Yekîtiya Star

Flag of Yekîtiya Star

Yekîtiya Star (Kurdish for Star Union of Women) is a women's organization in Rojava, northern Syria. They have been instrumental in the significant advances made in gender relations in the region.

The organization focuses on organizing women's communes which focus on economic opportunity and development, consciousness-raising and self-defense for women.[1]

Academies

Yekîtiya Star has established several academies in which

Yekîtiya Star Academy was founded in 2012 and provides instruction through the framework of Jineolojî (Kurdish for "women's science"), a term coined by Kurdistan Workers' Party leader Abdullah Ocalan. The Academy offers an introduction to Jineolojî, an exploration of the economy from a feminist lens in which women are seen as central actors in the economy, civics as practiced in Rojava as well as other subjects.[2]

The student body ranges significantly, from college educated young adults to the illiterate elderly. The pedagogy of the school emphasizes the personal authority of each student and encourages a more interactive relationship between teacher and student, similar to the teaching philosophies of John Dewey and Paulo Freire.

Each program culminates in a final session called a "platform." A platform is an opportunity for a student to announce how they will participate in the Rojava Revolution.

Communes

There are dozens of communes throughout Rojava, including in the towns of Til Temir,[3] Efrîn,[4] Axcelê, Baflûrê, and Cindirês.[5]

Publications

Yekîtiya Star also publishes Asoya Jinê, a women's magazine covering "a variety of topics including political and social affairs, interviews with women, and a space devoted to women guerrillas who have fallen in the struggle. There is also Kuncika Malame: a forum for readers and followers to share feelings, poems, memories and stories, as well as a space for mothers to discuss handicrafts."[6][7]

Other Activities

Other projects and activities are organized by the organization, including the opening of a park in honor of Kurdish leader Abudllah Öcalan's birthday,[8] campaigns and demonstrations against honor killings [9] and the creation of safe houses for victims of domestic violence.

References

  1. ↑ "Rojava: the women who wove a revolution - 1". JINHA. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Biehl, Janet. "Revolutionary Education - Two Academies in Rojava". Ecology or Catastrophe. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Yekîtiya Star establishes all-women commune in Til Temir". Hawar News. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Women establish commune center in Efrîn". Hawar News. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "3 commune centers open in Cindêris".
  6. ↑ "A new women’s magazine launched in Rojava: Asoya Jinê". JINHA. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Rojava: the women who wove a revolution". JINHA. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  8. ↑ "Women open a park for in memory of Öcalan’s birthday". Hawar News. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Yekîtiya Star staged demo against honor crimes". Kurdish Info. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
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