Workshops

Planning Women's Livelihoods Programs: A Professional Development Symposium for Women's Training Providers
May 24 and 25, 2006

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Session Overviews

Here are brief summaries of each session at the Symposium, with any related presentations or documents. This is a long page: please use the "Jump To" navigation on the right-hand column to find a particular session.

Wednesday, May 24: Understanding Policy and its Impacts

Putting Women in the Picture: ACTEW Project Overview
Presented by: Deanna Yerichuk, Stephanie Donaldson and Suzanne Bradley-Siskind

ACTEW (A Commitment to Training and Employment for Women) project staff introduced ACTEW’s project “Putting Women in the Picture”. The project is working with community-based training and employment programs to undertake a gender-based analysis of the Canada- Ontario Labour Market Development Agreement. The presenters provided an overview of the project objectives, a description of a gender-based analysis and a list of project outcomes. More information can be found at: www.actew.org/pwp

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Policy Perspectives
Presented by: Howard Green, Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Canada Ontario Region, and Sandie Birkhead-Kirk, Director, Workplace Training Branch, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

>Download Presentation (pdf, 182 KB)

Government representatives discussed the Canada-Ontario Labour Market Development Agreement and Labour Market Partnership Agreement and some of the challenges and opportunities associated with the devolution of labour market programs and services from the federal to provincial level in Ontario.

The presenters see the post-LMDA period as an interesting yet challenging time for policy-makers. The current focus is for the two governments to work together to create a seamless, client focused transition. MTCU’s vision for post-LMDA services is to integrate a No Wrong Door approach. This approach seeks to create a system where no matter which of the doors a client enters, they can get that first step that will move you into the system. The idea behind One-Stop is to integrate and expand existing MTCU services to ensure wider access for clients through a menu of services.

Howard Green expressed that Service Canada is committed to ensuring there is no disruption to service in the transfer of programs and that stability and service continuity are major concerns. Currently the transition team is working on transitioning the former federal employees into their new provincial positions. Peter Inokai and Howard Green, (Co-chairs of the Joint Planning Committee) met with umbrella groups including ACTEW and they are working through the possibility of forming a Labour Market Advisory Group to look at issues throughout the province. They are hoping to launch this group soon and are currently working through terms of reference.

Service Canada has also sent letters to organizations that hold contracts with the federal government to let them know the progress of the LMDA transition. Howard Green and Sandie Birkhead-Kirk indicated that projects focusing on women would continue - they would not be discontinued and restarted. Current program agreements will continue up to two years. Howard Green noted that there is an opportunity to involve third party service providers in the transition process.

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Putting the Public into Public Policy: Why Women Matter
Keynote Speaker: Armine Yalnizyan

>>download the Transcription of the Keynote Speech (pdf, 72 KB)

Armine delivered a high-energy and passionate speech filled with historical evidence pointing to the fact that women are increasingly left out of the policy picture in Canada. She highlighted the point that women do not benefit from tax cuts, the mantra of our current federal government. She also pointed to the continued and sustained loss of programs and services since the 1990s that have created a void in supports and has resulted in women taking on the extra burden of work.

Armine challenges us to focus our attention on the federal government as this government sets the tone for all others in the country. She encourages us to demand that resources be channeled back to the programs and services that support our communities. It is up to us to make the case!

If you are interested in the full text of Armine’s speech, please check back to this page by early September, 2006.

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The presenters gave an informative overview of the experience of women’s training providers in other provinces through LMDA implementation and some of the risks and opportunities that exist in Ontario for women’s programs in light of the recently signed LMDA and LMPA.

Key points in the presentation included the fact that women are no longer a designated group in policy; the LMDA transfer does not address fundamental problems in the EI Act; and changes in the EI Act in the mid 1990s have not been good for women's programs. The presenters ended their presentation with a call for strategic action, telling the government that they must also implement a "No Wrong Door" policy to ensure community agencies can serve women clients effectively and fully.

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Exploring the Opportunities: Planning Holistic Programs for Women in a Post-LMDA and LMPA Context
Presenters: Janet Murray and Mary Ferguson, Eko Nomos

>Download Presentation (pdf, 281 KB)

>Download Notes from Group Work (PDF, 151 KB)

Eko Nomos facilitated a practical planning exercise, offering a process and tools to support organizations to assess the positioning of their current programming, and to develop a strategy to respond to the risks and opportunities identified.

The Sustainable Livelihoods model presented by Janet and Mary is a comprehensive tool for organizations to show the outcomes of their work. The funding context has affected our ability to provide what women need. Funders look at shortest route to employment but livelihoods look at social inclusion, participation in society and economy, citizenship, empowerment, control over finances, economic security. Therefore, jobs are a piece of sustainable livelihoods approach. Our organizations work with individuals to further develop livelihood strategies already although we cannot always effectively measure this for funders.

