We also developed guidelines for outreach and program selection at this meeting. The four programs that participated in phase one had first priority for phase two. Our second priority was regional representation. Finally, we considered representation through other distinguishing program characteristics. Each program outlines the way in which it came into the project as part of the program descriptions, Chapter 6 of this book.

By early October, fourteen programs had applied to participate. We had a mix of rural and urban, northern and southern programs. We also had a wide variety of program models: community-based and community college programs; a public housing, prison, and union program; a Friendship Centre; a program that worked with urban immigrant women primarily from the Caribbean, a northern program that worked with Inuit women, and a program that worked with Aboriginal women.

Women who participated as students in these programs ranged from those involved in basic literacy work to those preparing to write grade 12 equivalency exams. Some of the programs already included women-only groups in their structure. Other programs had never before considered working with women as a particular student group. Every woman who expressed interest either had a very clear picture of what she wanted to do or was able to imagine several possibilities.

At a teleconference meeting of advisory committee members and CCLOW staff in October, we chose twelve programs to participate in the project.

2-2 Preparation for the first workshop

In the month before the first national workshop, I continued to discuss the project with the program women who would be most involved in planning the woman-positive activity. As we talked, we developed a profile of each program, including possible woman-positive activities for each site. At the same time, we developed a shared vocabulary and tone for discussion - something that changed with each woman, but also developed a certain commonality from program to program. we were excited, respectful, eager, confused, tentative, flexible, and curious - very curious.

Ideally, I should have been able to set up a series of calls with each program, involving progressively more program people in the development of different ideas for each activity. I should have been involved in some of the discussions between staff and students, staff and administration. I should have been able to ask some difficult questions about how they might deal with some of the consequences of the activity.