4

Interpretation/ Analysis

4-1 Preparation for the third workshop

As women got ready for the third workshop, they received copies of all the documentation drafted to that date. This included all twelve program descriptions (included in Chapter 6 of this book), some journal writing, and a wide variety of program products. Six programs had produced material written by the students and staff involved in their woman-positive activities. Seven women wrote reflective and analytic articles. One woman produced a policy paper and curriculum guide, one adapted her journals for publication, and one developed a story that could be used as curriculum. These materials have been published in another book documenting this research, Women in literacy speak - The power of women positive literacy -work.

During the second interview, Frances and I had asked a variety of questions in preparation for the third workshop, beginning with how women interpreted the term "collaborative analysis." Most talked about finding commonalities among different experiences, naming them, categorizing them, and putting them within a framework that made sense of the project as a whole. Several women used the imagery of weaving and the notion of connection.

Analysis was seen as a way of pulling together everything that we had learned so that we could see the whole project rather than twelve separate pieces - on their own. Most women accepted that we would have different interpretations of what had happened. They didn't feel there had to be agreement on each piece of the analysis as long as any woman had the right to have significant disagreement included in the final document.

When we asked women more generally what they wanted to happen at the third workshop, they talked about focusing on our commonalities, allowing for our differences, and building on the respect and support that developed during the second workshop. Women wanted to regain the sense of connection with other women, finding out what had been happening over the last several months. They also wanted to have a sense of closure and a sense that there would be some kind of connection - that we would not all return to our communities never to talk together again.

They wanted to feel clear about the direction of the project following the workshop. Who would develop the final documentation? What might it look like?