WE-Change

Americas

Established in 2015, WE-Change is a community-based advocacy organisation that works to strengthen the women’s movement in Jamaica and advocate for and with lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) women. Prior to the creation of WE-Change, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women were excluded from much of Jamaica’s LGBT advocacy at the highest level. As part of Equality for All Jamaica’s commitment to being more inclusive and engaging more women in our programmes, they launched a policy training programme specifically for our LBT women in 2014. At the end of the programme, it was felt that in order to involve LBT women in social justice advocacy a rights-based, a young women led group should be formed and WE-Change was born. Mission WE-Change is focused on equipping women with the tools to advocate and become activists for the creation of a world that recognizes and protects the rights of all people, regardless of nationality, socio-economic status, abilities, race, gender or sexuality. WE will achieve its objective of a more equitable and just world through employing an intersectional approach to matters of importance to LBQ women. WE will utilize organizational and engagement strategies that have served the advancement of the global women’s movement over time and bring the voices, strategies and perspectives of a new generation of feminists and women’s rights activists to the table. WE will promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, emotional, spiritual and economic life. Vision WE-Change envisions a world where the rights of every woman is respected and WE are treated as full human beings, with access to our potential in a caring and empathetic world where the voices and contributions of LBQ women are noticed and amplified. WE have engaged partners, civil society organisations and our primary stakeholders through our social media presence, programmes, events and campaigns which spread awareness of and promote conversations on a plethora of issues related to human rights, climate change, gender based violence, social and economic justice and the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls.