WOMEN  and LITERACY

On the Screen:  connections between violence and learning:  work supported through a fellowship from the National Institute for Literacy to examine connections between trauma and learning in adult education settings.  A site dedicated to the fellowship work includes basic information, a developing list of resources (including links to many domestic violence resources formerly found on this page) and an abridged version of the fellowship proposal.

A new list  Poverty, Race, & Women Literacy Discussion List  has evolved; join in.  Dpahne Greenberg continues her excellent moderation and support of the discussion.

ACCESS for young women in science and technology - from the College of Science at the University of Utah

AIDS, Medicaid, and Women, by Laurence M. Lavin. - discusses gaps in the health care system that prevent persons with HIV, especially women, from accessing the early care that holds so much hope. 5 Duke J. of Gender L. & Pol'y 193 (July 17, 1998). (from NHELP, the National Health Law Program site) 

For a review of Making Connections, by Arlene Wells, from The Literacy Materials Bulletin, Spring 1998. click here

Making Connections: A Literacy and EAL Curriculum from a Feminist Perspective - available on line
overview of the text and links to two supplemental documents produced following a meeting of the facilitators in 1998 - after they had delivered workshops focused on using the curriculum. The titles are:Anti-racist/Culture-Based Approaches and Guided Reflections for Facilitators

The Artemis Project - The Artemis Project was started in the summer of '96 by two Brown University students with the mission of enhancing self-confidence and building leadership skills through hands-on experience with computers. Artemis participants are rising ninth-grade girls in Providence public schools.

new work : The Artemis project 2005

But I'm Not a Therapist: Literacy Work with Survivors of Trauma - Archived discussion postings, as well as an opportunity to join in/continue the conversation. Please follow the directions below to participate, read archived messages and download the paper Jenny Horsman wrote on the topic of literacy work with survivors of trauma.

Jenny Horsman is a feminist literacy worker and researcher whose research showed that violence has profound impacts on women's ability to learn and to meaningfully participate in literacy programs. In this on-line workshop, participants looked at the research together, searching for ways to improve practice and programs to respond in ways that support all learners. The workshop was designed for anyone interested in the impact of violence on women's learning and has access to the internet, including literacy workers, ESL instructors, counsellors, therapists, shelter workers, feminists, academics, students, activists, and others. Go to http://alphaplus.ca/

Jenny Horsman, a community educator and researcher, works with Spiral Community Resource Group, Toronto, to carry out research, writing, curriculum development, training and facilitation projects in adult literacy and workplace training. She is the author of Something in my Mind besides the Everyday: Women and Literacy and has also contributed to several collections of writing about literacy, including Worlds of Literacy, edited by Mary Hamilton, David Barton, Roz Ivanic (1994). Jenny's new website is now online at http://www.jennyhorsman.com

Defining the other ? - panel with Jenny Horsman, Deanne Bradley, Nancy Cooper, Arlene Wells and Janet Isserlis 

READING ABOUT SURVIVING: LITERACY IN TRANSITION HOUSES -report of a project promoting meetings of transition house workers and literacy programs to encourage networking and mutual referrals, by Kate Nonesuch and Evelyn Battell

Half the House - Information about Half the House, Richard Hoffman's powerful memoir of experiences of abuse, and links to Hoffman's writing. Considering the notion of violence and women, without an awareness of violence done to children and its long term effects on them, we lose an important connection to who we are in the world.

Other sites related to violence : On the Screen resource page

Cambodian Women Development Agency - "dedicated to promoting self-sufficiency and self-reliance in Cambodian communities and the advancement of women's economic and social rights." Includes literacy and health education information.

Children's Encyclopedia of Women - encyclopedia written by third and fourth grade students at Pocantico Hills School. The content is basic and clear, making it accessible to adult literacy learners without being condescending.

Critical issues for women in adult ESOL (Academic Session) TESOL ' 99 Papers from a colloquium exploring a range of issues facing women (both learners and practitioners) in adult ESOL contexts. Presentations focus on women in the workplace, health and literacy education, domestic violence, participatory research with women learners, and classroom-community connections. Presenters: E. Auerbach, T. Goldstein, L. Hewitt, J. Horsman, J. Isserlis, K. Rivera

Discussion group at TESOL '98: Women, literacy and learning: Is there an issue? - report of the session held in during TESOL '98.

Gender Approach to Adult Literacy and Basic Education -Marcela BALLARA Education, Gender and Development Consultant

Gender, training and work - Inter-American Research and Documentation Centre on Vocational Training, a site "site seeks to expose and reflect about the mainstreaming of the gender perspective on training and work," containing fact sheets, employment trends and numerous other resources.

A History of International Women's Day in words and images - An Isis Creation for the Australian Women's Intra Network by Joyce Stevens.

Gather the Women - Women throughout the world are invited to create thousands of local, regional and national women's gatherings on March 8, 2003. These events will allow millions of women to participate in a global conversation and to support one another in creating positive change through collaborative action.

Her Story -- Community Center, The Learning Page - photos, diaries,  timelines for learning about women in US history, literature about women and    discrimination, African-American women in the sciences, women in Muslim societies, Native American women writers, Zora Neale Hurston, Margaret Mead, research in women's history, and more.

Institute for Women's Policy Research - including  information about welfare reform monitoring projects, child care, domestic violence, work and welfare reform, and links to informative policy and other resource sites.

