The
First Annual WE LEARN Conference was attended by close to
100 people from New England and mid-Atlantic states. 10% of
the attendees were adult women learners.
WE LEARN (Women Expanding: Literacy
Education Action Research Network)
sponsored its First Annual (Net)working Conference: Women, Literacy
Resources, on Saturday, March 27, 2004 at the Harbor Campus
of the University of Massachusetts, Boston from 9:00 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. The conference focused on specific needs and strengths
of women involved in adult basic education.
The conference featured a keynote address
by Barbara Neely, noted Boston feminist mystery writer. A series
of workshops and discussion groups focused on general issues
of women's literacy as well as writing and the resources made
available by WE LEARN. Workshop presenters included Dr. Elsa
Auerbach, leading scholar in adult education and participatory
learning, as well as several experienced literacy advocates
and teachers including Lorna Rivera, Sally Gabb, Mev Miller,
Anna Yango, Char Caver, Elaine Ward, Valerie Flaherty, and Silja
Kallenbach. Several workshops directly involved students. The
gathering offered the opportunity to develop and strengthen
the network of resources and support available for women seeking
literacy support. It welcomed students, teachers and anyone
interested in women's literacy issues.
The conference also launched two new projects
sponsored by WE LEARN. The first is collaborative work with
the New England Literacy Resource Center to co-edit a special
issue of The Change Agent on women
and literacy. The second is the announcement of the Elizabeth
Morrish Memorial Student Scholarship Fund.
WE LEARN, founded three years ago by Rhode
Island adult educator Dr. Mev Miller, enables women learners,
adult basic education practitioners and community activists
to join together in support and exploration of women’s
issues. The primary vehicle for the WE LEARN network is the
interactive website through which
students and practitioners can share resources,
strategies and ideas. The website features a wide range of contacts
and bibliographic references for teachers
an researchers, a collection of writings
by women learners, and links
to related websites.
The daylong conference was free to WE LEARN
members. The conference offered a light lunch for participants
and free childcare was available. The conference was co-sponsored
by CPCS at the University
of Massachusetts-Boston, New
England Literacy Resource Center & The Change Agent,
SABES Southeast
and The Center for
New Words (Cambridge).
For more information about the work of WE LEARN,
contact WE LEARN at 401-383-4374 or welearn@litwomen.org.
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Opening
Remarks for the First Annual (Net)Working conference: Women,
Literacy, Resources
By Mev Miller,
Ed.D.,
Founder & Director of WE LEARN |
 |
Thank you to everyone for coming to our first conference. The
turn-out is beyond our wildest dreams – especially for something
that is our first large face-to-face public venture. We expect
this annual conference to grow in length and scope in the years
to come.
For many years, feminist booksellers, publishers and educators
have been working hard to promote women's literature, writing,
voices and expression. These dedicated people understand the power
of print and have initiated ways to promote and advance social
justice issues for women through print. Unlike the many people
dedicated to adult basic education and literacy, feminist publishers
and educator have NOT had an awareness of ABE and education. Although
there are some exceptions, this community has not generally been
attending to the ways women are challenged by literacy. WE LEARN
has been evolving as an organization to bridge the divide between
women's literature and literacy by creating an awareness—long
held by ABE educators and adult women learners—of the need
for women-centered adult basic education reading resources and
curriculum materials.
This conference was purposefully titled a (Net)Working conference
on women, literacy, and resources as a way to launch WE LEARN's
vision and reality as an interactive network of individuals, groups,
and communities. Our work is built on a strong history of programs
and endeavors to address the concerns and needs of women in literacy
and adult basic education. I direct our attention to the letter
on the inside cover of the program book for a listing of these
individuals and groups.
This conference is an opportunity for participants to not only
learn about the work and direction of WE LEARN but to also have
an opportunity to network with each other. This conference also
provides us with the opportunity to focus on doing some of the
"work" of WE LEARN.
Our first attention goes to Women & Literacy.
We want to continue awareness and discussion, research and improved
practice on issues related to women and literacy and women's literacy.
You will find this emphasis in these workshops:
o Immigrant women's workshop
o Women & literacy workshop
o Videos shown at lunch time
Secondly, one of the primary goals of WE LEARN is to create,
promote and distribute women-centered literacy materials.
One of these projects includes the partnership with NELRC (New
England Literacy Resource Center) to create an issue of The Change
Agent on women and literacy. We hope participants of this conference
will think about ways of contributing to that issue. Emphasis
on this goal of promoting women-centered resources can be found
in the conference through:
o table of information on The Change Agent & call for
articles
o workshop by Silja Kallenbach
o afternoon workshops centered on writing
Connected with the goal mentioned above, it is important for
WE LEARN to share and network around women-centered literacy materials
-- to be a Clearinghouse of Information &
useful Website.
o We are offering a workshop on the website for those who
would like to spend some time exploring and evaluating the WE
LEARN website and assessing its interactive possibilities
o We also encourage you to spend some time at the WE LEARN exhibit
near the registration table to see hard copies of materials
listed on the website
o Also, at the closing session we will have a raffle of some
of these materials donated by our sponsors.
We encourage you to attend the WE LEARN Annual Membership Meeting
held during the lunch break. This meeting will:
• underline the participatory nature of our work
• ask for your input into this organization intended to respond
those who use it
• elect new members to the board of directors
The success of this conference has depended on the connections
we are building with various communities. We would like to thank
these people for their generous support:
• Barbara Neely
• Funders and sponsors:
o CPCS – College of Public and Community Service,
UMass Boston
o Boston Adult Literacy Fund
o SABES Southeast
o New England Literacy Resource Center & The Change Agent
o The Center for New Words
• The various literacy communities and learning centers who
helped advertise the conference and encourage participation
by their learners.
I would like to thank the volunteers who came
today to help with some of our logistical concerns.
Dena Graffenreid
Cheryl Monahan
Cathi Murray
Ivette Rivera
Marie Justinano - Childcare
Gloria Valentine - childcare
Casa Latina
CIRCLE program at CPCS
We would especially like to recognize and thank Valerie Flaherty
who worked with use from the beginning to organize site and
other crucial details.
We would also like to thank our presenters:
Elsa Auerbach
Char Caver
Janet Isserlis
Silja Kallenbach
Cynthia Peters
Anna Yangco
Elaine Ward
I would also like to introduce you to our board members:
Dana Huber
Alison Cunningham
Sally Gabb
Nancy Howard
Lorna Rivera
Barbara Neely Introduction
We are very proud and honored to have Barbara Neely as the keynote
speaker for our first annual conference. Barbara Neely is a novelist,
short story writer, and author of the popular Blanche White mystery
novels. The first book in this series, BLANCHE ON THE LAM, won
the Agatha, the Macavity, and the Anthony -- three of the four
major mystery awards for best first novel -- as well as the Go
On Girl! Book Club award for a debut novel. The subsequent books
in the series, BLANCHE AMONG THE TALENTED TENTH, BLANCHE CLEANS
UP and BLANCHE PASSES GO have also received critical acclaim from
both fans and literary critics.
Ms. Neely has also had an extensive public sector career. She
designed and directed the first community-based corrections facility
for women in Pennsylvania, directed a branch of the YWCA, and
headed a consultant firm for non-profits. She was part of an evaluative
research team at the Institute for Social Research, the Executive
Director of Women for Economic Justice, and a radio producer for
Africa News Service. For her activism Neely has received the Community
Works Social Action Award for Leadership and Activism for Women's
Rights and Economic Justice, and the Fighting for Women's Voices
Award from the Coalition for Basic Human Needs.
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