"WOMEN'S VOICES IN HEALTH PROMOTION"

Date: October 21, 1999
Presented by: Isik Urla Zeytinoglu, Mary O'Connor Maroussia Hajdukowski-Ahmed McMaster Research Centre for the Promotion of Women's Health (MRCPOWH)

The WHO sponsored a lunchtime seminar presented by MRCPOWH, our sisters ‘across campus'. MRCPOWH received five years of funding from Health Canada and is now in the process of communicating the results of a wide range of research projects through presentations and the publication of two books: Women's Voices in Health Promotion (Canadian Scholar's Pr. Inc.) and Voicing Our Stories/Remaking Our Lives (Second Story Pr). These books will be available at McMaster bookstores and The Women's Bookstop in Hamilton. MRCPOWH has four co-investigators (the speakers plus Margaret Denton) as well as 22 affiliates from McMaster and the Hamilton community.

Using the principle that problems need to be defined by those who share them, and following a feminist research model, MRCPOWH spent the funding it received to support 28 participatory research projects which met three criteria: projects which examined the impact of work on women's health (in its broad definition); diversity of women's experiences; and community based initiatives. The Centre considered the research process itself as both capacity building and health promoting, with a goal of the transformation of social structures.

The projects were fascinating to hear about: one was the design of an apron worn by workers expressing their concern about repetitive strain injury; another was mask-making by torture survivors. The presenters spoke about the importance of story telling, of listening, and of hearing silence. It was impressive to hear how much had been accomplished with a minimal budget.

MRCPOWH presented a number of recommendations which came out of the projects as well as their members own view of what needs to be done. These are extremely timely for the Faculty of Health Sciences as it moves to expand and enhance its research capacity in women's health. The seminar also reminded me how much we can gain from sharing our interests in women's health with others in the university and the community.

Fran Scott Member, WHO Executive