The objective in doing this work was to find out why more women were not participating in programs at the Centre. With the confirmation of some earlier thinking and the learning of many new things, the next logical step for the Rabbittown Learners Program was to encourage more women's involvement. They intended to start this process by producing a pamphlet outlining the survey results. They would then follow-up with each woman, either individually or in small kitchen meetings, to review the pamphlet and discuss the survey results. Any expression of interest would facilitate further follow-up in the hope that this would encourage involvement in programs at the Centre or the development of new initiatives to meet the specific needs of these women.

With the closing of the Rabbittown Learners Program in October 1992, these plans were put on hold. At that time the staff decided they would no longer work on a volunteer basis. As one of them said in their press release:

As of Friday I'm unemployed. Yet I have people depending on me to help them learn to read and write. After nearly a year of uncertainty I feel I can't keep up the pretence that all is well, that we can give the people what they need when we can't even keep up with papers and pencils.

The closing of the program attracted much local media attention which was followed by a groundswell of public and private concern. The program opened again on March 8,1993, with enough funds from federal and provincial government agencies, private donations, fund-raising events, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Literacy Coalition to continue operations for seven months.

The intense effort required for fund-raising detracts from learning and certainly limits the possibility of carrying out extra activities such as the full completion of this particular woman-positive activity. When projects like this are delayed, at best inefficiencies are created and at worst there is a loss of interest.

What was produced

Frances Ennis used the raw material produced by the Rabbittown staff to write an article, "Uncovering fear and isolation in Rabbittown: A woman-positive literacy project." It is included in Women in literacy speak.

"We enjoyed talking together: no agenda, just being ourselves. It felt so good to just meet and talk about what mattered to us.