Thinking about it but not sure if you’re ready to run for local government? Come explore with us January 13 @ 7 PM online.


Are you ready to be involved in a campaign in 2026? Register for campaign school!

This session is for you if:
– you’re thinking about running for council, school board or (Vancouver) park board
– you’re interested in supporting a candidate and want to learn how to run a reduced harm campaign

This campaign school is for people who are under represented and historically excluded from elected leadership and who want to build anti-racist, socially just, inclusive communities together. Our cohorts build lasting relationships and serve in office with the support of each other.

We will be working through a workbook that will be sent to you and if you act on the assignments, you’ll have a campaign plan when you’re done.

The next step is to click here to learn more and apply.

Is it your time to be in local government? With the BC provincial election on the horizing, we often think about what our next act of leadership will look like. We’re bringing some workshops out at the end of October 2024 to help you explore what it is like to serve at the council table, why you want to be there, and what you’d like to accomplish! We will also be including the entire Feminist Campaign School curiculum for those who are ready to dig in – you don’t have to be ready to run – you might be ready to be an inclusive and system changing campaign leader. You don’t need to know for sure – our courses are about exploring and understanding so we can all make the best choices for ourselfs.

While we’re preparing those workshops, we have quietly launched phase 2 of The Barriers Project. Local government folks can recieve (at no cost!) trainings and policy support over the next year from our experienced team. More information will be coming out soon.

In the meantime, we are reaching out to the people elected to local government in NS, PEI, and Saskatchewan to see what the experience is like serving there for women and gender minorities. Know someone in local government there? Tell them to watch their email!

Don’t miss out on anything – sign up for updates here!

The Barriers Project: Retention of Women and Gender Minorities in Municipal Elected Offices in BC and Alberta.


Click the link above to go straight to the report.

Requests for interviews, please email Trudi.

We spent a lot of time thinking about the great folks who we’ve worked with to run for office, and the experience once they are elected. It’s not enough to diversify who is at the council tables – we need to fix the experience there so leaders can govern and flourish.

So we set out to do some research with our partners at Climate Caucus and with funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada.

The final report is near. Stay tuned!

Join The Feminist Campaign School for campaign planning workshops to get ready to run for mayor, councilor, parks board, or school trustee. You can sign up for one or take all three depending on your needs. Facilitators will lead participants through a feminist and radically inclusive approach to a certain aspect of campaigning and there will also be hands-on time to get some plans down on paper. These workshops are targeted at incumbent (returning) candidates, but are also appropriate for new candidates or people who may have run in previous elections. No previous election experience is required, but we will be speaking about principles of anti-oppression and expect participants to have some understanding of anti-oppression.

Each workshop is 2.5 hours with a half hour optional at the end.

To register, email Nadine@AblazeServices.ca

Price per workshop- $40

Price for all 3 – $100
Please note this is a campaign expense and will need to be included in your declarations to Elections BC. If you would like to attend a workshop but need help fundraising to make it possible, we will happily work with you to make this happen.

ALL SESSIONS WILL BE HELD ON ZOOM
 

Workshop #1 – Power & team building

Before talking about communications, platform, or outreach, we need to discuss how we’re approaching the power inherent in municipal government and school board. If have discomfort about holding a position of power, this workshop will help you think through different approaches to power. We will also talk about team building with an inclusive approach including volunteer appreciation, campaign roles, boundaries, and more.
SUNDAY APRIL 10 6 TO 8:30 PM

Workshop #2 – Communications planning & prep

We will discuss earned media, advertising, and social media platforms. Depending on participant interest, we can also discuss candidate bios, leaflets, and website copy. We will also go through several campaign tools to help decide on issues and background ot highlight including differentiating yourself from other candidates. This workshop includes media training which is also useful on doorsteps and at all candidate meetings.
SUNDAY APRIL 17 6 TO 8:30 PM

Workshop #3 – Voter contact and getting out the vote

This workshop is particularly useful for people who are running in smaller municipalities and without formal parties or electoral organizations. We will discuss how to create goals around voter contact, how to prioritize neighbourhoods, and how to improve voter turnout by getting out the vote. SUNDAY APRIL 24  6 TO 8:30 PM

Please note that all workshops will take place on zoom and are Pacific Standard Time (Vancouver, BC time). Closed captioning will be available. If you need something else to be able to attend, please contact us and we will make it happen.

A look at how FCS is doing

[IMAGE TEXT: PINK TO PURPLE GRADIENT BOX WITH WHITE QUOTATION MARKS. TEXT: I JOINED YOUR KICK OFF SESSION ON JAN. 13 AND WAS SO IMPRESSED AND RELIEVED. I HAVE FEARED POLITICS BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE TO COMPROMISE MY VALUES & INTEGRITY TO BE IN THAT “GAME”. LISTENING ON WED SHOWED ME THAT IS NOT TRUE AND HAS GIVEN ME HOPE SINCE YOUR VALUES ARE SIMILAR TO MINE. THANK YOU!!]