In evaluating program results, the livelihoods model looks at time spans, stages and timeframes in developing an economic livelihood. Therefore there is no direct route to a livelihood. For example, jobs come after security and housing come into place. When women disengage from programs they spiral backward but funding is structured so that they are let go when programs are over. Women need longer-term programs. There is no shortage of money but it is how it is allocated. Currently women’s programs carry the burden of work.

To build effective women’s programming we need to look at what makes women vulnerable economically and support women to develop their own pre-existing assets. This involves encouraging partnerships with organizations to promote livelihoods instead of providing everything (with sufficient funding to cover the extra work). Suggestions to consider for programs: encourage financial literacy programs, build employability skills and keep programs relevant, build peer networks, make women more aware of rights, bring spiritual (healing) and physical aspects to programs. Programs are taking on more and more unfunded work and this is creating burn out in the sector. There is an opportunity to be pro-active. There seems to be a swing back of funders understanding needs of organisations to cut down on administrative work for funding.

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Community Voices Panel
Moderator: Pat Bird (Times Change, Toronto)
Panelists: Dolores Montavez-Ruz (YWCA LEAP, Toronto), Trish McNamara and Betsy Elliott (Employment and Education Centre, Brockville),  Irene Sihvonen (Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services, Toronto)

A panel discussion led by community representatives. Topics covered holistic program models and a discussion of proactive strategies for working with government funders to support holistic programs.

Dolores Montavez-Ruz (YWCA Reach, Toronto):
This program features a philosophy that every woman is unique . Using learning blocks, women do not have to fit programs and services, it’s the other way around. The programs and services are chosen to fit them. Because the YWCA is a large, multi- service organization, they are also able to assist clients above and beyond their employment and training needs.

Three Program principles:
1. Center needs around the what the women tell us they need (our own clients and the ones in the comm.)
2. Pay attention to changing demographics – because programs do grow old – clients notice this before they do
3. Look at what the labour market is telling us, what is happening with the mobilization of workers locally and internationally

Funding is based on a portfolio of funding with a focus on building long term relationship with funding sources, staying transparent and using their positive reputation. Funding sources include corporate support.

Irene Sihvonen (A.C.C.E.S.,Toronto/Scarborough)
Irene discussed the Job Connect program at A.C.C.E.S (a community-based service provider that works primarily with adults including many newcomers). Job Connect is the predominant program at ACCESS but they also have a host of other funders. Job Connect is an example of an outcome-based program, where global budgeting is tied to results. In the Job Connect program the results are more than the outcomes, there is a whole services continuum that happens in between.

The Job Connect model is unique, in terms of global budgeting and is based on some statistics that the province has but essentially you design everything around your community’s needs. This leaves communities to be the experts and to design how they need to design. There are 127 providers around Ontario – there are also Adult providers. The model is flexible enough to address the needs of all sorts of target populations. Irene has worked in the program for 6 of the 9 years it has been around.

Service through Job Connect is based on client needs. There are three levels of service so in its design it is holistic and integrated.
1) Resource Centre: open to all levels and people in the community and a employment consultant that they can speak to right away. The key principle is referral to service coordination within the community so that the client can access a wide range of services. Job Connect measures service coordination. The resource centre is where everyone receives service.
2) Employment planning and preparation: intensive service working with employment counselors – there is eligibility requirements here but adults are served and service is based on community needs.
3) JDPS: Job developers work with candidates to create openings in the labour market – work with clients and the employers.

The program features three levels that are highly integrated – a blended service model. It is fundamentally holistic in terms of addressing the individual needs of the client.

At ACCESS, all funders are seen as good funders and the organization has had good relationships with all. Job Connect is not the only answer – but it is a good model. Over the next year, there is an opportunity to blend the best parts of all the models and come up with a good-for-Ontario solution.

Trish McNamara and Betsy Elliott
(Employment and Education Centre, Brockville)
Brockville has a population of 22,000. Lots of rural clients, and therefore transportation issues. Ottawa is one hour away but people in the area prefer to stay close and access programs nearby. The Employment and Education Centre (EEC) is a multi-service agency and has Job Connect and many other programs.

A recent innovation program at the EEC is the creation of the women’s centre. The centre receives private funding from the City Foundation in New York. The foundation offered $20,000 US as seed money. It was easier to secure this private funding relative to their experience with accessing public funding. Now they are accessing project-based funding. The private funding gives the centre the flexibility to serve clients that do not meet program eligibility requirements.

Clients were and service providers were finding it difficult to wade through the information on local programs and services. Now the women’s centre has everything at clients’ fingertips with people to help them with their specific and unique needs.

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Moving Forward Together
Facilitator: Deanna Yerichuk, ACTEW Project Manager

Participants in the symposium gave ACTEW very insightful and comprehensive feedback through the final wrap-up exercise. The results of this exercise have been put into a three-page document for review.
>Download Wrap-up Analysis (PDF, 50 KB)

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