2020
Irina Novac
- Age: 23
- | She/they
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I want to live in a safe world. We all do. But it's become impossible to get there when we only hear the voices of a small, privileged part of the population. We need to clear a path for girls and women in order to live in a better world.
- Irina Novac
Bio
Irina Novac is a 22-year old feminist activist from Bucharest, Romania, and is working in the Romanian team of the Ukraine Emergency Response at VOICE Amplified since June 2022. She was awarded the Woman of Courage Award by the US Embassy in Bucharest in 2019. She is the co-founder of Colectiva Sisterhood, a feminist collective for young people in her country, where she co-organized a feminist camp for adolescents for three years in a row. She recently graduated with a Political Science degree from University of Bucharest, where she fulfilled a one-year Erasmus exchange at Charles University in Prague.
What ignited your pursuit for gender equality?
Please share your biggest wins as an advocate for gender equality.
For three years, I co-organized a camp for young Romanian girls from all over Romania where they learned about the feminist movement, gender based violence, and participated in self-defense courses. The most fulfilling part of the camp wasn't the feminist theory that the girls learned, but the safe space that organically happened within hours after their arrival. Those girls met 2 years ago and despite the distance, they are still in contact and provide each other support and constant love.
Outside of your gender equality advocacy work, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy listening to music, dancing, DJing, and going to queer and feminist events with friends.
Languages Spoken:
- Romanian (Advanced/Native)
- English (Advanced/Native)
- French (Intermediate)
- English (Advanced/Native)
Speaks On:
- resourcing feminist movements
- the role of young feminists in the feminist movement
- creating safe spaces for girls
Past Awards, Certifications, or Fellowships:
- Girl Panel for With and For Girls (2019)
- Romanian Women of Courage Award (2019)
- Youth Worker at Erasmus+ Mobility PRIDE - Promoting Diversity and Inclusive Youth Work Practices
- FLEX Program alumna
- One of 100 Extraordinary Romanians by DoR Magazine
- Speaker - TEDxUniversitateaPolitehnicaBucurești, Bucharest, Romania
