Women'space: Volume 1 #1

Our recent research of women's health resources on the Internet produced over 32,000 references. So where do we begin?
The best way to find what's out there is to launch yourself into the network and browse around.
Try these helpful starting points:

The Guide to Women's Health Resources is an extensive list of resources on women's emotional,physical and sexual health held at the University of Michigan,USA. It can link you to information on specific health concerns, guide you through recent research on issues, connect you to mailing lists on health topics where you can talk with other women. Some links emphasize women's support networks and the sharing of remedies. Others highlight the latest medical interventions, or pharmaceuticals and their possible side effects. Still others are centred in women's experiences of the medical system and how to negotiate the processes of diagnosis and treatment. The subjects include body image, eating disorders, rape, domestic violence, cancer, birth control, endometriosis, menstruation, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, sexuality and more.

Canada's HealthNet is a federal government supported demonstration project which aims to provide easier access to health resources. It explores the types of electronic health care services which can be developed, and demonstrates how the Internet can be used by health care providers and the public. This web site acts as a central link to medical and health care resources, organized by subject areas, type of health care, health groups and organizations, locating them locally and globally. It offers a Search tool to locate any word/s you request, substantially easing your search for information.

Breast Cancer Action is a survivor directed group which develops education, counseling and support programs for women/men living with breast cancer, their families and the community. This web site talks about their work, resources and programs. It is unfortunately offline at the moment. It provides an important link to the Breast Cancer Information Clearinghouse web page at Nysernet (New York) which offers mailing lists, search facilities, questions and answers about breast cancer, cancer information organized by topics and by agencies. There are also links with Community Breast Health Project, Oncolink and CancerNet, very useful sources of information about cancer. Breast Cancer Action Nova Scotia is a survivor driven advocacy group which offers support to women. The group formed in 1994 to voice the concerns and needs of women affected by breast cancer. You can reach them by email: MCoulter@fox.nstn.ca

Motherheart is a web site which brings together resources to encourage nurturing in all aspects of life. Motherheart extends our understanding of caring with its fascinating list of alternative and progressive Internet links on community, parenting, spirituality, care giving and the environment. For example, the care giving links include Homeopathy, Internet Health Resources, ReliefNet, HungerWeb, The National Coalition for the Homeless, The Center for World Indigenous Studies, World Neighbours and other community service sites. Caring for Gaia offers connections with Global Conservation, Forestry, Caring for the Land, Greenpeace International, The Sierra Club, Permaculture Resource and issues of environmental sustainability. Motherheart draws us to 'nurture the Mother as she nurtures us'.

In May, I was one of 7 people invited to the Highlander Center in Tennessee. We were involved in our work at home with various issues of inner city African American youth, the rural poor in California, disability rights, women in public housing and Maritime poverty. What did we have in common? We were all involved in adult education that develops people's capacity for leadership. And we all had in some way been inspired by the Highlander's program called SALT - Southern and Appalachian Leadership Training. My colleague Janice Harvey, and I were invited to represent the Tatamagouche Centre's program - Maritime Area Leadership Training.

Leadership: What did we mean when we used the word "leadership?" One of the resource people at the workshop gave a beautiful description: "Good leaders build an organization. They pay attention to encouraging the participation of members of the group by asking themselves; 'How can I support this person? What do they need to learn in order to be more involved and how can I help them to learn that?"

It was this vision of leadership and the work that we are all doing to develop programs that foster leadership development that brought us to the Highlander.

Organizing: The Highlander Center is a residential adult education centre located in the Appalachian region of the US. It was started in the 1930's by Myles Horton, who believed that "Nothing will change until we change - until we throw off our dependence and act for ourselves." Highlander was founded in one of the poorest counties of the US dedicated to the belief that poor working class people - miners, farmers, mill workers - could learn to take charge of their lives and make democratic social change together.

Beginning with workshops to train organizers for union work in the '30's, Highlander's involvement with the struggles of poor people has continued through the civil rights movement, the environmental movement and other issues, into the 90's. Of the thousands of people who have attended Highlander, you may recognize the names of Rosa Parks (who refused to go to the back of the bus), Septima Clarke, Bernice Reagon (of Sweet Honey and the Rock fame) and Martin Luther King Jr.

Highlander works with people who are members of community groups, believing that social change is brought about by groups forming the critical mass necessary to fundamentally and democratically change society. Highlander's efforts are therefore focused primarily on people who will come to learn and work on behalf of their group at home.

