GUIDELINES FOR REVIEWING MATERIALS FOR UNION PROGRAMS

Union literacy materials for workers should:

• show workers' experiences from workers' perspectives and reflect the many different life experiences of workers
• celebrate workers' strengths, respect workers' sense of dignity, value what workers bring to society and encourage workers to be proud of these
• show workers in a variety of jobs and roles, including those that may seem unusual for workers
• recognize that workers have their own ways of knowing and their own ways of learning
• support workers' desire to learn and to educate themselves according to their own hopes and dreams
• recognize that there are many levels of oppression for workers and that society often treats workers differently because of race, class, gender, religion, age, education, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, ethnic background and language
• recognize that workers do share some common experiences because they are workers
• make sure that workers are not blamed when bad things happen to them because they are workers
• show how workers' lives are enriched by striving toward a common goal through collective action
• never discriminate against people because of their race, class, gender, religion, age, education, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, ethnic background and language
• be inclusive and acknowledge the value of diversity
• show, as clearly as possible, how materials are developed so that workers can understand the process of writing, producing and publishing them
• be easy to read, with language, layout, print, illustrations, format and binding that make them as clear as possible for all workers to use
• be written mostly by workers

These guidelines have been adapted from Guidelines for Reviewing Materials for Women - Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW)