introduction

The focus of this kit is how violence affects a woman's education and her ability to learn. Violence, as is increasingly acknowledged, has many faces. It can be past or present, physical or sexual, racism or ageism, emotional blackmail, or denying another's spirituality. Violence can come from an individual or an institution, i.e. government, school or social service agency.

Any form of violence can have a significant negative impact on a woman's education. A woman who remembers being sexually abused as a child might have anxiety attacks over exams or other pressure points in her education; a woman who worries about food and shelter for her children, a girl who worries about whether her mother will be beaten, a woman whose community tells her she should always be home with her children, a girl who is taunted because she has a different language or skin colour or sexual orientation or physical ability, cannot concentrate upon learning. Safety and survival will be more important, since being safe and surviving past and present trauma are continual challenges for the student.

What is in this Kit and how to use it
The workshop reports briefly describe what we did in and learned from pilot workshops on the connections between violence and women's education. You might want to use some of that information when you design a workshop or unit you are working on. You might want to use a list generated in one of the workshops as a springboard for discussion in a staff meeting, class, or small group. You might want more information about one or all of the workshops or you might want to have CCLOW put on a workshop for you. CCLOW's national office can help you connect with the groups who designed and gave the workshops.

"Describing the Barriers" looks at the barriers identified in the pilot workshops as well as those identified by women from virtually every province and territory. As we mention in the introduction to that section, the same barriers were mentioned again and again. These barriers are not isolated occurrences, but are realities that women from all parts of the country, and all segments of society have to confront daily. The section also includes several articles which look at some specific groups of women who may face violence because of their life situation.

The section titled "Sharing Our Experiences--Snapshots of Our Lives" has short articles by women from all over Canada. We asked women to submit stories and selected these to share with you. They might be useful in various learning situations--as writing prompts, as discussion prompts, as case studies, as inspiration to let other women learners know that they are not alone. We invite you to share these stories with learners and with other teachers. These stories graphically illustrate some of the situations that women face as a result of violence --violence that impacts on their education.