Snippetts - News by Mary Scott - Community Builder Winnipeg

Greetings, and Bonjour to cyber friends near and far, special welcome to Shannon Surgeoner, Stacy Boone, Margaret Mitchell and Darlene Marzari.

It is ages since we last connected - what can i say, but that life has been busy, and for most of the last 2 months, i had no computer. So some of this will be a catch up. My sincere apologies to those who sent material, that is now past due.

First from the International Women's Tribune Centre:

1. WOMEN ORGANIZE TO PREPARE FOR FORUM TO REVIEW PARIS DECLARATION ON AID EFFECTIVENESS In anticipation of the Third High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness that will take place in Accra, Ghana, from September 2 to 4, 2008, women's rights organizations, advocates and activists will be gathering at the Accra Women's Forum on August 30 to articulate a coherent set of recommendations and plan for women's effective engagement. The High-Level Forum will be a venue for donor and recipient governments to review the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness over the last three years and determine a fresh agenda for action on delivering and managing aid. The Paris Declaration seeks to increase the impact aid has in reducing inequalities, supporting growth, building capacity and accelerating the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals which aim to halve world poverty by 2015.

Women's groups involved in the debates and discussions around the Paris Declaration have been promoting the perspective that neither aid nor development policies can be successful unless gender equality, environmental sustainability and human rights are recognized as crucial to the development agenda. This is especially important because more than half the population living in poverty are women who must confront the inequities of their situation as well as entrenched gender inequalities. The Accra Women's Forum presents an opportunity for groups to debate the issues and frame precise recommendations; strategize on advocacy opportunities and approaches; and strengthen women's participation and perspectives in the High-Level meeting.

The forum is being organized by a consortium of women's organizations, including AWID, WIDE, DAWN and FEMNET. It will be held at the Ellking Hotel in East Legon, Accra. Women who will be in Accra for the High-Level meeting are encouraged to attend the women's forum. For more information, contact Michele Knab (mknab@awid.org) and/or go to http://www.awid.org/eng/-The-Accra-Women-s-Forum.

2. DEBATE ON GENDER EQUALITY ARCHITECTURE MOVES FORWARD IN UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
- UN PAPER ON GENDER EQUALITY ARCHITECTURE & GEAR CAMPAIGN ANALYSIS The UN Deputy Secretary General (DSG) recently circulated a paper in the General Assembly that explored and analyzed the four options that are being considered as possibilities to strengthen the UN's work on gender equality and the empowerment of women. Part of the more comprehensive UN reform process, this restructuring would particularly affect the four women-specific entities: the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues, the Division for the Advancement of Women, and the International Research and Training Institute for Women. The four structural options presented in the paper are (i) maintaining the status quo; (ii) creating an autonomous fund/programme; (iii) creating a department within the Secretariat; and (iv) creating a composite entity of all four women-specific entities.

In response to the DSG's report, the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) Campaign published an analysis to facilitate further discussion about the options, especially because of the expectation that the General Assembly will hold an informal consultation at the end of August or early September to move the process forward with some type of resolution. The paper produced by the campaign supports the options for an autonomous fund or a c0mposite entity because these two seem to have the greatest likelihood of strengthening gender equality activities on the ground - a primary point of advocacy for the GEAR campaign. However, the analysis points out a critical need for clarity and detail on how the options will function to strengthen the work on gender equality in the UN, rather than just achieve better coordination. In addition, this process must also be accompanied by strong advocacy for a substantial increase in resources, especially at the country level. The DSG's report can be found at http://www.wedo.org/library.aspx?ResourceID=279 while the GEAR analysis can be accessed at http://gear.collectivex.com/discussion/topic/show/86809

Note: NEW WEBSITE SUPPORTS GEAR CAMPAIGN ADVOCACY The GEAR campaign has recently published a website as a networking and communication tool for campaign members and as an information point for those seeking to find out about the campaign. The site includes basic information about the campaign and its driving principles, a calendar of relevant events and a repository of past statements and records of global and regional advocacy on the issue. To access the website, go to: http://gear.collectivex.com/main/summary

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Did you know the United Nations will be reviewing Canada's fulfillment of its international human rights commitments under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in October 2008?

