STOP! THE GRASSROOTS GATHERING The Violence We Live With Breaking the Cycle
About this Event
STOP! GRASSROOTS GATHERING
The Violence We Live With: Breaking the Cycle
Saturday 28 November 2026 | 10.00am–4.30pm
Doors open at 9.30am
MOSAICC, Ground Floor, Stuart House, 15–23 Green Lane, Derby DE1 1RS
Part of Vox Feminarum: Women’s Voices' 16th annual programme of 16 Days of Activism to End Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Not your usual conference. A day of honest conversations, challenging ideas, creativity, collective resistance, restoration and solidarity.
For 16 years, Vox Feminarum: Women’s Voices has brought women together during the international 16 Days of Activism campaign to challenge violence, confront injustice, break silences and build collective strength.
STOP! is a grassroots gathering that places women's voices, experiences and perspectives at its heart.
We will explore how violence against women and girls has been normalised and sustained across generations, how misogyny intersects with racism and authoritarianism, and how women continue to challenge the systems, attitudes and institutions that perpetuate violence.
But this gathering is not only about recognising what is wrong. It is about finding our voices, challenging what we have been taught to accept, identifying what must change and reclaiming our right to live with dignity, freedom, safety and joy.
We will make space for difficult conversations, creativity, reflection, resistance, rest and renewal.
From silence to language. From words to action. From resistance to joy.
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
Working programme | Some arrangements remain subject to final confirmation
Time Session9.30–10.00am Doors Open: Arrival, Registration and Refreshments. An opportunity to settle in, enjoy refreshments and meet other participants before the formal programme begins.
10.00–10.15am STOP! Opening and Welcome. Why we are here, why we must continue challenging violence against women and girls, and what we hope to achieve together. Introductions and essential housekeeping.
10.15–11.05am Setting the Context: Understanding Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Short films exploring the history and definitions of gender-based violence, followed by How Did We Get Here? An exploration of the historical, social, political and cultural conditions that have normalised and sustained Gender Based Violence.
11.05–11.15am Refreshment and Comfort Break.
11.15am–12.55pm Behind Closed Doors: Breaking the Silence. Screening of Women Breaking the Silence of Fear (58 minutes), followed by a facilitated discussion exploring women's experiences of violence, fear, silence, survival and resistance. The session will also introduce Share Your Scream! Share Your Enough! / The Sound of STOP!, with 15 minutes dedicated to the project, listening to women's voices and considering the power of speaking out, being heard and collective resistance.
12.55–1.30pm Lunch and Informal Conversations. An opportunity to share food, connect with others, reflect on the morning or simply take some time for yourself
1.30–2.15pm Women Against the Far Right. Exploring the connections between misogyny, racism, authoritarianism, attacks on women's rights and the importance of organised collective resistance. A space to examine how hatred and division are cultivated, how women are affected and how we can challenge these forces together.
2.15–3.15pm Healing Words: From Silence to Language and Action. A participatory poetry, writing and reflection workshop inspired by Audre Lorde's work on silence, survival and the transformative power of words. Women will be invited to explore the impact of harmful words, challenge the meanings imposed upon them and create their own responses of resistance, affirmation and strength. Sharing is entirely voluntary.
3.15–3.25pm Refreshment and Comfort Break.3.25–3.40pm
STOP! From Words to Action: Our Collective Commitments. Bringing together the day's conversations, experiences and ideas to consider what we have heard, what must change and what we can do together. Identifying shared priorities, practical actions and ways to sustain collective resistance and solidarity beyond the gathering
.3.40–4.25pm Reclaiming Our Joy. A 45-minute participatory workshop facilitated by Mehwish, creating space for connection, creativity, collective strength and the importance of joy as part of resistance, restoration and renewal. After a day of confronting difficult realities, we make space to celebrate our humanity, our connections and our capacity for joy.
4.25–4.30pm Closing Words and Farewell. A brief collective farewell, bringing our gathering to a close with solidarity, hope and a renewed sense of possibility.
THROUGHOUT THE DAY
The R&R Station: Rest and Restoration
Because caring for ourselves is part of sustaining our resistance.
A welcoming restorative space where women can step away from discussions, take a break, recharge and enjoy a few moments of care.
The station will offer:
- Hand massage.
- Shiatsu foot massage using a RENPHO foot massager, subject to the equipment's suitability and safety guidance.
- Optional restorative sessions lasting approximately 5–10 minutes.
- Space to pause, relax and take some time for yourself.
Please bring clean socks if you would like to use the foot massager. Spare socks will be available for a small contribution of £1.
All activities are optional, and participants are welcome to use the quiet space without receiving a treatment.
Creative Resistance and Participation
Resistance takes many forms. Not every voice needs a microphone.
