Bard College Berlin News
From Ideas to Action: How the Civic Engagement Fellows are Empowering Change Locally and Globally
Tanishka leads EJAAD Berlin, a local branch of an international initiative aimed at creating stable income opportunities for Afghan women, while also establishing learning and health centers. Since its inception early in 2024, Tanishka has hosted events including a collaboration with Little Sun, an organization working to bring solar energy to disadvantaged communities worldwide and a discussion with Pashtana Durrani, the founder of LEARN Afghanistan and advocate featured in the BBC’s 100 Influential Women list.
“I see the fellowship as a two-way bridge,” Tanishka notes. It provides EJAAD with resources and legitimacy, giving her the platform needed to translate plans into action, in order to bring opportunities for engagement for other BCB students.
Hammayl agrees: “The impact of the fellowship on the Collective has been more than what I would have expected.” The Bard Feminist Collective, Hammayl’s project, aims to bring a less Western-centric perspective to campus discourse. Their programming includes everything from informal picnics to film screenings about power and gender dynamics in Pakistan and social activism in Mexico. This semester, the Collective launched a bi-weekly newsletter and hosted a breast cancer awareness campaign. “We want to take the stress out of conversations regarding feminism,” Hammayl says, making these discussions feel as inclusive as they are informative.
Rather than radically shifting the direction of their projects, the Fellowship has opened the door to greater institutional support and provided a welcome structural boost. “The Civic Engagement Office goes out of their way to help us,” Hammayl says, recognizing the impact of support for the practicalities of event organization, like booking rooms and managing promotion. Tanishka agrees, pointing out that “saying that I am planning a project as the Civic Engagement Fellow adds to the credibility of the work that I want to do.”
The Fellowship has also provided natural opportunities for collaboration between their two initiatives. Whether it’s attending Women’s Day marches or planning joint fundraisers, their projects often intersect, creating, what Tanishka describes as, spaces where students aren’t just spectators but are active participants.
For students interested in getting involved with their projects, both fellows encourage attending events or simply reaching out. Their initiatives are intentionally open and designed to include as many voices as possible.
The goal of the Bard Feminist Collective is to fundraise 1500€ for Bedari’s Girl on Bike project, which means providing Pakistani girls with 15 fully equipped bikes. “I’m not sure if that's too ambitious yet,” says Hammayl, “We'll see.”
For EJAAD, the fundraising efforts that happen during all of their events are focussed on supporting “the learning center and health center in Kabul, as well as the income of local artisans." Alongside fundraising, Tanishka wants to build a stronger Berlin network that empowers students. “I feel very passionate about giving students direct access to professionals across different fields, so they can develop some skills and establish connections, ” says Tanishka.
Their bold goals are backed up by determined sentiments. For both, the fellowship is about determination, not accolades: “Anyone can get a title,” says Tanishka, “It’s hard to do the work.” Still, they encourage anyone who is passionate to apply in the future: “If you care enough about anything, regardless of what it is, if you really, really care about it, it's worth applying,” says Tanishka. Hammayl adds, "it honestly doesn't matter what sort of initiative you're trying to promote, as long as you're trying to connect with the community and being civically engaged.”
By Mishel Jovanovska ‘25
Post Date: 11-26-2024