WAVAW Volunteer, Pamela Vallejos, is returning home to Peru this month.  As she leaves Vancouver and finishes her time with WAVAW, we asked her to reflect on her experience here and what she will take with her when she moves.  We’ll miss her!

Guest Post by Pamela Vallejos

What will I take from WAVAW to Peru? Well, apart from my training binder, I am taking with me a new way to consume the world around me. During my short time as a WAVAW volunteer, I have gained a lot of new tools to add to my feminist tool kit and feel a lot more involved with a community that I deeply care for. I learned that feminism isn’t just a movement that fights for the social, economic and political equality of all genders, but a network of people that support each other to achieve a common goal.

When I first dipped my toe in the feminist pool, I felt very passionate about the issues I was learning about but did not feel entirely supported by the people around me. Going through the volunteer training allowed me to learn more about feminism in a safe space where I felt the support of a whole organization of women who shared my values. I learned the importance of intersectionality and allyship which taught me how to acknowledge my privileges and disadvantages and how they can change with my current location.

In Lima I have a lot of privileges due to my class, skin tone, education, etc. and now I know that it is important to be aware of these advantages in order to be an ally to other women and not overstep my bounds. I am going back with a new view on many forms of oppression that affect my city and a new drive to fight the system that keeps them alive.