In order to ensure that the UN has the most accurate information possible, FAFIA is assembling a women's equality-seeking NGO report to present to the United Nations committee for use during the review of Canada. Consequently, we are inviting non-governmental groups to provide information on the status of women's equality in your province/territory to help us develop a national report.

If interested in participating, and can provide data/input, please contact Nancy Baroni, The Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA), nbaroni@fafia-afai.org.


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Conspicuous by their Absence: By Miren Gutierrez ROME, - Observe any summit picture -- you won't find many women. The mystery of female underrepresentation in the echelons of power persists: after so many decades of the feminist movement, why are women at the helm scarce? A look at the media sector may provide some answers......

So let's have a look at some examples, even if fragmented.
Djerf-Pierre's study shows that even in a female-friendly nation such as Sweden, "journalism as a field has remained male-dominated".
(Sweden ranks number one -- or the country with the narrowest disparity -- in the Global Gender Gap [GGG] published by the World Economic Forum). A period of tokenism was followed by the upsurge of a critical mass of women who entered the newsrooms in the last 25 years. Today, almost half of Swedish journalists are women, she says in the study. However, three out of four leaders in the media industry are men. Only in two sectors, public broadcasting and magazines, do women fill more than 40 percent of leadership positions. Djerf- Pierre explains that a general pattern -- she calls it "gender logic" persists: men typically cover the public sphere of politics, business, and power, speaking to male sources and assuming the mantle of objectivity; women tend to cover the private sphere, drawing on female sources and writing in a more intimate style. "The main finding is that status, prestige and power have been associated with conceptions of masculinity and these conceptions, in turn, have been associated to the beliefs that underpin the field -- the image of the journalistic mission," says Djerf-Pierre. According to a survey published in 2005 mentioned in her report, "many women journalists... feel that women are at a disadvantage when stories are assigned, but say at the same time that gender has no importance with respect to how a desk chief performs his or her job." Similar patterns emerge in the U.S. (GGG rank 31), which is in a worse position regarding equality. "Women have reached the proverbial glass ceiling in the media," proclaims the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) in its 2006-2007 report.
A study by the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 2006 showed that the number of women executives has stagnated in this sector. "The percentage of women in daily newsrooms increased slightly to 37.7 percent... 64.5 percent of all supervisors are men. They are also 58.5 percent of all copy editors, 60.3 percent of reporters and 72.6 percent of photographers," says the study......


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An interesting web site - even a link to the National Women’s Committee (NWC), in Yemen that has called for a minimum legal age for marriage of 18 in order to end child marriage, which is prevalent in rural areas of Yemen. Gender in Health and Development Website

World Health Organization - Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

The unit of Gender in Health and Development of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is pleased to announce the launch of the Gender in Health and Development website http://www.emro.who.int/ghd/index.htm

The unit of Gender in Health and Development works towards the inclusion of gender considerations at all levels of health care and delivery entailing the recognition of both the biological and social differences of males and females and the resulting impacts on health attainment and vulnerability.

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Of Human Bondage June 10, 2008 The Wall Street Journal

The biofuels boom has contributed to the recent spike in food prices that threatens the world's poor. In Brazil, home of ethanol made from sugar cane, it's had another unintended consequence: slavery. The use of forced labor to work in sugar cane plantations is "a growing trend," according to the U.S. State Department's latest report on human trafficking.

The annual report, released last week, documents sexual exploitation and forced labor in 170 countries. It is always a tough read. This year's edition records the appalling abuse of men, women and children in brothels, factories and farms - often while government looks the other way - and spots trends. Every country receives a ranking based on its record in prosecuting exploiters, protecting victims and preventing abuses.

Oil-rich Russia, for instance, is now more likely to import prostitutes and forced laborers, often from Central Asia, than to export them. India, which has taken welcome steps to protect prostitutes and child laborers, has done little to help bonded workers, usually of lower castes. China is cited for, among other things, a recent scandal involving the relocation of children from the interior to work in electronics factories in coastal Guangdong province. It's also criticized for its treatment of tens of thousands of North Korean refugees, who are sold as brides or into brothels or forced to work under brutal conditions in logging camps.

