The approach

Founded on the initiative of approximately twenty women actively involved in civil society, « INVESTIES » is a political training program inspired by American programs that supported and advanced a new generation of US activists: Emerge America, Emily’s List, She Should Run, Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement, etc.

A political training program

The program is built around five weekends to practice politics and exchange between September 2020 and June 2021. During these nine months, the program is enriched by remote masterclasses and peer-to-peer training workshops with women experts. The two main focuses are: the acquisition of political and electoral techniques, and the drafting of a new posture of the representative.

Political and electoral technique

Nomination, territory analysis, campaign staffs, press relations, campaign funding, online communication, campaigning techniques, election materials, public speaking, nomination negotiations.

New vision of political leadership

Build new inclusive democratic practices, campaign with citizens, commit to an exemplary behavior in terms of ethics and transparency, understand the institutions and the law-making process, protect oneself and take action against cyberbullying, etc.

Highly experienced guests

In order to prepare for political responsibilities, participants have listed and solicited feedback from renowned women.

To date*, leading women politicians have responded positively to these invitations: former Government members, such as Cécile Duflot, Najat Vallaud Belkacem and Axelle Lemaire, European and French MPs, such as Manon Aubry and Paula Forteza, as well as political leaders such as Sandrine Rousseau and Mathilde Pousseo.

Many women experts also offered their insights and recommendations. Among them, we would like to thank Karina Auger, Lauren Bastide, Marion Beauvalet, Julia Cagé, Julia Castanier, Maud Choquet, Caroline Delboy, Lise Deshautel, Elsa Foucraut, Caroline De Haas, Nayla Ajaltouni, Nora Hamadi, Trinité Laroche, Charlotte Marchandise, Camille Pène, Caroline Prak, Natalie Rastoin, Sandra Régol, Cécile Renouard, Chloé Ridel, Gislaine Salmat, Mathilde Viot, Annabel Hervieu, Elisabeth Dau and Averill Roy (on behalf of the Feminize Politics Now and the European Municipalities Network).
We are grateful to each of them for their valuable and high quality advice and expertise, in their own name and guided by a strong tradition and spirit of sisterhood.

*This section will be updated regularly.

By and for women

Independence of the program

INVESTIES is not part of any party ; it is not funded by any foundations or donors, and is not registered as an association. The entire training process is undertaken by the collective, on a voluntary and collaborative basis.

Collective organisation

The program is entirely co-built during bi-monthly meetings where decisions are taken collectively, and responsibilities are shared in order to organize the work sessions.

Mutual aid & knowledge sharing

The quality of the programme also depends on the contribution of each participant: peer-to-peer workshops, carried by the participants themselves, contribute to the learning process.

Our common rules

Confidentiality

Each participant agrees not to disclose what is experienced, said and shared in this circle. Each participant decides for herself the degree of confidentiality and protection needed within the circle. We collectively decide which elements of communication will be shared with the outside world.

Sovereignty

Each person speaks for themselves, everyone one is free to make decisions about their place in this group and their political involvement during and after the program. No one is required to run for office and each women decides how much time and energy they give to support this program.

Trust

What is happening is the result of a unique collective process. We commit ourselves to trusting the process at work during the exchanges, and we accept that things are imperfect, or that not everything can be immediately addressed or resolved.

Compassionate and active listening

Each one of us gives full attention to what the others share, without judging the other, or herself. There is no such a good or bad idea. An idea that might be considered as ‘bad’ by some of us, might be the perfect trigger to help the circle find a solution.

Horizontal relationship

The diversity of backgrounds, soft-skills and experiences of each one of us is an asset for the cercle. Each one has her own place in the group. Each person is accepted as she is, how she is. There is no hierarchy in the group, just people carrying on with different backgrounds.

Sharing knowledge

The contents co-created in the framework of the programme are due to stay in the cercle, such as a common good. Tomorrow, they might, once they will be reworked by the group, be shared and disseminated as they may be helpful to others, such as a common good, reusable and re-owned.

Co-responsability

Each one of us is responsible and due to respect this set of rules; this also applies to the working sessions: each one of us is responsible for their good execution, not only the facilitator.

Open, transferable, replicable

The Investies’s journey started with a small cohort, although newcomers have joined the group since its beginnings, we’ve tried to maintain a human scale. Unfortunately, since the launch, it hasn’t been possible to include new impressive, inspirational women who’ve heard about the group. This is the reason why we’re documenting the experience: we would like to share it with all the other women who would have been a perfect fit to join the programme.

Forward, all the resources produced during the programme will be shared for free. If other circles of women wish to get prepared and train themselves to practice politics, we’re committed to supporting the launch of similar programmes. We will share the contents and the methodologies developed for them to take ownership of those and we hope to enrich them.