The Center for Girls from Niš was part of the 15th AWID Forum, held in Bangkok (Thailand), which was attended by 3,800 people from all over the world. In addition to the Center for Girls, in the group from the Balkans, there were: CURE Foundation (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Women's Vision (Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Roma Women's Network (Serbia), Alternative Center for Girls (Kruševac, Serbia), BeFem (Belgrade, Serbia), TRAG Foundation and Reconstruction Women's Fund.

What can you hear/see on AWID?

The first impression at the AWID forum was a sense of community and the beauty of diversity - a multitude of people from Africa, Asia, America, Europe, different colors, traditional costumes, languages, different sexualities and gender identities. In a moment, it seemed as if the whole world had stopped in one building.
During 4 days, the representative of the Center, Sara Plazinić Nikolić, had the opportunity to attend various panels, workshops, forum theaters, discussions and other activities on the topics of: violence against girls and women, rights of sex workers, invisible work of women in the household, LGBT+ rights, legalization of abortion, prevention of child marriage, problems of women in war zones, migrant women, climate change and its impact on indigenous women, feminist association against fascism, racism and colonialism, the role of the feminist movement in resisting dictatorial regimes, feminist activism in the digital world, funding of women's organizations, and others. It was also an opportunity to introduce the international feminist community to the problems and challenges faced by girls and women in Serbia.

In addition to the official program, which was useful for learning from others, sharing resources and information and sharing examples of good practices, AWID brought much more - new acquaintances, contacts, potential partnerships and collaborations, associations. At one point, there was a spontaneous joining of a small but powerful protest for the rights of migrant women working in the household, and later again, for the rights of persons with disabilities. It was an opportunity to remind ourselves how important it is to come together and join the struggles of other women, even when it may not be our own struggle at the time. There were some other interesting and moving moments - when together with other women we "cast spells" against fascism, when we stood by women from Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar, when we supported our artists Alma and Zoe, who were guests in the official program.

What can you learn at AWID?

What well-organized events look like - AWID was an example of excellent organization (accessibility of space and content, provided transport, easily accessible information, high level safety of participants, medical assistance available at the forum itself, variety of food, safe and supportive space for all) .
The struggles for women's human rights are long and slow, but that does not mean that one should agree to compromises or give up on one's goals.
Different communities need a feminist struggle shaped according to their different needs.
Every struggle needs a symbol; symbols are a powerful way of communication.
We must remove patriarchal, racist, homophobic, colonizing patterns from the language we speak.
It is important that we do things not only FOR the community, but also WITH the community.
We have different problems and challenges, but the same cause of those problems, and we need each other to work together to solve them.

What does staying in Thailand teach you?

That it's not hard to be nice. Even when the day was long, when the heat and fatigue set in, when it's crowded, Thai people are always pleasant, smiling, cheerful, ready to show welcome and gratitude. In fact, it could be said that the people of Thailand live the feminist principle of nonviolent communication every day.
Traffic in Thailand is chaotic. If you want to cross the street, it is best to rely on the locals or use the overpasses. That quickly teaches you to look for new solutions to face challenges, but also to trust the local community which are the best solutions for a given challenge that they face every day.
The food is quite different from ours and that's okay. Differences are a beautiful thing, they should be nurtured and work on sharing cultures.
All people should be treated equally - Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country. In Buddhism, all people are equal and should be treated with respect.
Tuktuk is a means of transportation used by Thais and tourists when they want to get somewhere quickly. If tuktuk teaches you something, it is how to get out of your comfort zone and how to "read" people. Some drivers drive perfectly, and some not so much, so the most important thing for driving a tuktuk is to have a good intuition.
Going to Thailand helps you get to know not only Thailand and its inhabitants, but also yourself.

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The OAK/Trag Foundation made it possible for the Center for Girls to go to Bangkok and attend the forum.