7. participants wrote and shared personal stories about what the Day of Mourning meant to them. One of these stories was widely distributed to other BEST programs to be used for reading and to spark discussion and reflection among participants.

Participant Learning

It is clear that through the experiences generated by this material, participants developed their skills and knowledge in many areas. The problem-posing process was integrated with literacy development. Indeed, the actions taken required a fair amount of writing, in particular, the creation of posters and the writing of letters. The instructor seized this opportunity to work on the mechanics of letter writing, including spelling and grammar, with the group. Participants also gained confidence in dealing with the local union and management. Most important through voicing their concerns and taking collective action, they contributed to making a difference in their workplace and community. And they gained confidence in their collective capacity to effect change.

Thus we have seen how activities written into a set of materials can be used to generate further activities that themselves go on to become part of an emergent curriculum. Materials for worker-centered union programs ought to be generative in this way - sparking critical reflection and action that engages participants in applying and developing their literacy skills in the process of transforming their situations.