Project Update: Older Women’s Dialogue
December 4, 2015
BY Raissa Dickinson
Older Women’s Dialogue Project Update
December 4, 2015
Work on the Older Women’s Dialogue Project is progressing as quick as ever and Phase 2 consultations are now complete! The goal of the second phase was to engage groups of women that we were unable to reach in the first year of work, particularly:
- Older First Nations and Aboriginal women
- Older lesbian and queer women
- Older women living with a disability
- Women over 80
Between July 2014- June 2015 we met with over 160 older women, including women from each of the above communities. In total there were 13 consultation events, five of which were with First Nations and Aboriginal older women, both on and off reserve.
We are excited to share our findings and are currently writing a report to summarize what we learned from older women in this second phase of work. The report will bridge findings from the first phase of work – Your Words are Worth Something – and pull together what we have learned from older women throughout the life of the Older Women’s Dialogue Project. The report will be launched in the Spring 2016.
At the same time, Phase 2 also includes working with four groups of older women in tool-development work to address a pressing legal or social policy issue in their community. The four community groups are listed below:
| Group | Issue | Tool | Status |
| South Granville Seniors Centre | Universal, publically funded prescription medication for all Canadians | Print petition and video documentary distributed in community by women in the group | Completed |
| Richmond Women’s Resource Centre | Access to dental and oral care for low-income seniors in BC. | Online and print petition and brochure mailed to seniors centers across BC | Brochures and petition being circulated starting in December |
| Downtown Eastside Women Centre | Safety and freedom from discrimination in housing for older women in the Downtown Eastside. | Three video stories on safety and discrimination in housing. Safety in housing workshop for housing providers working with older women in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. | Completed |
| Aboriginal Mother Centre | TBA | TBA | On going |
The Downtown Eastside women’s group will be completing work on their tools in the New Year, and the Aboriginal Mother Centre group has just started its work. Stay tuned for each of the four-community group’s final tools, the Phase 2 report and more project updates.
Contact the CCEL for copies of any tools.
