Nova Scotia CCLOW Provincial
Council |
by Linda Roberts
|
MAKING WINDOWS
by Margaret E. Wall
There are always
women waiting. Waiting for the kids to come home, waiting for the cheque to
come in the mail. They wait while the water boils, or the
clothes dry,
for a window to open on their life.
Sometimes a window
is opened by a friend sometimes by fate, or even foe, but most of the time we
must open our own windows.
Re-entry is an open
window. An opportunity to let some fresh air into a stalled and isolated life.
It is like the flight of a bird, a large arc that moves upward. It is not the
beginning or the end but the journey.
The journey may
lead you to a job, to a classroom, to a crisis in your life. Essentially it
leads each of us to self knowledge, self worth, and self
control.
It is the women who
are waiting that we must seek out. Because if we made enough windows all the
walls would disappear. |
|
Growth and visibility have been the greatest accomplishments of
the Nova Scotia Branch of CCLOW over the past ten years. The Halifax chapter of
CCLOW started in 1979 with monthly meetings at the Halifax Public Library. They
still meet there but the rest of Nova Scotia network has grown and changed
dramatically.
In the early 1980s, the Halifax CCLOW group identified rural
networking and membership development as a priority. With the encouragement of
paid CCLOW community outreach staff funded by Secretary of State grants, both
the Eastern Shore Learning Opportunities for Women (ESLOW) in Sheet Harbour and
the Guysborough Learning Opportunities for Women (GLOW) were established. A
group in Sydney was formed in direct response to a specific study on women's
learning needs. To facilitate communication among the four CCLOW member groups
and three affiliate groups, a Provincial Council was established three years
ago. All the CCLOW groups are autonomous and pursue their own projects.
A key strategy over the years for improving women's educational
opportunities has been to highlight issues through sponsoring public education
programs. These have included forums, participatory theatre, conferences,
discussion groups, speakers, workshops, and seminars. Topics have reflected all
aspects of expanding learning opportunities: literacy, distance education,
poverty, elder learners, financial aid, women in politics, upgrading, training,
child care, welfare, and violence. Advocacy through preparing briefs and
meeting with government officials from all three levels of government has been
the other main avenue of activity. While most of the work is done voluntarily,
CCLOW-N.S. has occasionally received short term grants to conduct research and
make recommendations. |