This section is for viewers who have an English or French facilitator guide. Since publishing the guide, we have learned ways to improve upon the method. We hope to secure funding to produce a revised guide in the future.
In this section, we indicate each step in the guide and describe ways we have improved upon it.
No doubt, you will find your own ways to improve upon it. See "Tell Us" to share your experiences.
Facilitator Notes (Section D)
Overall changes: • Statistics: Only use a few key statistics when emphasis is needed. We tend to only use the list of statistics on women's work (Step 3) and one or two statistics in the section on causes (Step 4).
• Participant packet: Avoid extra pieces of paper and flipcharts, by including task sheets, statistics and fact sheets in a participant package. Use just a few flipcharts when you want to emphasize a given point.
• Multi-lingual : If your participants have more than one first language, consider how to make those languages present in the workshop. Small groups could form by language group and write on the stones in their first language. The main stones and words on the Top of the Wall could have more than one language. In one workshop, sign language was included on the Wall.
Step One: Introduction • Objective : What is important here is that participants have a chance to meet each other informally and become aware of the diversity (or lack there of) in the room.
• Buses: We have most often used Buses (pp. 77), as this enables people to mix in a fun way and helps to identify who is present in the workshop.
• Alternatives: Solidarity Bingo (see page 75) can also be effective. The use of stones as described in the guide works well, however we always smile when we remember facilitators of the Canadian trade union, CUPE, carrying hundreds of real stones from across the country to use in workshops at their BC-Alberta regional women's conference.
Step Two: Top of the Wall • Introducing the Wall: This takes at least 15 minutes. It always feels short, but it is best to keep it as brief as possible, otherwise we find participants begin to discuss the information to be discussed in the next steps.
• Two main stones: We usually replace "Social Programmes" with "Public Services", as it is a more broadly understood term (especially outside of Canada ) and it includes services such as water and electricity. In countries where there is a large informal sector, we have sometimes replaced "Jobs" with "Ways of Making a Living".
• Introducing the small group activity : You can form group of up to 6 participants and still have good conversation. When you have just one extra group, best to have two groups discuss "Home", as that is the part of our lives that is most invisible. Sometimes we have people select the group, on other occasions, small groups are assigned.
• Groups post stones : Begin with the "Home" and move across to the right. In this way, you begin with the most invisible and move to the more public.
Step Three: The Work Women Do
• Individuals mime their scenarios: Sometimes doing it this way has worked very well, as participants have fun finding their group. However, to save time and to avoid participants feeling put on the spot, we sometimes divide into four groups and then give a scenario to each group to practice and present. • Scenarios: You may want to adapt these to fit your context. To be more inclusive of equity groups, the Canadian union, OPSEU, made the following adaptations:
What's Cooking? You are stirring a pot while your two-year-old is pulling on your leg crying. The phone rings with someone requesting that you help with an incident of racial harassment at work. You find yourself:
- stirring the pot to prevent the food from burning,
- consoling your two year old,
- while talking on the phone.
Crazy Driving You drive a car especially equipped with hand controls to accommodate your disability. You are maneuvering morning traffic in a rush to get your partner to work and yourself to school. Your partner is upset about an anti-lesbian comment she's heard and wants to talk to you about as a news item comes on the radio about a disabilities rights issue you are involved in. You find yourself:
- driving the car erratically,
• nodding and turning to look at your partner to show you are listening,
• while turning up the volume to hear the radio story at the same time.
In Nicaragua , the scenarios were adapted to fit the rural context:
The morning
A rural woman gets up at 4:00 in the morning. She is preparing the breakfast for her children who go to school, quickly making tortillas to sell and worked about that time remaining as she is to attend a meeting at the village mayor's office. You find yourself:
• stirring the rice and beans
• making tortillas
• looking at your watch.
• Facilitator Mini-Presentation: We usually expand this section, in order to ensure that we make visible both discrimination against women and differences among women. After posting the "Women's Work" stone and reading the statistics about women's work, we pause before reading stats about discrimination against equity-seeking groups to post another large stone below the "Women's Work" stone. This stone, titled: "Most Affected" or "Equity-Seeking Groups Marginalized" may be the shape of a woman's symbol.