Throughout the gathering, women will have opportunities to contribute thoughts, words, messages and creative responses to our collective campaigning.
Whether through writing, drawing, making, conversation or quiet reflection, we want to create space for different ways of expressing what matters.
Participants will be encouraged to reflect on the questions at the heart of STOP!:
What must we stop accepting?
What must change?
What do we want those in power to hear?
What can we do together?
Ideas and contributions gathered throughout the day will help inform our collective commitments and future campaigning.
SHARE YOUR SCREAM! SHARE YOUR ENOUGH!
The Sound of STOP!
How many times must women scream before they are heard?
Across generations, women have spoken, protested, reported, challenged and resisted violence. Too often, their experiences have been minimised, their warnings dismissed and their demands for justice ignored.
The Sound of STOP! is a collective soundscape bringing together women's voices, screams, words, silences and declarations of ENOUGH!
We invite women to contribute to a powerful collective expression of resistance against violence, misogyny, injustice and the systems that allow abuse to continue.
Contributions may include a scream, a single word, a short statement, a declaration of STOP! or ENOUGH!, or another expression of what women want to say to those who have failed to listen.
The soundscape will form part of our campaigning, including being shared with government to amplify women's voices and demand meaningful action.
During STOP!, we will introduce the project, explain how women can contribute and make space to consider the political and emotional power of being heard.
Participation is entirely voluntary. Any use or sharing of identifiable recordings will require informed consent.
CONTENT GUIDANCE, CHOICE AND WELLBEING
Your Wellbeing Comes First
STOP! will address difficult and potentially distressing subjects, including violence against women and girls, coercion, abuse, fear, misogyny, racism and the lasting impact of harmful experiences.
We recognise that discussing violence, hearing personal testimony, listening to screams or revisiting painful experiences can affect women in very different ways.
For some, raising their voice, expressing anger or hearing others speak out may offer a sense of release, empowerment or solidarity.
For others, these experiences may evoke painful memories, fear, grief or distress.
Both responses, and everything in between, deserve understanding and respect.
Participation is entirely voluntary.
No woman will be expected or pressured to:
- Share personal experiences of violence or abuse.
- Recall or describe traumatic experiences.
- Scream, raise her voice or make a recording.
- Listen to recordings of screams or distressing testimony.
- Participate in writing, reflection or discussion exercises that feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
- Explain why she chooses not to participate.
Women are welcome to take part in different ways, including through spoken words, written messages, creative expression, quiet reflection or simply listening.
Where recordings containing screams or potentially distressing material are used, participants will be informed beforehand and given the opportunity to step away.
You are welcome to leave a session, take a break or return when you feel ready.
Quiet and restorative space will be available throughout the day.
Your wellbeing matters more than any contribution you could make. There is no obligation to revisit pain in order to have your voice heard, and no expectation to share your trauma to demonstrate your strength.
We want this gathering to amplify women's voices, strengthen solidarity and encourage collective action, not cause further harm.
FROM WORDS TO ACTION
What Happens After STOP!?
The gathering is intended to be more than a day of discussion.
Throughout STOP!, we will invite women to identify the attitudes, practices, institutions and systems that enable violence against women and girls to continue.
We will consider what needs to change, who has the power and responsibility to make those changes, and how women can work collectively to demand accountability.
Ideas gathered during the day will contribute to identifying shared priorities and possible future actions.
Our intention is to carry these conversations beyond the gathering and into the continuing work of Vox Feminarum: Women's Voices.
Because awareness alone is not enough. We need change.
BOOKING AND ACCESS
Date: Saturday 28 November 2026
Doors Open: 9.30am
Programme: 10.00am–4.30pm
Venue: MOSAICC, Ground Floor, Stuart House, 15–23 Green Lane, Derby DE1 1RS.
Tickets: £5 Donations towards and refreshments. Subsidised tickets are available.
Audience: A women-only gathering, welcoming all women, including trans women.
Accessibility: Ground-floor facilities and lift access to upstairs rooms. Quiet space, rest facilities and opportunities to take breaks will be available throughout the day.
Please contact us in advance if you have particular accessibility or dietary requirements so that we can discuss how best to accommodate them.
Register Your Interest
Email: [email protected]
Further booking information will be shared as arrangements are finalised.
Programme subject to final confirmation.
16 YEARS. 16 DAYS. COUNTLESS WOMEN'S VOICES.
STOP! THE VIOLENCE WE LIVE WITH: BREAKING THE CYCLE
From Silence to Justice. From Awareness to Action.
We have listened. We have spoken. We have survived. We have resisted.
Now we come together to demand change, reclaim our power and make space for joy.
Where is it happening?
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