About the Call
WeRise is excited to announce a call for proposals for the WeRise Campaign. WeRise is a comprehensive and forward-looking approach designed to promote and protect Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (FoPA) as a fundamental right and tool to defend and expand the civic space. Building on the success of the first cohort of “We Risers”, the second generation of We Risers will build a community of activists, organizers, and movement builders who are working to innovate and advance peaceful protests to tackle systemic barriers that marginalize dissent and activism globally.
The second cohort of the WeRise Campaign will embrace a collaborative approach supporting 16 CIVICUS members from 4 different regions to design local campaigns relevant to their own contexts under the umbrella of CIVICUS’ FoPA global campaign for expanded civic space. We are committed to bringing together and supporting activists and movements in an open, dynamic and participatory approach.
We invite proposals from individuals, collectives, social movements, and organizations that challenge traditional notions of protest – pushing the boundaries of what peaceful protests could look like, who can be part of it, and how it can shape the future. This is a call for proposals that amplifies the voices and experiences of those on the frontlines of change — from refugees, migrants, and diaspora communities to student movements, trade unionists, and artivists, amongst many other groups that suffer from the consequences or historic marginalization and restricted civic spaces
Objectives of the Call
We are requesting for proposals from those actively engaging in the protection and promotion of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (FoPA), especially in regions or communities where these rights are under threat or denied. The focus of this call is on innovative, context-specific solutions that directly contribute to the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly and protest in the face of increasing criminalization and violence against activists. We are particularly interested in proposals that address:
- The experience of right to FoPA by people on the move: migrants, refugees, and people on the move.
- The link between criminalization and violence against social movements, student activists and protest movements advocating for socio-economic change.
- The role of AI and digital surveillance tools in constraining and repressing the exercise of the right to peaceful protests including their role in digital repression and the threats they pose to cybersecurity.
Eligibility Criteria
This call is open to a wide range of groups and movements, including but not limited to:
- Social Movements: Both registered and non-registered groups defending and expanding the civic space, and fighting for social justice.
- Protest Movements: Individuals and collectives organizing peaceful protest actions, including climate justice activists.
- Refugee Communities and Diaspora Networks: Those working on the frontlines of FoAA within these communities.
- Trade Union Activists: Those advocating for the rights of workers and opposing exploitation and suppression.
- Student Movements: Youth-led movements and organizations pushing for change.
- Art collectives / Artivists: Artists and cultural workers who use creative expression as a form of resistance or social disobedience
Timeline
- Open Call: 12 February 2025
- Call Closes: 15 March 2025
- Review Process and Feedback: 20 April 2025
- Project Duration: 1st July 2025 – 30th May 2026 (11-month cycle)
Selection Criteria
We are looking for proposals that demonstrate:
- Impact & Energy: We need powerful ideas with a proven ability to generate tangible, measurable impact. We’re not just looking for good intentions but for actionable, bold initiatives that have the potential to disrupt the status quo.
- Creativity & Innovation: How can you rethink the possibilities of protest? How can art, technology, and grassroots organizing intersect to create new forms of resistance and collective action?
- Local Relevance: Proposals must be deeply rooted in local contexts but also have the potential to influence regional and global conversations around the rights to assembly and association.
Eligible Countries
We strongly encourage the applications from the following countries, which are most affected by the restrictions on protests according to the CIVICUS Monitor:
Angola, Mozambique, Ghana, Guine-Conakry, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Argentina, El-Salvador, Venzuela, Peru.
How to Apply
- Application Deadline: 15 March 2025
- Submit your proposal via email to fopa@civicus.org / Subject line should read: WeRise Campaign Cohort 2
- Required Documents:
For more info please visit: https://www.civicus.org/index.php/engage-and-act/campaign-with-us/werise-campaign-call-for-proposals