the civitatem story
our story
we created civitatem to facilitate networked feminisms. we want to do this through a dedicated focus on community, containers, and constellations.
we want to address problems we see repeating in sites of civil society engagement - be that organisations, collectives, or networks. we function within the master's container and are forced to use the master's tools. transformation remains a dream.
we need more communities, not cycles of unending conflict. we need healing, not punishment. we need justice, not retribution.
civitatem was born out of acknowledging, recognizing, and committing to take action to change this reality. we see our roles as bridge-building spacefarers. we bring radical imagination alive in your spaces through our work.
in the words of gloria anzaldua, in her poem the new speakers:
“we don't want to be stars but parts of constellations”
at civitatem, we do things differently. we treat conflict as generative. we see difficult conversations as points of entry for light. we see an appetite for learning as a blank canvas. we hold space to enable, support, and walk along anyone who wants to transform their mindsets, organisations, and relationships. we take feminist frameworks to different spaces to foster transformation: from foreign policy to emerging tech and everything in between.
If we center feminist and decolonial principles in how we approach conflict, policy, and technology,
and we create space for radical imagination and honest conversation,
then we can move beyond extractive systems and reactive solutions —
toward futures that are equitable, collaborative, and alive with possibility.
we do this by:
building community through reflexive support for groups to navigate community-building and conflict with care and courage
transforming containers by providing spaces to imagine bold, transformative futures, and training decision-makers in feminist foreign policy and ethical tech governance
building constellations by creating knowledge and resources on networked feminisms - focusing on community and container in ways that prioritize justice and responsibility over speed and scale
we believe that real change doesn’t just come from what we build — it comes from how we build, who we listen to, and what we’re willing to imagine together.
the civitatem team
it all begins with an idea. maybe you want to have a difficult conversation. maybe you want to interrogate power. maybe you want to resolve a conflict and preserve a relationship. maybe you want to learn something new! these people are happy to help you get started.
a note on our “designations:” we’ve decided to move away from capitalistic frames that tell you our roles in relation to productivity standards we don’t subscribe to. instead, we leaned in on deepa iyer’s social change map and identified our roles.
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experimenter, disruptor, builder
kirthi jayakumar is a lawyer, facilitator, and mediator, working with a special focus on areas of feminist facilitation, conflict transformation, and peace mediation.
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experimenter, disruptor, builder
aparnaa nagesh is an interdisciplinary performer, writer, and art-maker blending dance, theatre, and storytelling with social impact, education, and gender advocacy across platforms.
she champions purpose-driven creativity and community through artistic expression and transformative facilitation.
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healer, guide, caregiver
gita jayakumar is a mediator and energy therapy practitioner, working with a special focus on trauma release, root cause analysis, and mind-body energy work.