International Issues - from the UN cyberschool bus To be born a girl - Intermediate School Kit on the United Nations: A Web Adaptation.  Also, search the site for other women's issues

WomenWatch - The UN Internet Gateway on the  Advancement and Empowerment of Women

from the UN Cyber School Bus daily fax archive

12 Mar 98 Daring Women of Africa

"At a press briefing sponsored by the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Inonge Mbikusita- Lewanika, President of the Federation of African Women's Peace Network (FERFAP) and a member of parliament in Zambia, stressed the importance of preventing violence in Africa, adding that active participation by the people and the promotion of human rights were ways of achieving this. She said that some of the African women "had done the most daring missions that no government can think about." As an example, she said, during the conflict in Mali, women risked their lives and got in touch with the rebels and "talked to them until they collected all their guns and put them to flame." In northern Uganda, she added, a minister went to the bush "with just a handbag" to talk to the rebels. She also said that African women were putting pressure on African governments to reduce their defence budgets while also pleading with other women in developed countries to pressurize their governments to stop the production of weapons which are used in conflicts on the African continent."

From: DAILY HIGHLIGHTS, Friday, 6 March 1998

5 Mar 98 The Miseducation of Girls

"In much of the world too little attention has been paid to the education of girls. Huge gaps persist between women's and men's educational achievement. Globally, nearly 600 million women remain illiterate today, compared with about 320 million men. In certain parts of the world, moreover, as many as three in four women are illiterate, and others have received no more than a negligible education. This neglect has had critical consequences for women's well-being, for their empowerment as well as for their reproductive choices and roles. The education of girls is a key factor in improving family health, reducing infant mortality, and changing reproductive behaviour. With education comes increased confidence and self-esteem. Educated women are more likely to stand up for themselves, participate in the labour force, and seek health care for themselves and their children." From: The State of World Population 1997, CHAPTER 4

The Journal of South Asia Women Studies - the first journal on/by Asia women on the web, includes unpublished articles, reviews, news. Academic submissions welcomed.

Literacy and Social Change: From a Women's Perspective Mi Shiknar: I Will Learn by Ujwala Samant - Part of the proceedings of the 1996 World Conference on Literacy

Literacy for Women on the Streets - documentation of literacy work in Vancouver, BC, designed for and with women in the sex trades.

LITERACY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN In Collaboration With Asia Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) Japan

Making Connections across culture: Critical reflection on a feminist adult education resource - by Arlene Wells. A report on a research project that examines the way in which one feminist literacy resource does and doesn't accommodate the needs, strengths and cultures of women learning and teaching in adult literacy programs. The report moves beyond an analysis of one curriculum document into a careful reflection of the ways that race, class, and gender (among other things) interlock and contribute to helping or hindering women's learning.

from the National Council on Research for Women - Misinformation Clearinghouse; information (including the area of education) about women's lives.   - (A Facilitator's Guide to a Visual Workshop Methodology)    Suzanne Doerge and Beverly Burke.  A "how-to" guide for doing a gender analysis of today's economy in a visual and participatory way, called "The Wall".  The methodology uses the image of a stone wall to depict a gender analysis of today's economy or a particular aspect of it. The wall image provides an opportunity to analyze changes in the economy over the past ten years and what those changes havemeant for women.

MUJER - Mothers United for Jobs, Education, Results - learner-generated site from San Antonio, Texas; includes learners' stories and reflections, and descripitions of projects.  (This link also appears on LR/RI's learners page).

National Adult Literacy Database  (Canada)

Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women

CCLOW archives/search - publications addressing women, literacy, violence, technology and other elements of women's education, are now online

"What happens when some women in a literacy program decide to do something they consider woman-positive?" - a report from a CCLOW research project and its findings

Rhode Island Women and Film Project - Pat Salazar's report on her 1998 minigrant project, "My not so Brilliant Idea," a film and discussion project for women held in Woonsocket, RI.

Text Quarterly from the Center for the Study of Adult Literacy - Fall 1999, Volume 12, Issue 1

Lots and lots about international women's day, from a google search.

Women Work and Literacy - ERIC Digest No. 92 by Sandra Kerka

Women's Voices 2000 - The Most Comprehensive Polling and Research Project on Women's Values and Policy Priorities for the Economy from the Center for Policy Alternatives

Women Leaders on Line - Women organizing for change, including links to resources, news, action alerts (as well as an action alert email list) relevant to women and social / political change. 

Women Leading Through Reading - a Minnesota-based initiative to raise awareness about the particular challenges women face as they seek to enhance their literacy skills, and to explore alternative ways for women to improve their literacy skills. A resource list of literacy materials for women is also attached to the site.

and, related to that, WE LEARN - Women Expanding Literacy Education Action Resource Network:
WE LEARN values and promotes literacy and literature for all women; especially those with lower-level English reading and writing skills. Education can
become a liberatory opportunity for women disadvantaged by traditional schooling. Women and girls need and deserve access to a variety of creative
educational opportunities, programs, resources, and materials at all levels of readability.  Check the site to learn about the project's goals, complete a questionnaire,  and gather information about and connections to women working with and within literacy.

Mom's on Duty with NO Pay: A Radio Program for International Women's Day, March 8, 2002, - Students in the Family Learning Program, South St. Paul, MN, 365/24/7  ] PDF file - The free Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) Reader allows you to view, navigate, and print PDF files across all major computing platforms. To download Acrobat(R) Reader clickhere

Afghan women fear war's legacy - September 27, Globe and Mail, Toronto

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) - documents, images, reports from RAWA, including a caution that some images are deeply disturbing. RAWA has worked, at great peril to its members, for basic human rights, including literacy, for Afghanistan's people.

last updated July 31, 2007

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