The report also lists products made with forced labor. They include shrimp from Thailand and Bangladesh; clothing from Bangladesh, India, Jordan and Malaysia; cotton harvested in Uzbekistan; cocoa from Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire; and pig iron from Brazil. Not all products in these industries are made with slave labor, and it's too bad the report does not identify companies that buy or sell tainted products.

There is some good news. Among the countries that improved are Mexico, Croatia and Kenya. Madagascar is the only nation in Africa to receive top marks, thanks to a government determined to wipe out sexual tourism. The United Arab Emirates is the only Middle Eastern country other than Israel to reach the second tier, due to its efforts to combat abuse against foreign workers employed as domestics or in construction.

U.S. Ambassador Mark Lagon says "there is now more awareness" of human trafficking than there was seven years ago when his office began its work, and more countries have enacted laws to combat it. That said, modern-day slavery remains a scourge. The more light that can be shed on it the better chance of wiping it out.


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Related: The Stop Violence Against Women website (STOPVAW) is a forum for information, advocacy and change. The Advocates for Human Rights developed this website as a tool for the promotion of women's human rights in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU). STOPVAW was developed with support from and in consultation with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Open Society Institute's Network Women's Program. This site addresses violence against women as one of the most pervasive human rights abuses worldwide. STOPVAW provides women's rights advocates with information and advocacy tools focused on ending the most endemic forms of violence against women in the region. More at http://www.stopvaw.org/Stop_Violence_Against_Women.html


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The most comprehensive compilation of information on the Status of women in the world.

The WomanStats Project is the most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of women in the world. The Project facilitates understanding the linkage between the situation of women and the security of nation-states. We comb the extant literature and conduct expert interviews to find qualitative and quantitative information on over 260 indicators of women's status in 174 countries. Our database expands daily, and access to it is free of charge.

The Project began in 2001, and today includes five principal investigators at three universities, as well as a team of up to twenty graduate and undergraduate data extractors. Please learn more by clicking First Time Users.

http://www.womanstats.org/firsttimeusers.html

The WomanStats Project collects data on all countries with a population greater than 200,000--a total of 174 countries. We code over 260 variables on data that includes laws, statistics, and practices within countries; the information available ranges from data on domestic violence to female landownership to political participation. Further, all of our data is available to the public for free, and the information on the site is continually updated as newer information becomes available.

The database is searchable by country or by variable (i.e., issue area). The codebook (our list of variables) will be your useful guide to the data available and how it is grouped within the database.

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RESOURCES Free resources on gender and HIV/AIDS and women available over the Internet:

1. Women & HIV/AIDS: Resources to Support Policy and Advocacy at the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS 2008 Women, Ink., 2008 Given the increasing vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS and the critical need for policy makers and practitioners to address the epidemic from a gender perspective, the International Women's Tribune Centre's Women, Ink. program prepared this directory of over 50 resources to support informed participation, action and advocacy on the issue. The resources and tools address the complexity of women's vulnerability to HIV infection, including the need for a gender-based approach to HIV/AIDS; to protect the rights of young women and girls; to promote a gender- based approach to prevention and care; to guarantee sexual and reproductive health rights; to support empowerment and leadership for women living with HIV/AIDS; to eliminate violence against women; and to ensure women's economic rights.
Download a copy at:
http://www.womenink.org/HIVAIDS.htm

2. You, Your Life, Your Dreams: A Book for Adolescents Family Care International, Straight Talk Foundation, 2000 This book provides comprehensive information for adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa on changes during puberty, sexuality and sexual health, pregnancy and contraception, Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV/AIDS, sexual coercion and violence, substance abuse, healthy relationships, communicating with parents and planning for the future. Developed with young people, this handbook is over 200-pages long and contains 14 chapters, as well as more than 100 cartoons and illustrations, quotes from young people, and a glossary. Also available in Spanish and French.
Find out more at:
http://www.familycareintl.org/en/resources/publications/14

