DREAMS?

Since 2019, we have collaborated with a community of over a hundred storytellers, story curators, artists, and activists from across the world to document and amplify the untold stories of girls, women, and non-binary people’s resistance.

Grounding Principles

Centre lived experience

Our approach centres the lived experiences, power, and resistance strategies of those most impacted by oppression. Recognising the interconnectedness of systemic injustices and the power of solidarity and collective action, our work adopts a transnational lens.

Dream of liberation today and tomorrow

Girls have the right to joy, play, and freedom – in their lives today, in their social change efforts, and as they dream of possibilities for their future. We believe that the liberatory practices that are implemented today will be reflected in the future and centre this in all of our work.

Stronger through collective wisdom

We honour intergenerational wisdom and hold a deep belief in multiple ways of knowing that are intersectional, creative, and accessible.

Guided by intersectional feminism

We recognise the intersectionality of systemic injustice and use a lens of racial/ethnic, economic, disability, and gender justice that prioritises cisgender and transgender girls, as well as gender nonconforming youth. We seek to dismantle the ongoing impacts of colonisation and how it is embedded across practices, policies, and systems.

Work in collaboration & partnership

We focus on bringing together the work of many to amplify the collectively held wisdom of those deeply embedded in this work. We work in collaboration, not competition, to strengthen the ecosystem, rather than for one organisation, sector, or approach.

Our Story

Our Collective Practice was seeded in 2020, building on decades of direct work and organising with girls and young people, movement activism, and philanthropic advocacy. Moving between these spaces magnifies the disconnect between the work and activism led by, with and for girls – and the conventional wisdom and dominant narratives that are driving decisions made by people in positions of power about girls.

This isn’t a new phenomenon. However, in 2020 there were drastic shifts in the girls’ and young feminists funding ecosystem at a moment when the world was turned upside down – leaving so much at stake for girls. In response, Jody Myrum, Rosa Branksy and Ramatu Bangura organised to identify gaps and opportunities in the ecosystem that would hold the line on girls and Our Collective Practice emerged as a response. We honour the role of the curators and team from the Stories of Girls’ Resistance, an initiative held at Our Collective Practice, and where this body of work continues to evolve in ways that are accountable to girls and young feminists' dreams and resistance strategies.