Women's Committee Beat the Street Toronto, Ontario

Beat the Street began in 1985 to provide a place for people connected with the street to develop their literacy skills. It is a program of Frontier College and is funded through the college by various government sources and private donations. It is supported by an independent advisory committee and is located in the downtown section of Toronto, Canada's largest metropolitan area.

Beat the Street is the only literacy program in Toronto organized by street people for street people. Most students live close to the centre but some travel an hour and a half on the subway to participate. The students are young, aged 18 to 24.

There are twenty volunteer tutors and three staff in the program. Reflecting the commitment to peer tutoring and support, most of the staff members and some of the tutors are former or present-day street people. The staff organize and train tutors and provide counselling support for students. The tutors work with students on the street or at the centre. The program provides information and referral on issues such as housing and health.

Most people who live, work, or are connected with the street in any way, live a life of violence. This is particularly true for women. A woman on the street feels she must have a boyfriend for protection and to avoid loneliness. Many women turn to prostitution because their boyfriends often threaten them with statements like, "If you want to keep me for a boyfriend make me money."

The violence experienced on the street doesn't simply end because people decide to participate in a literacy program. While no form of violence or sexual harassment is tolerated at Beat the Street, it sometimes occurs. This makes women feel unsafe at the Centre and as a result some do not participate. In January 1992 there were fifty-one male and seven female students at Beat the Street.

Another reason women don't participate in the program is they feel that their value isn't determined by their level of education. Instead their value comes from how they look, act, and dress, and from how much they support their boyfriends financially, emotionally, and educationally - for example, his literacy needs are considered more important than hers.