The Women North Network:

Working Together to Build Healthy Communities for Northern Women & Their Families

By: Dawn Hemingway, MSc, MSW

      University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC

Challenges Facing Northern Women

Women in northern, rural and remote communities in British Columbia live an average of 4 years less than women of similar age and circumstances living in the southern part of the province (Annual Report of the BC Provincial Health Officer, 2001). Similarly, women in northern communities face higher rates of violence and have less access to treatment, resources and services. Factors such as geography, climate and issues related to age, culture, poverty, and socio-economic status tend to isolate women within their given community. Vast distances, differences in culture and the general economic downturn tend to isolate communities from each other. Yet, there is a clear need for northern/rural women to find the ways to connect with each other and change the difficult situation they face. In these times of government cutbacks and the shrinking social safety net, it has become even more crucial that women have the opportunity to extend their circles to encompass a larger network of women who can share information, coordinate action strategies and create a larger voice for influencing health and social policy. However, the very cutbacks which threaten many of the services and programs for women have made such collaboration more difficult.

Despite these difficulties, women in northern rural and remote communities continue to find innovative ways to get organized. One example is the extensive regional work that has taken place over the past 10 years regarding violence against women and children in northern communities. Similarly, informal caregivers (mostly women) supporting family members and friends with chronic illnesses such as Alzheimer's Disease have found the ways to stay in touch and share strategies for providing care to loved ones within a northern setting.

Networking for Change

The Women North Project, initiated through Northern FIRE: The Centre for Women's Health Research at the University of Northern British Columbia, is a community development/research project that aims to assist the work that is already underway by helping to strengthen connections between women across the north. Funded by Status of Women Canada with additional help from the UNBC Centre for Teaching and Learning, Women North is focused on building a network of women and women's organizations in northern British Columbia. The hope is that such a network will aid in the development of joint health-related research, action, and policy initiatives. The Project began with a series of community gatherings across the north involving more than 100 women and also included a regional gathering in Prince George that brought women from 8 smaller communities together to discuss health-related concerns (within a primary health care and population health framework) and how they could be addressed.

The communities involved were Mackenzie, Robson Valley (Dunster, McBride and Valemount), Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Fort St. James, Prince Rupert, Prince George, Terrace, Burns Lake, Smithers and Houston.

The On-Line Gathering Space

One highlight of the Women North Project work to date has been the launching of a WebCT Online Gathering Space, created with the assistance of the UNBC Centre for Teaching and Learning, Social Work practicum students and many other volunteers. This space provides a place for women to connect with each other, to develop working relations as well as to share information about what is happening in their organizations and communities across the north. The site, which is password protected, contains such features as a list of members and their interests so that women can find others with similar interests, concerns and struggles. Also included in the On-line Gathering Space is a calendar of events, an internal email system and a series of discussion sites on poverty, older women, violence against women and children, to name just a few. Health-related links, community newsletters from across the north, announcements about workshops, meetings and conferences are also available. As well, some local communities have begun their own sites within the Women North Gathering Space.