Women have a lot of ideas about how they are able to learn what they want to learn by building on their strengths-particularly building on their strengths in community.

• The radio program is a very good idea for women, because they are the ones who are usually at home, listening to the radio. And that way they can learn to read and write, or they can help me. A lot of times they do especially the elder women. They'll call me and say "This is how you say this," or "No, it's done this way." So they give us support.

  For some reason, Inuit women don't just come out and talk. Like I work here in the college. I hardly get any calls here during the day. But at the radio where everybody's listening and they can hear me, then they'll call me and give me advice.

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• [Women] like to come and hang out, shoot the shit...They also like group. Group learning I'm finding women are enjoying much more than a tutor because they're willing to share ideas.

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• When we sit and do it by ourselves [it's not good enough] ... it's only one hour and we have to rush. Especially me. Somebody is standing behind me and I can't understand anything! I know they are waiting for his help. Everything just goes blank. And I just told him I go home and ask my husband to help me. It forces me to learn from my husband, not my teacher.

• From having observed male/female groups, I tend to feel females really enjoy learning because of the social interaction that they, manage with other women... I've experienced it several different times...When it first happened, I thought "Oh, this is a fluke. This is just a good group of women." But, there's many good groups of women.

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• She's got a way with people that she brings out-she gets them to say what they want to learn. She knows how to help them out in that area. I think that was the success-that the instructor, even though she knew what she was supposed to teach, but she didn't teach them what she knows. She taught them what they want to know...That's why it was so successful. Because it wasn't up to the instructor to teach the stuff, it was up to the people taking the course to tell the instructor what they want to know. And she did it. And I admire her for it!

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• I think in order for a centre like this to work then it's got to be all encompassing because people don't live in a vacuum...

• There was all the stuff around child sexual abuse coming out ... it just consumed everyone and as a result we started talking about it. ... So we said, "Well, why don't we build it into part of a discussion group." ... It was just an incredible shift in terms of thinking about the issue and also a movement to become involved in different things, such as the coalition against pornography...Also in the process of that four women identified themselves as having been victims of sexual abuse and the potential for that to move was just phenomenal.

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• We do have a lot of fun. I think that's really important. We build fun into the program. We build going out for lunch, having potlucks, mental health days...They enjoy coming here. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, then you're not going to get the cooperation.

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• What would you change?
• Have classes instead of going at your own pace by yourself.
• a program where you have more choices that don't depend on math
• more career type counselling regarding courses.
• more classes at night.
• more choice of courses.
• games like volleyball organized
• more friends my own age.
• to be able to live with my birth mother.
• money for transportation each day
• I wish I hadn't slacked off when I was in school before. That I had gone back and finished.

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