ACTION Omjllttee January Edition Volume 9, Number 1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ALBERTA .TAT~ OF.WOMEN ACTION OMJllTTEE January edition Volume 9, Number 1 Inside: Conference accounts and questions and issues about reproductive technologies. Donations Many, many women donated money at the Assembly, and.because of this, our Legal .ASWAC Defence Fund 1s fuller than it has ever been. Since the Assembly more donations have been received from; Bernice Healy, 1987/88 Board members Mary Potrebenko, Ruth Whaley, Inga Jess- Luanne Annstrong c/o Edmonton office wein, Corinne Eisenbraun, Mary-Ann Warin- Donna Baines - Calgary kiw, Nola Erhardt, Muriel Stanley Venne, Nancy Cullen - Calgary Barbara Prescott, Marlene D. Rankel, Jane Haslett - Edmonton Glenda Molgat, Linda Lee Turner, A. Deborah Hollins - Calgary LeRougetel, James McKay, M.A. Smith, Joanna Johnson - St. Paul Sylvia Dubrule, Dee Rankin, 0. Belcourt, Margaret Johnson - Edmonton Kathleen Davies, V. Ruth Wilson and Julie Anne LeGras - Edmonton Jane Wiebe. Thank you!!! Terri Ann Marco - Lethbridge Anne McGrath c/o Calgary office Hug these women! Lyn Morelli - Lethbridge These women (and many more) deserve Deborah Perret - Ponoka hugs and appreciation for the work that Valda Roberts - Edmonton they have done for ASWAC in recent weeks; Marilyn Seelye - Calgary Loretta, Anne Gallant, White Calf, Valda Lisa Walter - Edmonton Roberts, Ruth Miller, June, Leslie Stewart, Jane Wiley c/o Edmonton office Mary T. Hughes, Michele Kelly, Therese Despins, and Lyn Morelli. 1987/88 B.egional reps Important dates to remember Annette Aarbo - Edmonton All members are welcome to attend the h. 437-4938 w. 432-3359 board meetings in their area. Come to the community report session on the Saturday Gerry Bailey - Westerose afternoon, or take the plunge and attend h. 586-2983 the entire meeting as an honourary board member. If you would like to see a board Elin Harlev Barlem - Innisfail meeting held in your community, contact h. 227-2927 your nearest regional rep or board member. Lori Crocker - Innisfail This year's board meetings are as follows; h. 227-1141 w. 227-3881 January 23/24 in Calgary, March 5/6 in Edmonton Naomi Ehren Lis - Lethbridge April 9/10 in Lethbridge h. 381-8727 Mary 28/29 in St. Paul July 9/10 location to be decided· Lois Soderstrom - Westerose August 27/28 in Ponoka h. 586-3535 September 24/25 location to be decided Annual General Assembly - October 28/29/30 Elaine Spencer - Ponoka h. 783-7704 work 424-2254 ASWAC's mailing address is Box 1573, Edmonton Linda Stoddard - Lethbridge Alberta. T5J 2N7. The Edmonton office is h. 328-6206 currently located at 10826 - 124 St. on the second floor. Phone 455-5777. Office hours Denise Wood - Fort MacMurray are Monday-Friday, 10-4 pm. h. 791-4634 ASWAC Lethbridge lives at the Women's Joan White Calf - Camrose Resource Centre on top of Woolworths in h. 672-2210 downtown Lethbridge - #202, 325 6 St. S. Phone 329-8338 and leave a message if no one answers. The Calgary ASWAC office is located in the The Alberta Status of Women Action Old Y Centre for Community Organizations, Committee gratefully acknowledges the Room 303, 223 12 Ave. S.W. T2R OG9. The financial support it receives from the office will be open Monday, Wednesday and Secretary of State Women's Program. Friday. The phone number is 233-0731. a ... Eighteen hours at a glance The following is our record of this year's first board meeting that was held in Edmonton December 11-13. Thank to the Edmonton Sexual Assault Centre for the use of their meeting room! Present: Luanne Armstrong, Donna Baines, Nancy Cullen, Jane Haslett, .. Deborah Hollins, Joanna Johnson, Margaret Johnson, Julie Anne LeGras, Terri-Ann Marco, Lyn Morelli, Deborah Perret, Jane Wiley, Valda Roberts. Honourary board member, Anna Pellatt. We missed Anne McGrath who was down east visiting her family. photo by Sheryl Ackermu. We look forward to her being at :Regional reps up to a the next meeting. line share laugh be liasons with the regional Orientation: Saturday was spent orienting reps, Jane W. will be liason with new members to the process of the childcare committee, a work collective work. Jane, Luanne planning committee will be set up and Deborah and Terri-Ann, at the January board meeting. previous board members, facili- tated some very helpful discus- We also agreed that board members sions around the terms proced- would stay connected with all the ures, and issues connected with work groups and committees that working as a collective in gene- may spring up from future work. ral, and as the board of ASWAC in particular. Shop-Talk Status of Women Action committee Weekend: staff from Victoria, Vancouver, Meeting It was clarified that any ASWAC Calgary, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Po cy: member is welcome to attend and the Yukon, Manitoba etc. will be board meeting and is considered invited