Solidarity and Collective Power Building 

We co-create and support community spaces for healing, mutual learning, sharing, reflection, joy, and accompaniment across territories, topics, and fields to leverage collaboration and build solidarity and collective power.

In a fragmented and divided world, solidarity and collective power across movements and territories are the nectar fuelling our struggles against systems of oppression that seek to control our bodily autonomy. 

Borders, institutions, and states have tried to limit our potential for collective care and liberation by taking away the spaces, adding barriers to feminist unity, and criminalizing our right to gather, celebrate, and strategize. 

With a deep understanding of the critical role that gathering - coming together - has in our work to connect, build relationships, strengthen our sustainability, and power our collective agenda, inroads has been co-organizing and supporting abortion gatherings by and for the abortion community since its inception. 

By nearly every measure—age, race, geography, gender, technical experience, religion, sector of work—inroads gatherings are bursting with complementary experiences and needs. Each space is intentionally crafted to ensure diversity, authentic accessibility for grassroots collectives and leaders, nurturing co-created agendas, and safe and brave spaces to further cross-movement learning, collaboration, strategizing, and community care.

Additionally, we have hosted dozens of sessions and workshops at crucial convening spaces for the reproductive justice ecosystem, and virtually for our network of over 2500 movement leaders worldwide.

Principles of our Gatherings

Rooted in community 

We center and co-create processes by and for members, especially for those who face abortion stigma directly. Collaborative facilitation brings new members together in a process of planning and guiding a space with input from diverse contexts. 

Participatory 

All members who attend join in to share as a part of our co-created agenda through member exchange festivals, breakout and demo sessions, panel discussions and open spaces. 

Mutual-learning and relationship building 

Mutuality means giving each other the time and space to be seen, felt, and heard. We value and honor the lived and learned experiences that members bring to each space and aim to create non-hierarchical, brave, and safe learning spaces for each other. 

Safe + brave 

We believe that safe and brave spaces can be fostered and created through gentle and thoughtful engagement. Where challenging and new dialogues may occur, we create supportive environments that spur on learning, sharing, accountability, and growing beyond the binaries we may be used to. 

Accessible and caring 

At inroads in-person gatherings, we fund a selection of individual members, prioritizing members who typically don’t have access to travel support funds. Accessibility means that everyone can authentically and fully engage with a space. 

Honoring wisdom 

inroads designs gatherings and funds member travel costs so that members can fully participate, and be cared for and accompanied in their participation. inroads also supports lodging, emergency travel insurance, and offers a per-diem stipend for meals and incidentals; and either reimburses or advances costs to apply for visas, necessary immunizations, ground transportation, and any emergent health protocols. 

Building collective power with mutual learning workshops, dialogues, cohorts, fellowships, festivals, and more.

In addition to our Regional and Global in-person gatherings, we regularly facilitate mutual learning & strategizing spaces, taking place online and in person at key convening spaces for the reproductive justice ecosystem.

Our diverse community spaces & sessions are rooted in collective wisdom and cross-movement solidarity. They aim to strengthen our movements and nurture approaches to transforming abortion narratives, practices, and policies.

Since our creation, we have hosted over 50 movement-led global learning spaces for the reproductive justice ecosystem. It includes longer-term fellowships and cohorts bringing movement leaders together, power-building workshops and training, and community spaces for healing, connection, and celebration.

They are co-created with inroads members who lead abortion justice efforts in different latitudes, bringing their diverse wisdom, experiences, and contexts to the forefront.

We share more about this area of our work on the Shifting Narratives & Power page.