3. Get the Facts: A Flipchart for Adolescents Family Care International, IPPF/Africa Region, 1999 This flip chart addresses changes during puberty, Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, unsafe abortion as well as condom use, healthy relationships and communication with parents. It contains 14 illustrations and text to guide one-on-one and group counseling sessions for adolescents. The flipchart is available in English and Haitian Creole and will be available soon in French and Spanish.
Get a copy at:
http://www.familycareintl.org/en/resources/publications/38


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DEVELOPMENT: Women Leaders Ask Where Is Our Money By Joyce Mulama

*GLASGOW, Jun 22 (IPS) - Even though seven out of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) impact on women, both donors and governments receiving aid overlook the need to make resources available for gender empowerment.*

At the 8th Civicus World Assembly, which concluded in the Scottish capital on Saturday, civil society leaders asked serious questions about the lack of gender budgeting. The annual Civicus meeting brings together a global network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and foundations whose aim is to strengthen civil society.

The four-day event in Glasgow focused on participatory governance in the run-up to a high-level meeting in Accra, Ghana, in September to discuss aid effectiveness. More than a 100 ministers, heads of multilateral organisations and civil society representatives present there will review the Paris Declaration and the performance of both donors and recipient countries.

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, executive director of African Women's Development Fund told IPS in an interview that far too little money is made available for gender empowerment.

"How you allocate your resources tells much about where your priorities are. Women are 50 percent of the world's population. They should be a priority," she argues.

She fears that the paucity of funds almost guarantees the failure of the MDGs, particularly goal 3 ­ promote gender equality and empower women. The world's governments are committed to meeting the eight MDGs by 2015. ...

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42914

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Women News Network (WNN)
Launched in 2006, this is a non-profit media news network dedicated to disseminating international women's news not found in the public media stream. The network includes a number of online programmes, including bimonthly in-depth featured news, a breaking news portal, an online film/video library, and an online women's radio library. The goal is to empower the voices of women internationally by educating the public, the international non-governmental organisation (NGO) community, and United Nations (UN) agencies and affiliates worldwide.
http://womennewsnetwork.net/breaking-news-portal/


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On 19 June 2008, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1820 (2008), which notes that 'rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide'.

It also affirmed the Council's intention, when establishing and renewing State-specific sanction regimes, to consider imposing 'targeted and graduated' measures against warring factions who committed rape and other forms of violence against women and girls. http://tinyurl.com/5fholf

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Women, War, Peace and Displacement - "The often cited statistic that as many as 80 per cent of displaced
populations are women and children fails to convey the complete devastation that displacement visits upon women and communities" View the portal with excellent resources on Women, Peace and Security at http://tinyurl.com/6cuu9a


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Gender, Climate Change and Human Security - Lessons from Bangladesh, Ghana and Senegal Commissioned by the Greek chairmanship (2007-2008) of the Human Security Network, this study explores the interlinkages between gender, climate change and human security. Authors: Irene Dankelman, Khurshid Alam, Wahida Bashar Ahmed, Yacine Diagne Gueye, Naureen Fatema and Rose Mensah-Kutin. (2008) Can be dowloaded at http://tinyurl.com/5nhe9t


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World Disasters Report 2008

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - 2008

Available online as PDF file PDF [254p.] at: http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/pubs/disasters/wdr2008/WDR2008-full.pdf

".....The AIDS epidemic is a disaster on many levels. In the most affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where prevalence rates reach 20 per cent, development gains are reversed and life expectancy may be halved. For specific groups of marginalized people - injecting drug users, sex workers and men who have sex with men - across the world, HIV rates are on the increase.

Yet they often face stigma, criminalization and little, if any, access to HIV prevention and treatment services. As this report explains, HIV is a challenge to the humanitarian world whose task is to improve the lives of vulnerable people and to support them in strengthening their capacities and resilience. Disasters, man-made and 'natural', exacerbate other drivers of the epidemic and can also increase people's vulnerability to infection...."

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CALL FOR PAPERS

Michigan State University's Women and International Development (MSU-WID) Publication Series invites you to submit your manuscript for review.

The series focuses on the relationships between gender and global transformation and publishes reports of empirical studies and projects, theoretical analyses, and policy discussions that illuminate the processes of change in the broadest sense. Individual papers in the series address a range of topics including women's historical and changing participation in economic and political spheres, intra- and inter-family role relationships, gender identity, women's health and health care, and the gender division of labor. We particularly encourage manuscripts that bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 517/353-5040; fax 517/432-4845 or e-mail papers@msu.edu.


