It is difficult to help others discover the strength of their voices when we are speaking in whispers ourselves.

As researchers, literacy workers, advocates, we all need to have the support of others as well as the personal and technical skills to move on. Especially if we are going to work on issues of violence toward women-economic, intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical violence-we need shared insight and support, as well as resources.

In the first stage of this research we have become more aware of the impact woman-positive initiatives might have on program literacy workers and students. Those who participated in this first stage seem to be clear that they want and need a "next step" beyond looking at and reflecting on what is already happening. They want to find out, in a more systematic way, what actually happens when they introduce and/or maintain woman-positive, learner-centred activities in their programs and organizations.

What has happened in the past is that woman-positive initiatives have been undertaken in different programs across the country. In some cases, they have been considered successful. In others, they have not.

However, the goals and objectives, planning processes, programming and evaluations have not been undertaken in a way that allows others to share in the process. The lack of systematic documentation or, in some cases, conscious planning, means that the usefulness for the particular program is limited or, for the wider literacy community, lost.

It is imperative that the research component-the investigation and documentation of the impact of these activities on the program-receive financial support. With financial support for the training of literacy workers in research theory and methods, for planning, for conscious investigation of the process, for documentation and for evaluation, woman-positive program initiatives might realistically have a research component that will make them more useful for others as well as more effective for those involved.

In order to begin envisioning the second stage of the research project, we have to remember the funding structure under which we are currently working. The National Literacy Secretariat does not fund program activities, although it will fund projects such as research, material production, awareness and training. Unless other funding is available to the program for doing the actual activity, we would need to consider that:

• the activity would be part of ongoing operations of the program or organization, and
• the research component would be supported by project funding from the National Literacy Secretariat in a proposal sponsored and coordinated by CCLOW.