Participation: When I was at the Highlander, as part of the 'group of 7' (ha!) I attended a weekend workshop of their leadership development program (SALT). SALT participants, mostly women, came from Tennessee and surrounding states. They were from groups which are working on issues ranging from creating unions for university housekeeping staff to setting up a First Nations rights group. Every participant had a hand in setting the workshop agenda - the agenda which is based on what they want to learn in order to make change in their communities. Highlander staff organizes resource people to add to the content of the workshops when needed. Resource people are regional activists who have a track record of experience in social change.

The heart of Highlanders' educational philosophy lies in the belief that each person is both a learner and a teacher. Participants are the teachers when it comes to sharing knowledge about their own community and its' struggle. Resource people become the teachers when they bring in their own experience and analysis. Another part of the educational philosophy is about the valuing and use of adult life experiences. These experiences potentially can be the grist for the mill of our learning. But it is only when we have the opportunity to analyze our experiences that we really learn something that we can then apply to a new situation.

What Highlander does is to help build bridges that strengthen diverse groups in their common struggle. Even though the participants come from groups that work on different issues, they are able to identify common topics that relate to all their issues. At the weekend workshop I was at, the topic was "Diversity" and the sessions were about homophobia, racism, and the disabilities rights movement. As people talked around the circle, it was clear that everyone had a piece of the picture.

As the big picture emerged, as the scope of the oppressions began to hit us all, I realized how much power there is in "looking into the face of the beast" together, with people who care about the world as much as you do.

What also built our strength was the singing, accompanied by banjo and dulcimer on Saturday night, the informal talks over the picnic tables, the framed photographs of the women involved in Highlander over the years and the realization that we are in something big, that makes us need each other if we are going to survive the long haul.

Bringing It Home: Highlander has built a way of working in solidarity with people that enables people to believe in themselves and their ability to work with others to make changes in the world.

Meeting: I would like to organize a meeting of women interested in talking more about participatory adult education and how we might find ways to do more of this in the women's movement. If this article has got you going and you would like to continue the conversation with someone other than yourself, come to the meeting at our house

Internet Nova Scotia:The African Presence

This is a beautiful site with excellent graphic design. It offers historical information on how Africans came to Nova Scotia, highlights the work of the students of Cole Harbour High School and indicates the role of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia in building pride in heritage. There is a map locating 48 Black communities in Nova Scotia, providing internet links for further information about each of these communities. This web site includes the report of the Black Learners Advisory Committe on Education 1994 which examines the history of racism in education in Nova Scotia and offers proposals to redress educational inequities and empower Black learners. The recommendations are aimed at the provision of quality education for Nova Scotians which reflects a multiracial society that values the contributions of all of its members. Links with related WWW sites are provided.

What's New

Connections: A Womyn's Monthly is a new women's newsletter in Nova Scotia. The first issue includes a monthly Calendher of events, requests for writing, classifieds, groups & organizations, Internet addresses, and an extensive coverage of womyn centred festivals and events.
e-mail them at:ab218@ccn.cs.dal.ca

Learning to use electronic technologies is empowering for women. It involves learning and sharing skills which connect women to each other across the province, national borders and continents. You can tap the resources of women's groups and other community organizations across the globe. You can send out the knowledge you have on the issues in your area and the activities in which you are involved. Find the alternatives, the support groups, the social networks which will make your work with women more effective. Engage in the national policy debates which will give you a greater say in the planning of government programs to promote women's equality.

Women on the 'Net

The Internet has barely been promoted for women. Instead there are scare stories which appear to be designed to frighten women away. Less than a third of the people on the Internet are women, but a very large percentage of that number are feminists. As feminists, women on the 'Net have decided to use the new technology to empower women and are working in a very encouraging, supportive and welcoming way to create a women's community in cyberspace.

We believe that the more women understand about how to use computers, and the new Internet technology, the less it becomes something to fear. The digital revolution can either help or hinder women, depending on the choices we make now. We can leave it to the men and allow women's exclusion OR we engage with it and develop its infinite possibilities for the empowerment of women.

Net growth

Every day more individuals and organizations are using their computers to engage with social issues on a global level. The Internet allows for instantaneous communication, including the rapid exchange of letters, forms, applications, other texts, pictures and even sounds. It is cheaper than all those stamps, faxes and long-distance telephone charges. On-line conferencing can be arranged to save travel time and expense.

Decision-making becomes more democratic as more voices can be heard, and greater diversity can be accommodated on the Internet.

The future

There is now the possibility of a fully participatory method of communicating between women of many backgrounds, ethnic groups, and skills. This means that we have to find a way for all of us to take part and grow. Now is the time for visions of what we want to achieve in the electronic world around us and to discover what we can contribute - to each other and to all women. Let's begin to debate how we can use this new electronic technology to accomplish our goals. We each need to consider what we would like to learn and what we have to offer.

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