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Those of you who have been following the developments for the '2008 Financing for Development Conference' will be interested in this latest newsletter on 'The Road to Doha' a publication jointly produced by the DESA Financing for Development Office (FFDO) and the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) in the run-up to the International Conference to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus to be held in Doha, Qatar from 29 November to 2 December 2008 (A/RES/61/191 and A/RES/62/187). The UN-NGLS website is www.un-ngls.org

The August 2008 issue contains information on the latest reports from the Secretary-General relating to financing for development. The issue also provides information on regional consultations on financing for development as well as a guest editorial by the Doha NGO Group where the group offers an initial reaction to the Doha Draft Outcome Document.

To view the current issue (in pdf format) click: http://tinyurl.com/6j95us


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Finally - for those that might want to look at a worthwhile, and positive individual initiative, take a look at this short video - http://tinyurl.com/5tsfe6 - 34 Million Friends of the UN Population Fund.

Thanks for your interest and work on behalf of women everywhere - watch for part 2 of Snippets - and local news.



Louise Arbour's Successor Named

Another staunch defender of women’s rights has been appointed to succeed Canada’s Louise Arbour as High Commissioner for Human Rights, one of the most politically sensitive and complex posts within the UN family. She is Navanethem (Navi) Pillay of South Africa, a lawyer and high court judge who founded Equality Now, which campaigns internationally on women’s rights. For the past decade she has served with two of the most important international criminal courts, first with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and most recently with the International Criminal Court in The Hague. She heads an organization that now has 1,000 staff working in 50 countries with a total annual budget of some US$150 million.

Mme. Arbour, who recently returned to Canada from Geneva, Switzerland, made a significant contribution towards combatting violence against women, citing it as an abuse of women’s human rights. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (Nov. 25) in 2005 she stated, “There is a clear need for greater political will to prioritize violence against women as a fundamental human rights violation, which can be eliminated with appropriate dedication and resources (by governments and the international community.) We urge States to challenge societal values that support discrimination against women and legitimize violence against them; adopt specific legislation addressing domestic violence and end impunity for crimes committed against women.” Her Plan of Action as High Commissioner included efforts to “integrate gender perspectives in all UN peace and development activities by emphasizing women’s human rights in its country engagement strategies.”

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Winnipeg Public Library is now offering all non profit agencies free used library material. The material will include adult and children's books, audio visual material, multilingual material, and large print items. These materials have been offered in book sales and will range in condition from fair to excellent. These materials will be available to non profit agencies to take for their own purposes.
Procedures:
Branch Libraries Please contact any Winnipeg Public Library Branch (except Millennium Library) and arrange with a Branch Supervisor an appropriate time to view and remove material. Branch phone numbers are available on the Library's website (winnipeg.ca/library) or in the grey pages of the phone directory.
Millennium Library:
The Millennium Library, 251 Donald, will be offering free library materials to non profit organizations in the Anhang Room on the second floor between 1:00 P.M. to 5 P.M. on Tuesday September 9, Wednesday September 10, and Thursday September 11.
Please note non profit agencies are required to provide their own boxes, bags, and transportation to remove library material.
Non profit agencies are required to provide identification of the agency they are representing, and to fill in a sign in sheet at each location, including the number of items removed.
If there are any questions please contact:
Arthur Cohen Ph: 986-6415 acohen@winnipeg.ca

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The Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba and the Make Poverty History Manitoba coalition are co-hosting the launch of the Make Poverty History Manitoba campaign for a comprehensive provincial plan to address poverty and social exclusion in Manitoba.

The event will take place at 12:00 p.m. on September 10, 2008 in the Carol Shields Auditorium at the Millennium Library, 251 Donald Street.

The coalition is seeking to share information on what comprehensive actions are being taken in other jurisdictions, solicit support in principle for a comprehensive plan in Manitoba, and invite stakeholders to become part of the process of developing a comprehensive plan (a strategic planning session is to follow on October 14).

