Coalition Activities
FemJEPP has worked at building and strengthening our coalition and at building effective working relationships with other organizations to influence the development of public policy for the betterment of women's lives and the lives of their families. We have worked closely through our membership in strengthening and supporting grass-roots women's participation in the public policy process - in particular, with women most impacted by public policy and the resulting programs and services at the local community level in NS. We have worked with health organizations, universities, labour unions, social action groups, other equality-seeking women's groups and government employees to carry out research and education projects, develop tools and resources, collaborate on common issues of concern and to take common action. We have prepared reports to government and presentations to Standing Committees on issues of Social Justice that impact on the social and economic well-being of women and their families.
A sample of some of our activities over the past six years, with a brief description, follow.
1998
Response to Rebuilding The System - a written submission in response to the provincial government's discussion paper Rebuilding the System.1999
A Call to Good Government - a written submission to the Premier's Fiscal Management Task Force.1999
Women In Public Policy Project. This project was national in scope, and had both a participatory research component and a workshop component. It was co-ordinated by FemJEPP and Women's Centres CONNECT!. The research project involved 126 women associated with diverse groups from around the province. The workshop, Sharing Our Strengths, was developed for the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women's Health Made to Measure Symposium. It brought 113 women from three sectors: community-based, equality-seeking groups, government employees (both federal and provincial) and researchers involved in public policy; all from across the country. This began our ongoing collaborative working relationship with the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women's Health (ACEWH). Steps Toward a Credible and Inclusive Public Policy Process were developed by combining the Women In Public Policy research project results (Never Give Up: Women Making Policy Change) and the Sharing Our Strengths workshop outcomes.1999 - 2002
Ongoing collaborative project initiatives/activities with the ACEWH in the area of Social and Economic Exclusion and Inclusion. This has included working with them on such activities as:- developing the Nova Scotia-Prince Edward Island discussion paper - Health and Social Policy Are Everyone's Business: Collaboration and Social Inclusion in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island - Policy Discussion Series Paper No. 6 - January 2000.
- hosting a provincial Strategy Forum - Everyone's Business: Making the Case for Social and Economic Inclusion - that brought together community, academe and government employees (both federal and provincial) and
- participating at two Atlantic Regional Forums
March 2000
Developed a Directory - Community-Based Equality Seeking Groups Currently Involved in Public Policy Initiatives that Affect Women (Hard copies are still available from the FemJEPP Coordinator)June 2000
FemJEPP and Women's Centre's CONNECT! developed and hosted the Women In Transition Forum at Dalhousie University. This forum brought 125 women from across Nova Scotia together - women most impacted by public policy at the local community level, academic and community researchers, and community-based, equality-seeking women's groups from across the province. There were Capacity Building Workshops offered and Plenary Sessions facilitated to identify the major issues of concern from the participants' perspectives. Once the issues were prioritized, a common vision was developed for improved public policy, and strategies were identified for working together (local and provincial work) to influence the public policy process for the betterment of women's lives and the lives of their families.2000 - 2002
We have worked closely with our allies in the labour movement and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - Nova Scotia Branch in the development of the first two Alternative Provincial Budgets (APB) for Nova Scotia (2000-01, 2001-02).2000 - 2002
Women's Economic Independence: An Integrated Approach to Public Policy. This project initiative involved member education and research on models of integrated approaches to public policy, clarifying a vision and guiding principles for an integrated approach to public policy and the development of a Framework and Model for An Integrated Approach to Public Policy. The Framework is considered a 'work in progress' and it is available from our Tools & Resources section of this web site.2000 - 2002
Developing An Impact Assessment. At the beginning of our Women's Economic Independence: An Integrated Approach to Public Policy project initiative, we set out to articulate what we saw as an approach to policy development that would involve women in the process and would benefit women through its outcomes. At the same time, we set out to develop a policy impact assessment tool to assist us in analyzing the impact policies have on women. We initially viewed these two projects as parallel, but distinct and separate. We found, however, that they could not be conceptualized separately - one informed the other. Finally, because our work keeps women at the centre of our analysis, we found that our vision, values and guiding principles provided what we feel is an essential foundation for both an integrated approach to public policy and an impact assessment tool. This foundation, along with an inclusive and participatory process is lacking in other approaches to policy development and impact assessment. For this reason, we developed an impact assessment tool that informs the decision-making and action-planning steps of our process and which is integrated within that process. This impact assessment tool is a 'work in progress' and is available from our Tools & Resources section of this web site.November 2002
