In November 2003, we published our collaborative research findings as Literacy for Women on the Streets (http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/litforwm/cover. htm). This book outlines our two year journey to find out how and why learning was empowering to women using the WISH Drop In Centre. The book also describes the efforts and struggles of the literacy workers as they experimented with teaching and learning in these complex circumstances.
The following year, we initiated our curriculum project. In Dream Soup… and Life Stew, we want to share some of the hands-on literacy materials that emerged from our work as well as a description of the approach and philosophy that we have created together. Five women from the WISH Learning Centre applied to work on the Advisory Committee and received a small honoraria for their excellent guidance and contribution to this resource. We met six times to create, design and finalize the book. In the funded year, we were able to map out the book and test many resources. As usual, the project was bigger than our grant! It has taken us an extra two years to complete the project after our initial funds ran out. During that time, we lost one of our members, Gina Robertson, and we are dedicating this book to her.
We knew when we started this book that it would be hard for everyone to commit to the project for a year. Dream Soup demanded that women read pages of draft material, discuss emotional issues, write pieces, draw and sketch, and give lots of feedback. Our advisory group’s lives continued to be difficult, challenging and full of stress. Our instructors’ work lives were expanding to help the community deal with fewer resources. As a group, we gained support and inspiration from each other and we learned to negotiate difficult issues for the group and the book.
Early on, we decided to make charm bracelets to keep track of our progress and symbolize the work we were doing. You will see the charm bracelet come into focus as the chapters go by. We started by giving everyone their own crystal to symbolize the shining potential in all of us. The teapot, used in Chapter One: Being, represented the warmth and nurturing environment we try to create in the Learning Centre. The key with the heart is a symbol of self-love, the core of the healing topic in Chapter Two. The moon and stars charm takes us through healing dreams into the power of creativity and self-expression in Chapter Three. The feather is used to represent the general knowledge and upgrading learning we emphasized in Chapter Four. In Chapter Five: Leading, we come back to the crystal that embraces the power of individual women at WISH as well as their collective voice.