The politics of talking: Doing "woman positive" in a learner centred literacy program

Marion Wells
Saint John Learning Exchange, Saint John, NB

When I first became involved CCLOW's action research project involving woman positive activities, I was interested in discovering what women in other programs might be doing that we weren't. I read the term woman positive and I was intrigued as executive director of the Saint John Learning Exchange and a self identified feminist, I felt we were responsive to women's concerns and maybe I was looking for affirmation of that.

I don't think I have ever been unduly smug about what we were doing in the program though. In fact I had several times questioned whether we were doing enough for women learners. My staff usually fielded my questions with well put responses. They argued for a humanistic, equality based learning and social environment and we always tried to provide that.

My doubts about whether we had a good focus for meeting women's needs centred on whether we helped women solve their problems. Primarily I saw women as victims particularly under educated and poor women . It is also true that I saw them as extraordinarily brave and very determined as they packed their kids off to baby sitters or to school to put in three to six hours a ay at the Centre. And I knew most of them were enormously social creatures in class and in the hallways, just as I am. I observed them both helping each other and giving moral support to the men in the group. The social environment we nurture involves frequently cross gender boundaries. Men in the groups also five encouragement to women as well as to their male comrades.

A lot of problem solving takes place in our learning groups. Back then, when we were beginning to get to know CCLOW, I was satisfied that we were for the most part giving women learners what they needed from a literacy /basic education program but I did always wonder whether we should have some women only activities. Even though I thought we were already woman positive, I wondered about our responsibility to help women deal with violence, sexual abuse and lack of power.

Our counsellor does one to one counselling and refers women to agencies for help with specific problems. Perhaps I though, we should also be giving women.