Marvyn Novick will be making a keynote address entitled “Make Poverty a Political Priority in Manitoba.” Marvyn Novick is a leader in the social policy field in Canada, co-founder of Campaign 2000, and author of Summoned to Stewardship: Make Poverty Reduction a Collective Legacy. All are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.

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Recommended by Gisele...

The Winnipeg Film Group's CINEMATHEQUE is located on the main floor of the ARTSPACE building in Winnipeg's historic
Exchange District (100 Arthur at Bannatyne)

Sat. Sept. 13 & Sun. Sept. 14 – 4:00PM matinee
SILENT LIGHT
Dir. Carlos Reygadas | Mexico 2007 | 127min. | 35mm | Drama | Low German, French and Spanish with English Subtitles

A multi-award-winner at festivals around the world as well as winner of Best Film in Mexico, SILENT LIGHT is a tale of forbidden love in a rural Dutch-speaking Mennonite community in Mexico. Winnipeg writer Miriam Toews portrays the wife of a hardworking farmer who is having an affair with another woman. “At its very best, Carlos Reygadas’s new film has the richness of Terence Malick (DAYS OF HEAVEN, BADLANDS) or the transcendental simplicity of Ozu… formally accomplished, beautiful and unexpectedly gripping film…

It has garnered rave reviews of near perfect scores. Story of a Mennonite clan living in Mexico and life's twists happen. Just thought you might be interested in checking it out. Allegedly a great production! It promises to be an interesting cultural profile for Social Work Students or recent grads!

(Miriam would really have a good sense about the cultural issues, given her mom's profession - A social worker who worked the Steinbach area and dealt with Mexican Mennonite families migrating to Manitoba...with many of us at the old CFS Eastern Manitoba. - now Eastman Region.. ) FYI GSR

Also coming to Cinematheque -
Wed. Sept. 17 - 7:00PM

TKARONTO Dir. Shane Anthony Belcourt | Canada 2007 | 105min. | BETA SP | Drama

The Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival honours the 25th anniversary of the Cinematheque with this special sneak-preview screening of what the festival has in store for this November!

Bannock Pizza from Neechi Foods Community Store included with every ticket!

Tickets $9.00 / $8 in advance by calling Kier-La Janisse at 925-3454

More than 100 people were turned away from last year's sold out premiere of TKARONTO at the ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, an event dedicated to screening the finest in new Indigenous film-making. TKARONTO is a provocative exploration of two people in their 30's caught in the urban crossroads who start questioning their Aboriginal identity. Metis writer Ray (Duane Murray) and Jolene (Melanie McLaren) discover an unexpected connection when their paths cross in Toronto. As they both search for meaning and identity they grapple with their mutual attraction. "The quality of writer-director Shane Belcourt's feature debut - named after our city's original Mohawk name - is all the more remarkable when you consider that it was made in six months on a measly budget." (Jason Haldane, Eye Weekly)

This screening is a co-presentation of the Winnipeg Film Group, The Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival, Urban Shaman Gallery, and the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition. Special Thanks to KinoSmith Releasing.


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Aboriginal Community Wellness Diploma

Start Date: January 2009 Location: University of Manitoba Downtown: Aboriginal Education Centre, Winnipeg

The Aboriginal Community Wellness Diploma is a partnership program of the University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Community Wellness Working Group. It offers a multidisciplinary program of study in the field of health and wellness for Aboriginal community and regional health service workers. The curriculum integrates Indigenous knowledge and Western theory in an education that is based on Aboriginal values concerning wellness. .....

The program offers 60 hours of degree credit courses over 2 years. Classes are organized into 7-day sessions offered once a month.

Specialization courses - The program will comprise of 27 hours (credit and/or non-credit) in a specialization, e.g. Addictions, Wellness, Diabetes. The courses will be selected by the Curriculum and Management Committee.

The Diploma has transferability of credit to degree programs offered by the participating faculties (Arts, Social Work, Nursing, etc).

