Immigrant women's literacy: holistic learning, job training, a safe place to learn
Recommendations
Consider whether the broader context of women's issues can incorporate the uniqueness of immigrant women's experiences, or whether it is necessary to create a separate space.

Ensure the creation of a climate where all women are welcome and the wide range of women's realities are reflected.

Lobby for the recognition of credentials gained elsewhere and for less restrictive conditions for immigrant women's employment as domestic workers, etc.

CCLOW/NWRG-where do we go from here?
Members, Board members and interested parties of CCLOW and NWRG joined to discuss their respective organization's history, mandate, climate and structure. It was acknowledged that the infrastructure of the women's movement in Canada has been seriously eroded; very few national women's groups are still active and very few opportunities remain for women's groups to directly influence policy and decision-making. With specific respect to education and training, the sphere of influence has changed with the devolution of responsibility to the provinces; what is the role for a national organization? There was significant discussion of some important differences between the two organizations: that the mandate of each is broad, yet the only overlap between the two is in the area of training (where NWRG addresses training issues related directly to women's labour market participation and CCLOW addresses training as part of women's larger participation in all aspects of society); NWRG membership is based on organizational representation whereas CCLOW's membership is open to individuals and organizations alike.

Based on these and further discussions that the members of each organization held separately, it was concluded that the mandate, organizational structure, constituency and focus of each organization did not at present allow for a smooth or effective merging.

How does the family literacy model support women's learning?
Many misconceptions exist with respect to family literacy, including that it is based on a "deficit" model of the family; that it resembles a pre-school literacy program; that it does not address the needs of women outside their role as mothers; that the term "family" applies only to a limited configuration of people. Yet research shows increased motivation, longer participation and more sustainable advances in literacy levels in both adults and children among participants in family literacy programs. The role of women in their families-where many women feel their greatest strength-cannot be ignored in any truly effective educational approach.

Recommendations
Dispel myths and misconceptions about family literacy by promoting information on its woman-positive philosophy, collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches and the success of its programs.

Build support in women's organizations for the role of family literacy in the process of women's life-long learning.