More about us
FemRise: Changing the Narrative,
Shaping the Future
FemRise is a two-year European project built on a simple but powerful conviction: the stories we tell about gender shape the world we live in. When mainstream media and popular culture perpetuate harmful stereotypes, normalize gender-based violence, and misrepresent or dismiss feminist values, the consequences are real: they slow progress toward equality and make it harder to build communities where everyone can live safely and freely.
This project was created to push back.
What we do
FemRise analyzes dominant narratives around gender and feminism across six countries - Romania, Portugal, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan - and builds the capacity of youth workers and young people to critically read, challenge, and transform these narratives. We do this through research, training, and creative methodologies including Newspaper Theatre and online campaigning.
Our work operates at two levels: understanding the problem through rigorous research into how media represents gender, and equipping people with practical tools to respond. The project places particular emphasis on primary prevention - changing social norms and behaviors before harm occurs - and on building lasting capacity within youth organizations to keep this work going long after the project ends.
Who we are
FemRise is coordinated by A.R.T. Fusion (Romania) and implemented in partnership with five organizations across Europe and the Southern Mediterranean:
Teatro Metaphora - Madeira, Portugal. A cultural organization using theatre and creative methodologies as tools for social transformation and community engagement.
OFFBEAT - Lebanon. A non-profit established in 2021 in Beirut with the mission of empowering women and youth regardless of nationality, religion, or political affiliation.
We Youth Organization - Tunisia. A youth-focused organization committed to civic participation, gender equality, and empowering young people as active agents of change.
MAAT for Peace, Development and Human Rights - Egypt. An organization dedicated to human rights, peace-building, and development.
Solidarity is Global Institute - SIGI - Jordan. Also known as the Jordanian Women's Solidarity Association, SIGI advocates for women's rights and gender equality in Jordan and across the region.
Together, our six organizations bring complementary expertise across the fields of youth work, feminist activism, media literacy, research, and advocacy - spanning different geographical and cultural contexts. This diversity is not incidental; it is central to the project's approach. Gender narratives vary across cultures and media systems, and so must the responses to them.
FemRise is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the project partners and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA.