From Desperation to Inspiration: Women's Political Forum for Social and Economic Justice hosted by FemJEPP with the Women's Studies Program at Saint Mary's University in November 2002. This forum was organized in collaboration with the YWCA of Halifax, NS Advisory Council on the Status of Women, Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Women's Committee - NS Federation of Labour, the NS Government and General Employees' Union, Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council, and the Truro & District Labour Council. The Women Matter! Women Vote! Election Issues Campaign 2003 came out of this forum and an information pamphlet, Women Matter! Women Vote! April 2003, was compiled and distributed across the province. This resource was used during the provincial election in the summer (2003) and is available for ongoing use from our Tools & Resources section of this web site.April 2003
The FemJEPP Coordinator and two of the Steering Committee Members participated as guests of the Urban Core Support Network of New Brunswick (UCSN) at their forum Together, Changing Policy From The Outside - In. The FemJEPP Coordinator also developed and facilitated two workshops at the forum utilizing some of our resources and tools:- Workshop #1B - STEPS: Toward a Credible and Inclusive Public Policy Process
- Workshop #2B - Analyzing the Spheres of Influence
May 2002 - Present
Participation on the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women's Roundtable on Women's Economic Security. Priority Area #1 of the Roundtable - Find ways to help women, especially marginalized, low income women and women on social assistance, to reach their full economic potential by encouraging their participation in and improving their access to a full range of education and job training/job development opportunities and programs. Some examples are educational upgrading (including pre-entry programs for training in trades and technologies); post-secondary education; training in trades and technologies and higher paid occupations in the service sector; participation in micro business and community economic development programs. A discussion paper is presently being developed and will be released this winter.September 2002 - Present
Participation on the organizing committee with Charlie MacDonald, Manager of Special Initiatives, Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) Division, NS Department of Community Services in developing and hosting a provincial workshop - Inclusion Initiative Stakeholder Consultation. The workshop was held in January 2003 and FemJEPP participated on the Panel Presentation - Current Initiatives Relevant to Social and Economic Inclusion in Nova Scotia - in the morning portion of the workshop. A report was compiled by the Special Initiatives staff, ESIA Division and distributed to participants. Work is ongoing in this area.October 2002 - October 2003
Phase II - Moving Theory Into Action. The development of the Impact Assessment Tool (Phase I) was made possible through the funding support of The Population Health Fund. Our research and analysis, in Phase I was specifically focused on "access to education and training within the new social assistance legislation in NS - Employment Support and Income Assistance Act (Bill 62)". In this second phase, Moving Theory into Action, we continued to focus on this specific policy issue. The key objectives for this work included building on our past work with women most impacted by policies, programs and services at the local community and ascertaining their additional input in regard to both our identified policy issue and our 'works in progress'. This included assessing the effectiveness of them as tools for ongoing action strategies to influence the public policy process in NS.In deciding to take the approach of developing and facilitating workshops at the community level with women who are most impacted by public policies and programs, we drew on the experience and expertise within FemJEPP to host 8 workshops across the province. The workshops were held in Bridgewater, Sydney, Pictou County, Yarmouth, Kentville, Halifax, East Preston, and Sheet Harbour. The final report will be available on our web Site in January 2004.
2002 - Present
Women's Economic Independence: An Integrated Policy Approach, Phase II - Moving Theory Into Action - Advancing Access to Education and Training within the New Social Assistance Legislation. This is our current project initiative and we are working in a multi-layered approach with women most impacted by public policies and programs, other equality-seeking women's groups, labour and academic allies, and government employees to influence the public policy process. This project initiative is building a common understanding across sectors and among government departments of the importance in taking an "integrated approach" to the development and implementation of public policy that is founded on principles of inclusion and integration. Our resources and tools from Phase 1 of our project initiative- ensure that those most impacted by public policies and programs are central to the development and implementation of public policy. In taking on the coordination of the Women Matter! Women Vote! Election Issues Campaign (in collaboration with other equality-seeking community-based groups, academia, and women in labour) during this time-frame, we took advantage of the opportunity to both educate and mobilize women to participate actively in the electoral process. The campaign demonstrated that women can influence political decisions that impact directly on their social and economic well-being. FemJEPP focused primarily on educating and mobilizing women who historically have not engaged in the electoral process
As a sampling, the above list does not include all of our activities but it gives a picture of the types of activities and projects that we have undertaken over the past 6 years. FemJEPP's overall purpose is to enable the social and economic well-being of all women in Nova Scotia.
