The last half-day of the conference was set aside for a plenary session to share ideas, wrap up the conference and discuss possible continuations. The outcome of this brainstorming was a mountain of ideas and a sharing of energies. What became clear in the end was that we must reap the fruit of the conference: it should lead us to reinvest the positive energies that were created during the three days the conference lasted into concrete actions. It's a matter of time, and of organization; it means channeling our individual and collective forces; finally, it's a question of heart.

During the entire conference, great importance was placed on the peace of mind of the women who spoke up, whether in the discussion circles, speak outs, or plenary session. The participants had to feel comfortable, in an environment that was informal and non-hierarchical, in a climate of mutual respect and openness towards all that women did, thought and were.

The amount of work accomplished by these small discussion groups was pretty amazing, especially considering that the conference only lasted a relatively short time. These small symbolic places allowed each participant to speak her mind in a safe, supportive environment and with full confidence that she would find an attentive audience.

Thus the conference was given a unique configuration through recognition of the personal status of each participant: mother, lesbian, heterosexual, farm worker, immigrant, learner, teacher, First Nations woman, woman of colour, mentally or physically disabled person, survivor of violence, abuse or sexual assault. This recognition accentuated the fact that our strength lies in our diversity; this distinctive or shared status is something we can reinvest in our work, our research, and our actions.

Themes, Burning Issues

After a highly spirited opening reception Friday evening, the conference participants got together on Saturday and Sunday to exchange ideas about very precise and pertinent discussion topics. We talked about our feminist practice, the violence that we ourselves face and that women learners in our literacy workshops must face.

We talked about our intercultural experiences and our working conditions. Brainstorming sessions at the beginning of each discussion period allowed us to flesh out sub-themes for each of the proposed themes.

The formal organization of FLWN was given a significant place during the last half-day of the conference, when the founding meeting was held. Among the outcomes were a list of objectives and a sense of FLWN's raison d'être.

OBJECTIVES OF FLWN

1. to be a national voice for women's literacy

2. to coordinate with other groups to lobby government for:
   . on-going funding
   . improved access for woman learners

3. to raise awareness of feminist issues with other literacy organizations

4. to promote feminist analysis through:
   . non-sexist, non-racist, non-ablist resource material. language and imagery
   . culture specific resource material
   . feminist methodologies
   . changes in curricula

5. to build a strong FLWN national network

6. to provide on-going personal and professional support for FLWN members

7. to improve the working conditions of FLWN members (both professional and volunteer)

8. to explore the possibility of forming a union

9. to support women learners

10. to promote feminist literacy research on topics such as:
    . women's ways of knowing and learning
    . feminism across cultures and classes
    . violence against women
    . language and imagery