March 4, 1992

I found out today that Kate, a former Women's Upgrading Program regular, hadn't been to work for nine days. I had been tutoring her in her workplace every Monday and Wednesday afternoon when she's just starting or ending her shift. I think it's great that her boss has agreed to pay her an extra two hours a week so she can continue her connection with the Centre.

Later the same day

I ran into Kate at the arena and we talked. Her boy had a medical emergency and had to be medi-vaced to Churchill then later to Winnipeg. Kate's husband went with him so Kate didn't have a baby-sitter for her pre-school children. That's why she couldn't work. Also, she was very upset about her boy and I wondered what it would be like to be in such a position with the medical establishment - not understanding, not asking, not knowing, worrying, waiting.

I worked with both her boss and her about being absent, about not calling, about baby-sitting possibilities. I don't know if it's been resolved and I don't feel responsible for making it work out. I do think it is relevant to the research project because it's an example of how the program reaches out into the community. In this case it's with a woman who was in the program the past two years but isn't this year because she's now working.

It's also an example of the how the relationships developed in the program extend beyond the program both in time and physical location. It's an example of the changing needs of a woman who has been a regular in the program and has expanded her role in the community. In Kate's case, she's now a worker and needs lots of support and education about employment. (Her boss needs support and education, too!) And it's an example of how important it is for the Centre to criss-cross programs to support learners. In this case, a former Women's Upgrading Program learner became a workplace literacy learner.

Another chapter of Kate's story came to light one day during a tutoring session. She has a friend who's talking to her about past abuse. Kate said she felt helpless and inadequate to deal with her. She asked what to do. So we talked about how to be a helper. It struck me how Kate had become a support to other women and, in the process, gives back the support she'd been given in the Women's Upgrading Program.

This is a BIG ripple of the program. Does it count that the ripple was formed by actions two years ago?

Even later the same day

Two new women joined tonight. They're friends of women in the program. Very heartening. We talked again about getting together for our scheduled visit to the drug and alcohol centre. These events are proving to be more difficult to arrange than I'd anticipated. Afternoons are no good because everyone watches "Guiding Light" from 2:00-3:00. The child one woman baby-sits naps from 2:00-4:00. We agreed to try for 10:30-11:30.