We point out that not all women are affected in the same way and ask which groups of women benefit the least in this Wall. As participants name women who are doubly or triply discriminated against, we write their response around this stone. We will then read statistics specific to marginalized women. The statistics can be particularly important if you think some participants may question this discrimination.
Step Four: Bottom of the Wall
• Introduce Task, Discuss in small groups and Post We usually do not include this step in order to avoid a second small group and, by adding the stone in Step 3, differences among women are made visible.
When we feel it important to have more discussion on differences, instead of small group work, we do a "3 paired skirmish". Everyone stands up and is asked to find a partner to discuss one question, then, while still standing, share their ideas with the whole group before going on to discuss the next question with another partner. When participants share their ideas with the whole group, the co-facilitator writes them on women symbol stones to be posted around the larger stones.
1) How women are affected differently from men. (Write ideas on women's symbol and post around the "Women's Work" stone.)
2) How women in equity-seeking groups are affected. (Write ideas on women's symbol and post around the "Most Affected" stone)
3) Why is this happening? (Write ideas directly on the bottom of the Wall)
• What is causing these changes? Alternatively, if you think the first two questions would be sufficiently covered in the previous steps, you would just invite participants to talk in pairs as to "Why this is happening". Then invite them to call in their ideas and you write them directly on the Wall.
• Mini-presentation on connections This discussion will depend upon comments made by participants, but we find it helps to have a description that walks you through this part. In most cases, we spend about 30 minutes on this section, including the paired discussion naming causes. In Canada , we don't usually include the piece on debt, as it is not a key point of discussion at this time, unlike many developing countries.
Use of a few key handouts with some visuals can help to bring the information alive. (See "Gallery of Handouts" for samples). Here is one way it was developed for a Canadian trade union, OPSEU (Ontario Public Sector Employees Union).
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING - CAUSES (30 minutes)
Review the work so far/introduce the discussion (5 minutes) • Remind participants of the impact on women of changes to jobs and social programs - and how women's work is undervalued, underpaid and unpaid in the present economic system, stressing again that some groups of women are more disadvantaged by this system than others.
Write on flip chart: Why is this happening?
In pairs ask participants discuss: 'Why is this happening? '
• Just give them about five minutes.
Pairs call in point s (10 minutes) • Write the points on the Wall.
Ask for the group's help in summarizing main causes they have identified and circle or underline them.
Facilitator mini-presentation and discussion (10 min) Drawing on points raised by participants, make a short presentation using the statistics cards and the handout on Globalization in the participants' materials..
Introduction • Say that this is a GLOBAL PROCESS. While there are important differences among countries, we are all affected by similar trends
• Corporations are getting bigger and more powerful. Post statistic #1.
• Circle or write PROFIT on the wall. Say that economic decisions are driven by how much profit corporations can make rather than by what people need. (Ask people for examples of this on the Wall).
• Review the piece on Economic Globalization on page 10 in the participant materials.(Note: As you read through the handout with participants, circle Free Trade or any of the trade agreements they have named (NAFTA, FTAA) on the Wall. Circle or write PRIVATIZATION on the Wall as you discuss the privatization of services.) Ask: who benefits most from this system? • The vast majority of those in power are wealthy, white, able-bodied males.
• Write Male-Dominated or Patriarchy on the Wall. Explain that patriarchy refers to a system of values, roles and policies based on the idea that women are naturally inferior. In such a system, men have more power than women.
• Post Statistics cards #2 and #3
• Circle or write Racialized on the Wall.
- Say that the global economic system is also racialized. Point to the discussion on the Wall of the women affected most.
- Note the major corporate actors are white, most from the United States and Europe .
• Post stats cards #4 and 5. Note that this dramatically shows that the way power operates in the global economy is certainly not 'democratic'
• Also note that since 9/11 and the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq that racism/racial profiling has particularly targeted women of colour and Arab women right here in Ontario .