to Edmonton for a weekend an honourary board member for the of shop talk sometime this spring. duration of the meeting. Items to be discussed include staff/board relations, work, Work There was considerable disucssion publications, funding issues and -,;ranagaement: involving the structuring of work topical issues facing women. groups, the relation of staff, Luanne is doing the work to board members and members to each find funding for the event. other and to these work groups, whether the groups consisted of Personnel: Personnel policies drawn up by board members, staff, or any com- Helen Greaves were distributed. bination of the above. One completed staff evaluation and future evaluations are to be dis- Also discussed were liasons of cussed at the next board meeting board members with regional reps when all staff will be present. and caucuses, both here in Edmon- ton and in Calgary, Lethbridge Lawsuit: Discussion resulted in a committee and other areas, office connection being formed to continue working between Edmonton, Calgary and on the lawsuit. Deborah P, Luanne Lethbridge, financial resources, Anna Pellatt, Joanna, Deborah H, job descriptions, decision-mak- Lyn and Valda agreed to be members ing between meetings, membership of this committee. Lyn and Valda development and staff needs. will focus their efforts on fundraising. As a result of these discussions Women's Various options were d~scus~ed we decided that; regarding the future d1rect1ons of -Deborah P and Jane Haslett will Building: - 3 Carrying on in Camrose by Luanne Annstrong Well, its been a while. Two months, give or t0ke a few days. It was hectic preparing for it, and exhausting coming down after the intense high of those three days. How then, to write a "report" on it, which will give both the flavour of an experience that I was enmeshed in, and some kind of objective viewpoint so that folks who weren't there will understand what I'm talking about ... overall, by Sunday night, "it" felt wonderful, successful, well organized, no major glitches, smiles of the faces of the women around me. The 1987 ASWAC Annual General Assembly, of which the theme was "Feminist, More than the Label" was a hit. A conference, for me, is three days of living in Karen Howe performed. Friday evening a high intensity high density high voltage high speed zone. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not as one an introduction to ASWAC, and another hooked on adrenaline as any mountain climber; called Visioning. Both were well attended and only I get my rushes from talking, listening, perhaps this is a good way of introducing new sharing ideas, and watching women meet and women to the Assembly. Karen Howe of Leth- grow and blossom when they realize new possibi- bridge sang wonderfully, and the food, of lities for their lives. For me, the Assembly which I had privately had my doubts, was began Thursday night, when we arrrived in lavish and tasty. Camrose to set up and get ready for the rest Saturday proved equally interesting, but in a of the weekend. The motel lobby seemed to be different way. Collectively run business meetings full of men in blue jeans and cowboy hats which are open to input from the membership are lounging around, drinking coffee, smoking , often wonderful, but can also be chaotic as com- and going in and out of the bar. They watched pared to the terse rules of a meeting run accord- us. We ignored them. I worried. But by Friday, ing to Robert's Rules. This year was no excep- afternoon, lots of women had begun to appear tion. For new women, unfamiliar with collectivity, and the men had disappeared. By the end of much of what went on was bewildering. I know this Friday night, I knew we had a great confer- because several women spoke to me about it. There ence going. This year, we tried something new is always too much to do and too little time. by scheduling two workshops on Friday night, continued on next page the Women's Building in Edmonton, the Assembly October 28-30. (the home of the ASWAC office). As previously stated, all ASWAC Valda and Annette Aarbo are going members are welcome to attend to continue their ongoing work on board meetings and to partici- this project. pate as honorary board members. Focus for January meeting agenda - the campaign on Women Finances: The financial statements for the and Poverty. past fiscal year were distri- buted. A committee consisting of Camrose: Media publicity in Camrose Luanne, Lisa, Marg, Julie Anne, following the Annual General Terri-Ann and Nancy will look Assembly was discussed and it into the statements with ASWAC's was decided to support ASWAC new bookkeeper and report at the members in Camrose in ways that January board meeting. seem appropriate. Board Meet- January 23/24 in Calgary, March Other: Legislative refonn/pressure ing Dates: 5/6 in Edmonton, April 9/10 in groups ideas were discussed and Lethbridge, May 28/29 in St.