BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.4.0.1//EN TZID:Europe/Brussels X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/Brussels BEGIN:VEVENT UID:22@feros.be DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260820T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260820T203000 DTSTAMP:20260717T151312Z URL:https://www.feros.be/events/queer-feminist-self-defence-for-sex-worker s-by-utsopi-and-feros-2/ SUMMARY:Queer feminist self-defence for sex workers by Utsopi and Feros DESCRIPTION:You can register by sending an email to Utsopi: sophie@utsopi.b e\nWorkshop in ‘English adapted for non-native speakers’ - possibility to speak Dutch or French yourself. \n\nWhat is queer feminist self-defen ce?\n\nFeros self-defence workshops teach you techniques to protect yourse lf. This includes mental\, verbal\, emotional and physical techniques. We also work on the connection between body and mind to better manage stress and difficult situations\, such as violence.\n\nOur workshops vary dependi ng on the facilitators\, as their facilitation style\, preferences and bac kgrounds influence the structure and content of the workshops. All of our trainers follow the tradition of feminist self-defence (such as Wen Do).\n \nIn this workshop\, we will support you to:\n\n connect individual exper iences of violence to systemic power relations\n build self-confidence an d a sense of security\n develop physical and emotional awareness\n culti vate stress management and resilience strategies\n learn psychological\, verbal and physical self-defence techniques\n\nFor who is this workshop?\n This workshop is aimed at sex workers\, regardless of their gender\, backg round\, status or experience. It is designed as a space that takes into ac count the specific realities of sex work and the violence\, discrimination and stigmatisation that can be associated with it.\n\nWe do not believe i n ‘safe’ spaces and instead favour the notion of responsibility. We ar e aware that situations of violence can also occur within queer feminist s paces. Our intention is to create a space where we can collectively expres s solidarity\, respect\, understanding and kindness\, and also have the sp ace to express what is wrong\, in order to address and resolve issues in a constructive manner.\n\nPractical information\nThe first workshop will ta ke place on Tuesday 14 April from 18h30 to 21h30 (doors open 18h) in the o ffices of Utsopi\, next to Brussels north station. The second session will take place on Thursday\, 20 August from 17h30 to 20h30 (Doors open at 17h ) in de Kleine Sikkel in Ghent (Nederpolder 2). The third session will tak e place in Antwerp in November/December. It is possible to attend 1\, 2 or all 3 sessions\, each session will be a bit different. \n\nThe workshop will be given in English\, but it will also be possible to express yoursel f in Dutch or French. We hope that by giving the workshop in English rathe r than Dutch it can be open to sex workers with a migration background who do not speak Dutch or French. The workshop is free.\n\nBoth trainers spea k English as their second language. It will be possible to speak Dutch/Fre nch in small group exercises and short translation to Dutch/French can be offered. Unfortunately we are not able to guarantee translation to other l anguages than Dutch or French\, but do reach out if language is a barrier and we can try to find a solution together. \n\nTraining style and traine rs\nOur workshops are based in experiential learning. This means that we l earn by doing. We use an approach that does not create hierarchies. We are feminists and take into account all differences between people. Our goal is to create group cultures that focus on care and inclusivity.\n\nThis se ssion will be facilitated by murmure (she) and sofie (she). They bring a v aried experience in self-defence methods\, including martial arts\, bodywo rk and collective care practices. Both facilitators are white and hold a B elgian passport. They have different experiences regarding gender\, sexual ity\, neuro-diversity\, (mental) health\, education\, income\, family weal th and living situation. The two facilitators have different sex work expe rience ranging from none to a little temporarily. \n\nFeros and Utsopi?\n Feros is a collective of facilitators. We organise activities around colle ctive care\, inclusivity and queer feminist self-defence.\n\nUTSOPI is a B elgian organisation that defends the rights of sex workers\, run by and fo r those concerned. It fights against stigmatisation and violence\, and car ries out political and social advocacy work. UTSOPI also creates spaces fo r support\, information and self-organisation for sex workers.\n\nIn 2025 Feros and Utsopi organised a first self-defence workshop for sex workers t ogether\, in French. During this first workshop\, we worked together to un derstand what you need in terms of self-defence in your work context. We w ill work together to decide on the format\, content and objectives of thes e workshops. Because this workshop and the collaboration went well we deci ded to organise 2 series of 3 workshops in 2026\, one series in English fo r non-native speakers and one series in French. \n\nAccessibility\nThe ve nue is wheelchair accessible. A quiet area is available for those who wish to be alone. Noise-cancelling headphones are available. Wide chairs witho ut armrests are provided for larger people.\n\nWe alternate seated and sta nding exercises\, but you are welcome to stay seated\, stand up\, or leave the room at any time. This workshop is open to everyone\, regardless of p hysical condition\, however some exercises are not fully accessible to peo ple with reduced mobility. Please contact us in advance at training@feros. be if you need adaptations to the program. \n\nTransport accessibility: t he closest train station is Gent-Dampoort\, from there it is an 18min walk to the venue. From Dampoort it is possible to take the bus (5a\, 5b\, 6) for part of the way. No car parking available but you can park in the sur rounding streets.  ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.feros.be/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ Capture-decran-2025-10-21-a-18.18.161.png CATEGORIES:Self-Defense END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Brussels X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/Brussels BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260329T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR