Youth Activism: A Personal Account from the New Miami Mujeres Branch

Left: Taken by a volunteer at the Lotus House Women’s Shelter. Image of WILPF members Mina Pisan and Amelia Kelly preparing and serving dinner at the Lotus House Women’s Shelter in Miami, Florida. Credit: WILPF Miami Mujeres Branch. Right: A mural at ProjectEsperanza’s elementary school in the Dominican Republic. Credit: Kerri Egozi.

By Eva Egozi

Empowering change from the heart of Florida to the corners of the Dominican Republic, Miami Mujeres stands as a beacon of action and passion in the pursuit of social justice for women within both local and global communities. As the newest chapter of WILPF, I am ecstatic to share some of the many initiatives we as an ever-growing community have been working on to promote the success and security of women around the world through informing students, engaging in community service, and advocating for social change to uplift women.

Journey Into Advocacy 

My name is Eva Egozi, and as a junior in high school in South Florida, I am incredibly grateful to have utilized WILPF as a vector to foster my passions for fulfilling genuine equity and peace within my local community. The chapter itself, though founded less than one year ago, has flourished into a force of change for young women like me who are actively invigorated by a desire to help contribute to something bigger than ourselves. In fact, my passion to work with WILPF was first sparked by my participation in competitive speech and debate. My engagement in policy debate, a category that specializes in the in-depth analysis of policy issues that currently plague our world, as well as theories of power that contribute to them has garnered me with the knowledge of the way feminism operates within International Relations and the drive to learn more about my role in changing the narrative.

As I researched new opportunities within my community, I came across WILPF US and was fortunate enough to encounter Jan Corderman, an incredible woman who was incredibly enthusiastic about building off my passions and teaching me the real values of WILPF. Without Jan’s generous offerings and endless amounts of help and guidance, the Miami Mujeres branch would never have been capable of becoming what it is today. 

After initiating the branch, I was quickly met with support from younger women within my community who were instantly inspired by the branch’s initiatives – they too had the fervor to develop something that could serve as a catalyst for change within the community and were eager to join the team. When asked about why she decided to join WILPF, Mina Pisan, one of our board members, told me, “I joined WILPF because I saw it as an opportunity to actively contribute to reshaping the narrative around women's rights. To be part of such an important organization, especially in high school, has truly been incredible.”

Global Initiatives and Local Engagement 

As an active branch, we have recently made a collective effort to contribute to the community in any way possible. In fact, Miami Mujeres has found great success volunteering with local Domestic Violence shelters around Florida. Throughout the past year, we have made multiple trips to Lotus House Women’s Shelter in Miami bearing necessities for women and children such as canned food, toiletries, and toys. Additionally, we have spent hours preparing and cooking dinner for residents of the shelter, spending time with them one-on-one and grappling with the harsh truth of domestic violence in our community. 

Members of the branch have additionally sought the value of bridging the gap between gender inequality and education disparities around the world. Because so many of our members are students, we have found that it is uniquely key to foster the future generations and help contribute to the betterment of our community. As a result, our collective efforts have reached beyond borders – over the holidays, members of Miami Mujeres contributed to a donation drive through purchasing essential school supplies, books and toys. Working with ProjectEsperanza, a non-profit organization with aims to aid the Haitian refugee population of the Dominican Republic, I was granted the opportunity to hand deliver such donations and learn about ProjectEsperanza’s initiatives first-hand. 

While we were able to make a lasting impact on the Haitian refugee student population of the Dominican Republic, ProjectEsperanza continues to work tirelessly to ensure they are fostering an equitable educational system for all children. If you are looking to contribute to this initiative or simply learn more about Miami Mujeres’ initiatives, please feel free to reach out to evaegozi@icloud.com. 

As we continue to build the WILPF community in Florida, we hope to gain more opportunities to spark material change in multiple venues. If you are interested in learning more, please do not hesitate to reach out to work with our welcoming branch!