Winnipeg —
August 17, 2006
The Family Community Centre

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Winnipeg Workshops

Facilitator: Becky Thiessen
Participants: 10 women

The following ideas were generated by workshop participants as part of our gender budget consultations. Please note that this list does not represent the official position of the UN Platform for Action Committee Manitoba (UNPAC). Neither UNPAC nor all of the participants have endorsed these suggestions.

1. What are key concerns for women in your community?

• Safety
  • Child’s safety
  • Safe and secure housing
  • Violence
• Limited youth recreation
• Government programs
  • Waiting lists are too long ie daycare
  • Little thought process to the coordination and development of programs
• Social assistance
  • Created dependency
  • Not enough to live
• Poverty/Employment
  • Not having enough money to live with dignity
  • Children’s needs are not being met
  • Wages are too low
• Childcare
  • Can’t work because childcare is too expensive
  • Wages are too low to pay for childcare
  • Need more daycare
  • More infant spots
  • Need more money/subsidy for home daycare, it can be $300-$400/month
• Health care
  • Family doctor shortage
  • Limited access to proper medication
  • Limited access to dental care
• Discrimination
  • Sexism
  • Racism — the system of treaty and non-treaty status for aboriginal people is unjust, sexist and confusing

2. a) What Government programs and services have really worked to meet women’s needs and concerns? How could they be expanded upon or made better?

• Healthy Start
• Nobody’s Perfect
• Aboriginal Headstart
• Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre
• Ndinawe Youth Resource Centre
• Family Community Centre
• Baby & Me
• Inkster Coalition
• Winnipeg Education Centre
• West Central Women’s Resource Centre
• House of Opportunity
• Community connections
• Street Connections
• Families First

**These services and programs are well used and worthwhile, however there were some ideas of how some of them could be more effective:

• Take women seriously, value their lived experience as a source of knowledge
• Hire more people from the community who know and have learned from their experiences.
• Many of these programs, especially women’s and family centres, are project-based. There is an undeniable need for core funding.

2. b) What ideas do you have for programs and services that could meet women’s needs?

• Daycare
  • Quality, affordable, accessible
• Free counselling
• Sexual/reproductive programs for youth, education and knowledge about birth
• More youth recreation
  • Programs for youth and parents together
  • Programs for cultural teaching
• More opportunities to have women’s voices heard
• Local politicians come and listen to women’s needs