BC Rural Women's Network
Media Release
For immediate release – December 16, 2003
Vernon- The Vernon Women’s Centre is pleased to announce a re-commitment of funding to the BC Rural Women’s Network Initiative. Funded by Status of Women Canada, this 12-month second phase project will continue to bring forward rural women’s recommendations for change to government and industry policies.
The aim of the BC Rural Women’s Network Initiative is to increase marginalised rural women’s voices being heard on public policy issues that affect them and their communities. This phase will be focusing specifically on communication technology and trying to reduce the barriers rural women described when accessing public Internet sites, communication technology, and government forms.
The BC Rural Women’s Network, which evolved during a research project in 2002-2003, will be further developed. This Network will include the development of a website and a newsletter to update women of the activities that are being carried out to influence policy changes. Further, the BC Rural Women’s Network will again involve women living in rural and remote BC communities to contribute ideas and comments to the strategies undertaken by the Project Co-coordinator, Nythalah Baker.
“The Network will offer women chances to provide input, online and in written form, to policy makers about issues relevant to their lives, in their communities. We’re also expecting that the BC Rural Women’s Network will further assist with information sharing between women living in rural and remote communities,” Baker explained.
This second phase of the BC Rural Women’s Network initiative aims to increase rural women’s voices being heard in policy development, especially as it relates to communication technology. We invite women, and anyone interested in the BC Rural Women’s Network Initiative, to contact us.
For ongoing updates about the Initiative go to: www3.telus.net/bcwomen/rural
or write us: P.O. Box 1242, Vernon, BC V1T 6N6
BACKGROUND
The first phase of the BC Rural Women’s Network Initiative took place in 2002-2003. During this time the project researched women’s experiences of living on low-income and accessing communication technology in rural and remote communities around British Columbia.
From October 2002 to March 2003, the BC Rural Women’s Project coordinated six consultations with the help of local community representatives. In the end, over 100 women living in rural and remote communities around BC shared their experiences. Women also contributed recommendations for industry and various levels of government to address poverty and access to information communication technologies.
In Canada there are a growing number of federally funded initiatives that have attempted to bring access to those without it, yet we know that women, and specifically rural women, have been left behind in Canada’s plan to increase access. The provincial government is also looking at ways to assist with improving access. Women’s voices, especially women who experience marginalisation, must be a part of this process and the BC Rural Women’s Network will work to facilitate that.
The Vernon Women’s Centre is committed to advancing women’s influence and improving the status of women though change. In the next year, the BC Rural Women’s Network Initiative will forge ahead with these goals in mind.
-30-
Contact: Nythalah Baker
BC Rural Women’s Network Coordinator