Issues and action plans for rural women the focus of conference

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

A series of meetings throughout Saskatchewan will culminate with the “Rural Women’s Policy Forum” November 24-26 in Muenster. The process began with a grant from Status of Women Canada to fund a project called “Empowering Rural Women’s Voices.” The program has been co-ordinated through the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence at the University of Regina.

“The rural women's issues committee is a result of a seminar put on by the centre,” says policy analyst and committee member Joanne Havelock. “We had participated with other centres across Canada in a national study of women living in rural, remote and northern locations. So we decided to follow up the recommendations of that study, to see how they relate particularly to Saskatchewan.”

After an initial workshop in Young focusing on rural women's health issues, the participants expressed a desire to make that kind of opportunity available to other women across the province. Along with Havelock, they put together the committee and sought out the grant money to fund further activity. Starting about two years ago, the committee sponsored workshops in Nipawin, Swift Current, Carlyle, Unity and Christopher Lake.

“We’ve talked about what is affecting women's well-being, and that of their families and communities,” says Havelock. “It’s an evening and a day, and we start by asking participants what is the thing they’re most proud of accomplishing. It can range from putting nutritious meals on the table for the family, to running for council, to jumping off the high-diving board. The point is that women do a lot and accomplish a lot, and should be very proud of what they’ve done.”

The workshops seek to identify what issues are affecting the local community, and ask those attending to imagine a new vision of how things can change if that issue is resolved. The participants are challenged to generate action lists to move toward those new visions. Each workshop has attracted 15 to 25 women, from farms and small rural communities.

“Each workshop has its own individual report, which is available on our website,” says Havelock. “We will pull together a comprehensive report after the November forum.”

The Rural Women’s Policy Forum will be held at St. Peter’s College in Muenster, and remains open to registration. The agenda calls for sessions to be held on a variety of topics, such as Women and Leadership, Women in the Rural Economy, and Health Care. Havelock says organizers hope to see positive actions by participants to resolve issues in their communities when they return home.

The forum is free for participants, with mileage, food and accommodation all covered by the program grant. Registration information is available by calling Joanne Havelock at the Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence, (306) 585-5727.

For more information, contact:

Joanne Havelock
Phone: (306) 585-5727
Mobile: (306) 535-9570