Step Five: The Global Link We usually drop this step due to lack of time. However, if the focus of your workshop is international solidarity or education on the maquila sector, you may choose to keep it. In any case, we always cover the first point under "Introduce activity" to present the idea that this Canadian Wall is part of a global house of Walls all experiencing similar trends .
Step Six: Naming Our Power and Our Allies
• Don't skip this one: We find that this is one of the most important parts of the workshop. It helps participants to shift from a sense of being overwhelmed by globalization to empowerment. • Identify Allies: To help be concrete about the role of allies, ask: How can these allies increase your power? • Line-Up Cards: Review the list to identify characters with a mix of power and relevant to your group. Be sure to include leadership in your own organization, so you can ask where your power comes from and who are your allies. • Wrapping Up: This exercise generates a lot of laughter, energy and insight. Depending on the nature of your group and your own facilitation style, you may use one of several techniques to help the group vocalize their sense of empowerment. Here we list a few, we have learned from Wall facilitators: Option 1: While still standing, we say to the group, "I just have one more question. "Who's got the power?" When someone calls out, "We've got the power!" You then ask again, "Who's got the power?" the group then responds and it becomes a chant. Option 2: Point out that sometimes, as women, we have a tendency to think, "it's all my fault". Give some examples from the workshop, like "it's all my fault that I am not able to meet all my family's needs". Point out that it can help just to be able to say, "It's not my fault". Invite them to say it with you, then louder, then louder. Option 3: Invite everyone to stand in a circle placing their hands together in the centre. Tell them you will all together lower your hands, saying "Yes." and then raise them, shouting, ".. we have POWER!"
Step Seven: Moving to Action
In planning your workshop, you will want to consider the areas in which your participants may take action and shape the activity accordingly. Perhaps, actions will be focussed on a particular campaign or areas of work. For example, for a union, you may look at bargaining, women's committees, human rights committees and leadership development.
As "pink" may conjure up images of white women, we suggest using another colour or using several colours so a to reflect racial diversity.
Identifying strategies: We have found it useful to review the analysis in the Wall, then identify signs of hope (the leaves), then invite participants to identify strategies that are to be written on the women to the right. To identify strategies, we have found it most useful to say, "Given all that we have identified on the Wall, what is key to do at this time in order to.(add your specific goal or focus)". They then identify actions to address these strategies.
Step Eight: Closing and Evaluation
We have done the closing in several ways: if we began with stones, we may pass around stones, or perhaps end with the Rainstorm exercise (p. 81).
Alternatively, you might distribute two paper women to each participant. On one they write, a key learning and on the other they write a personal action. Everyone then shares and posts their women on the Wall.
Section E: Adapting the Wall
Preparing the Wall Materials (Section F)
Wall paper: In some cases, we have used brown craft or packaging paper, instead of white banner paper. Either can work effectively.
Wall dimensions: We have slightly reduced the size of the Wall.
Diversity: Take care to include the full-diversity of participants in the Wall images. Top of the Wall figures and at least one of the large women on the sides can be coloured in with a dark marker. On the top, include a person with a disability, such as in a wheel chair. Instead of using pink figured women, which is more associated with a white person, use another colour or a variety of colours.
Top of the Wall images: You may want to draw ones that better fit your context. Alternatively, we provide an electronic version here, so you can just print and copy it for the top of the Wall.
Handouts: Prepare and distribute a packet of handouts to each participant at the beginning of the workshop. The packet can include task sheets, statistics and fact sheets (See: Gallery of Handouts). In most cases, this can replace the flipcharts, which will reduce your preparation time.
Statistics: Using fewer statistics means that you will only use a few or no statistics cards.
Stones: No gold stones (Step 4), as ideas are written directly on the Wall.
You may or may not have women symbol stones, depending on how you decide to do Step 3 and 4. Create a "Equity-Seeking Groups" or "Most Affected" stone.
