They wanted reassurance that they were meeting our expectations in terms of doing the research. Many women experienced anxiety around their journal writing (or lack of journal writing!) and wanted to know exactly what we wanted in terms of documentation. As practitioners, they felt confident about their literacy work. As researchers, they felt less confident. In general, women wanted a variety of small groups at the workshop. While a very few preferred working in a large group, they all acknowledged a need for information and feedback sessions.

They asked for frequent breaks, for free evenings, and, if possible, a visit to Beat the Street, one of the programs located in Toronto. They suggested warm-ups and singing, information about CCLOW's other activities, and ideas about how we might stay in touch once this project finished. One woman asked for a method other than large-group consensus for decision-making "so that those who are less vocal will be heard." Two other women, referring back to the first workshop, asked that we let go of the need to label ourselves and others and, instead,' create an atmosphere of tolerance and recognize that we are all struggling."

3-2 The second workshop

The second workshop took place in Toronto from April 23 to April 26, 1992. Twenty-eight program women attended, twenty of whom had attended the first workshop. Aisla Thomson and Dianne Palachik participated again as CCLOW staff, and Frances and I facilitated. Two advisory committee members, Evelyn Battell and Kathleen Rockhill, attended some sessions and facilitated two workshops.

The agenda was based on women's evaluation of the first workshop, their suggestions during our first visit, and their response to the survey earlier that month. We also reviewed the research design. As we moved from description and action into discussion and documentation, we wanted to maintain a focus on the research questions and the woman-positive activities. The strength of our work originated in the experience of actually doing something woman-positive and then having the opportunity to reflect, discuss, analyze, and document out of those experiences. This opportunity to get together with other women doing the same kind of work provided both support and challenge. We set out the following objectives for our four days together.

• To get acquainted/reacquainted

• To get an update on the woman-positive activity in each program

• To review the research design and timelines for program work

• To identify and discuss issues arising in programs and for women as a result of doing the woman-positive activities

• To discuss program and project documentation, including the poster, the program descriptions, the program products and the final publication(s)

• To introduce the objectives of the third workshop, including the process of collaborative analysis