For more information call:
(204) 982-4230 (204) 982-4233 toll free # 1-866-330-0133 ext. 5 or 3 umanitoba.ca/extended/afp

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Manitoba Status of Women invites you to attend a Lunch & Learn on

Women's Rights and Unborn Victims of Crime Legislation: What are the Issues? presented by

Karen Busby, Lawyer Madeline Boscoe, Women's Health Clinic Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Doors open: 11:30 a.m.
Formal presentation: 11:50 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Concourse Level
155 Carlton Street Bring a brown bag lunch Coffee and muffins are on us!


Please RSVP to 945-6281

LIMITED SEATING PLEASE REGISTER EARLY

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Annual Take Back the Night March Thursday, September 18th -

· Norquay Community Centre
(65 Granville Street in North Point Douglas)
The march travels through North Point Douglas and the North End.
· 7:00 p.m.
· The march protests violence against women and reclaims safe streets for women and all those who experience violence.
· The march begins with a rally and concludes with speeches and refreshments.
· Bring your banners, noisemakers and prepare to be heard! Children are welcome.
Info: www.takebackthenightwinnipeg.org



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Power Up!! (UNPAC had a role in getting this program going many years ago - it is still needed - share with friends, it's a great course)

Mondays, September 29th to October 27th

Power Up!
North End Women’s Centre
· 394 Selkirk Avenue
· 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
· The class is designed for those who have never used a computer.
· Child-minding and bus tickets available upon request.
Registration/info: 927-2426

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Wednesday, September 17

Pollock’s Hardware, Saving a North End Institution
Sponsored by the Council of Women of Winnipeg
· Paddlewheel Restaurant (at the back)
6th Floor of the Bay
· 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
· Speaker: Jim Chapryk, Manager of Pollock’s Hardware Store
Please bring or buy a lunch

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Thursday, September 18 - Provincial Council of Women of Manitoba invites you to the September Program:


Housing for the 55+ Woman: Do We Have a Choice?

With
Bev Suek
(Co-Chair for Retirement Alternatives)

Thursday, September 18, 2008
7 - 9 pm
Success Skills - Room 510 - 500 Portage Avenue
(note change in meeting location)

Please join us and reconnect with Council friends. All are welcome.

For further information, call 992 2751 or e-mail pcwm@mts.net

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The Winnipeg Arts Council and the Women's Health Clinic
invite you to the opening of
THE BIRTHING PROJECT
a collaborative artwork created by glass artist Judy Jennings
and the Manitoba Maternity Care Action Network
through the WITH ART program

Tuesday, September 30, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Women's Health Clinic
419 Graham Avenue


Join us as the Honourable Theresa Oswald, Minister of Health and Winnipeg Councillor, Ms. Jenny Gerbasi open this new and innovative artwork. “The Birthing Project” art work is the result of a year long collaborative project with the Manitoba Maternity Care Action Network, birthing women, their families and midwives and Ms Jennings. The art pieces will ultimately be hung at the Birth Centre.

Besides providing a vision of normal pregnancy and birth from many cultural perspectives, it is also will be used as focal points while women are in labour. While awaiting completion of the birth centre, it will be hung in the street level windows at the Women's Health Clinic on Graham. This is a project of the Winnipeg Arts Council's WITH ART program, funded by the City of Winnipeg.

For further information please contact Madeline Boscoe at
mboscoe@womenshealthclinic.org or 204 947-2422 ex 122

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LEAF Annual Persons Day Breakfast, October 17

The 2008 LEAF (Women's Legal Education and Action Fund) Persons Day Breakfast will be held on Friday, October 17 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre from 7:15 to 9:00 am. This year's fundraiser features guest speakers Sally Armstrong, human rights activist, documentary filmmaker and author, and Charles Coffey, community leader and former executive VP, RBC Financial Group on the theme: "Equality - Media - Men - Money." Tickets are $25 and available at McNally Robinson, Manitoba Status of Women, 409-401 York Avenue (945-6281) or by calling LEAF at 453-1379 or e-mail: leafmb@mts.net. Proceeds support LEAF's efforts to advance equality for women and girls.

For more information, contact: Betty Hopkins, 453-1379 or Diane Dwarka, 253-5949

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That's it for now folks -

Mary
Mary Scott
Say No To Violence
UNIFEM, Winnipeg Chapter
UNIFEM is the United Nations Development Fund for Women
unifem@shaw.ca