On the Other Side

BRIDGES is a powerful experience for participants, who often undergo a feeling of s letdown and disappointment when the program ends if they are not able to move quickly into a TTO job. Even though it is explained that BRIDGES is not a "quick fix," graduates may find. it difficult to return to their old jobs after experiencing the joy of their work placement. BRIDGES Coordinators try to stay in touch periodically, offering moral support, passing on information about job openings, and sponsoring reunions.

BRIDGES Coordinators in some organization meet with graduates on a regular basis, along with women currently doing no work, to try to keep interest alive and spirits up. The Alumna Association is also an important resource for graduates, and the forty-two BRIDGES graduates currently working in no jobs attest that the career change is worth the wait.

BRIDGES is a successful training program for individual employees and a powerful change agent for the organization as a whole. To quote from another valedictory address, this time delivered by Bonnie Rice, an employee of the City of Toronto: "The development of programs such as BRIDGES is an ever growing sign that it is not just a change of occupation and career that women are looking for, but a change in attitude that society has always held for us. There have always been obstacles to overcome, and there still are, but with every class that has graduated from this Program, the bridges that are built over those obstacles become larger and stronger."

Elizabeth Bohnen and Judy Klie are BRIDGES
Program Managers at the City of Toronto.

Resources

1. BRIDGES to Equity Video (approximately 12 minutes). An excellent, short introduction to the why, what, and how of the program. be borrowed ($10 preview fee) or purchased ($25 purchase price).
   
   
2. The BRIDGES to Equity Program Manual and Trainers Guide developed by Elizabeth Bohnen and Judy Klie; with "Trainer's Guide" by Susan Booth ($55.00 each), and Participant's Workbook by Susan Booth ($45.00 each). A comprehensive guide to establishing your own in-house BRIDGES Program or for providing curriculum ideas women's training programs. Contains a newly developed and tested non-sexist mechanical reasoning assessment.
   
   
3. Retention: Support Strategies for Women in Trades, Technology, and Operations Work (booklet). Experienced guidance on developing a positive working environment for women in TTO jobs ($5.00 plus shipping and handling).
   
   
4. BRIDGES to Equity Program Evaluation Report ($4.00 plus shipping and handling). These resources can be obtained from: Elizabeth Bohnen/ Judy Klie, BRIDGES to Equity Program Managers, Management Services Department, Person Services Division, 2nd Floor, West Tower, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2N2. Telephone (416) 392-7162, TDD Users . (416) 392-7354.