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No More Miss Nice G__! |
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Urgent Action on February 14, 2008 PLEASE POST WIDELYExactly three years ago this month, The Miss G__ Project for Equity in Education was founded with the mandate to combat all forms of oppression in and through education, including sexism, homophobia, racism, classism, and ablism. As you know, our main objective has been the approval of a province-wide Women's and Gender Studies (WGS) course by the Ministry of Education. Through three cabinet shuffles, many meetings, and various battles with patriarchy and bureaucracy, we have kept pressure on the Ministry to fulfill its policy obligations to create safe and inclusive learning environments for all students. To see this happen, from our end, we have been working with schools, teachers, and other community groups to bring feminist analysis and woman-affirming content into classrooms and create spaces where students can discuss and critique gender-based oppressions in their lives. This February marks an important anniversary for us, made even more poignant by the release of the 'Falconer Report' and the report of the CAMH, which brought into stark relief - again - the epidemic-level sexual and gender-based violence students experience in schools. The current Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, has called The Miss G__ Project "the most effective lobby effort the Ministry has seen in recent history," and when asked last October by a room-full of feminist organizations when a WGS course would be implemented, Wynne promised that if the Liberals were re-elected "this would happen." Well, they were... and nothing's happening. A year has gone by since our last meeting with Kathleen Wynne, and though
the demand -- and need -- for this course has been demonstrated again and
again, we still have seen no concrete action. We're getting a bit tired of
sitting around, tapping our fingers and wondering when the phone will
ring... so we've decided to go tapping on the Ministry's door instead.
This time it's... No More Miss Nice G__! The Game Plan Miss G_ is staging a 'phone-in' on February 14, 2008. Happy Hearts Day!We are asking all supporters of the project to call the Ministry of Education expressing that we cannot afford to wait any longer for a Women's and Gender Studies course to be added into the Ontario Secondary School Curriculum. On February 14, call your mom, call your lova, then call the Ministry of Education. Calling the Ministry of Education is neither as stressful nor as intimidating as it may sound. In fact, you are a citizen and it is the Ministry's job to listen to you and to take your calls.
WHERE? Anywhere YOU are in the world, at one end of a two-minute phone-call. WHAT TO EXPECT: This number will take you directly to Kathleen's office,
where her assistant will either pick up, or you will be put through to her
assistant's voicemail. You can leave a personal message or voicemail
recording for her assistant to pass on to Minister Wynne.
WHAT TO SAY: Identify who you are and where you are from. State that you are
leaving a message for the Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, and express
your support for a Women's and Gender Studies course being implemented into
the Ontario Secondary School Curriculum. Ask when Minister Wynne will honour
her promises and policy-commitments to introduce WGS into the provincial
curriculum. (There are more ideas for things to say below.)
WHAT TO REMEMBER: You are fabulous and intelligent, you have an opinion, and your voice needs to be listened to! IT GETS BETTER: What's a major campaign without a snappy and exciting PROMOTIONAL VIDEO to get you in the mood? Produced by our very own jennaow, youtuber to the stars:
Sure to be the brightest 4.5 minutes of your day, this vid includes:
Please visit our facebook event, where nearly 1000 people (you read right: one thousand people) have pledged to call the Ministry this February 14: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=8006913425 If you have any questions or need any encouragement, do not hesitate to leave a post on our facebook wall or to contact us at themissgproject@gmail.com Also - invite all your friends, and spread the word!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LINKS Blogosphere:Soapbox Spinster the Shameless blog section15.ca Feministing.com Media Coverage:
Direct links to the studies...
More info about WGS: JUST THE FACTS MA'AM
FACT: All students, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, deserve to go to school in a safe environment. In fact, government policy guarantees "all students... a safe and secure environment so that they can participate fully and responsibly in the educational experience." The Ministry must meet its policy commitment to a curriculum that "promotes a school climate that encourages all students to work to high standards, affirms the worth of all students, and helps them strengthen their sense of identity and develop a positive self-image. It encourages staff and students alike to value and show respect for diversity in the school and the wider society. It requires schools to adopt measures to provide a safe environment for learning, free from harassment of all types, violence, and expressions of hate." (OSS: 58). FACT: In response to the Falconer report, Minister Wynne stated, "we know prevention is better than reaction," and speaks frequently in support of "inclusive learning environments." (link) FACT: A women's and gender studies course in high schools -- which the Miss G Project has been working with the government to implement for the last 3 years -- would be one highly effective way of creating that inclusive learning environment and preventing sexual assault and harassment THROUGH EDUCATION. From the experiences of teachers and students taking locally developed WGS courses across the province, we know that opening up a space for dialogue and providing information on issues of gender-based violence and harassment is an effective and desperately needed way of addressing and PREVENTING injustices occurring in schools. FACT: A Women's and Gender studies course would address issues of sexism, homophobia, gender roles, violence and harassment as well as infuse information about women's history, writing and experiences into the curriculum (which it is now sorely lacking). RING THE MINISTRY'S BELL: Some ways to have your say. The best message is one straight from your heart (wink), but if you're like many of us and prefer a prepared message, may we suggest some of the following:"Hello, my name is____, and I'm a [student, parent, teacher, concerned citizen, etc.] from ____, and... ... I would like to leave a message for Minister Wynne asking when a WGS course will be implemented in the Ontario secondary school curriculum." ... I am getting tired of waiting for a WGS course to be introduced to the provincial curriculum." ... I wish that i had had WGS when i was in high school, and hope that future generations will have the knowledge to make better decisions and oppose oppressions." ... I am tired of the gender-based injustice that goes on in schools and believe a WGS course would be an effective form of prevention." ... As the late, great Bob Marley once said, it's three years I been knocking on your door... and I don't wanna wait in vain!" |
Copyright 2006 The Miss G__ Project