CIHR’s Institute of Gender and Health is putting together a toolkit for gender, sex and health research and we want your input! The toolkit will consist of information and resources, including research instruments, publications, how-to guides, examples of best practices, and other relevant materials. We’re going to pilot this toolkit at our 2010 Summer Institute; a five-day intensive training program for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

Do you know of a resource that we should add to the toolkit? Please send your suggestions (with relevant background materials, if applicable) to Zena Sharman at zsharman@exchange.ubc.ca by March 1, 2010.

We’re looking for research instruments, key publications about research methods, examples of best practices in gender, sex and health research, and other relevant research tools. We’re interested in both established and emerging tools, as well as critical appraisals of existing tools. What works? What doesn’t? What’s new?

You don’t have to be the lead author on a tool to recommend it. The Institute of Gender and Health will obtain all necessary permissions before including these resources in the toolkit for gender, sex and health research.

For more information, please contact: Zena Sharman, Assistant Director, CIHR’s Institute of Gender and Health

E-mail: zsharman@exchange.ubc.ca

Phone: 604-827-3284

"Can Feminism Pay the Bills?"
Hosted by Kim Katrin Crosby
Wednesday February 17, 8pm
The Tranzac
(292 Brunswick Ave., Toronto)

Ladyfest is looking for performers, speakers, and other creative responses to this topic to participate in this event. If you are interested, or know anyone who is, please contact me at ladyfesttoronto@gmail.com or katechristinemiller@gmail.com with your idea or any questions!

A night of creative, comedic, academic, grassroots, and musical responses to the topic of feminism and money. From personal finances to organizational funding, we've all felt the squeeze and it's time for this movement to pay up! How can we balance demanding recognition of our labour and support of non-profits we believe in? How do we talk about inequity and lack of resources when many of us have dinner on the table and a roof over our heads? How can we sell this thing to make a cool million? Come out and learn and laugh about where our collective stocks are sitting, how to increase their value, and when we should just sell.

Submission deadline is Monday, July 5th 2010

Call for submissions for book: Feminist education now: youth, activism, and intersectionality (working title – tentatively to be changed) edited by Jessica Yee

To be published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Winter 2011

Where is feminist education today? This is a question many people are asking, and I’d like to answer them in a book I’m putting together. Where do young people get to learn about feminism? And what the heck does feminism even mean to young people today? (and I’m talking about young, young people, not you 3rd year women’s studies person who might roll your eyes at my next set of questions. Maybe think of yourself before you got into women’s studies. Or if you ARE/WERE in women's studies and think it's kinda messed up, I'd like to hear about that too.) How come as a “theory” we don’t really hear about it unless we get to go to post-secondary type schooling, but in practice lots of us have been feminists of sorts throughout our entire lives. Why does it still look like a white-woman’s thing? Or not entirely sex-positive? What do young men have to say about it? Has there really been any intergenerational information sharing between those who might have “paved the way” and those who are thinking about identifying as feminists now?

With the working title of “Feminist education now: youth, activism, and intersectionality” I’d like to talk about all these issues and everything in between. Don’t like the word feminism? Please be my guest and talk about that – or if it helps to use words like “womanist” or “humanist” instead, or working for women’s rights, women’s empowerment, girls stuff, etc. then go that direction. I’m really interested in talking about the intersectionality of feminist education and breaking down the barriers of what constitutes “education”, where that might be, and according to whom.

For more information, see:

Call for submissions for book: Feminist education now

The MA Program in Critical Disability Studies at York University, Toronto, Canada is accepting admission applications for September 2010 entry until March 15, 2010. Detailed information about this pioneer MA program is available at www.yorku.ca/gradcdis/ma/index.html

If you need further clarification about the program, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Domenica Lam
Graduate Program Assistant
Graduate Program in Critical Disability Studies & Graduate Program in Health
Faculty of Graduate Studies
York University
Room 409,  HNES Building
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON         M3J 1P3
(Tel)  416-736-2100 ext. 44494        
(Fax) 416-736-5227
www.yorku.ca/gradcdis  &  www.yorku.ca/gradhlth

Deadline for completed applications extended to February 28, 2010.

The Centre for Women's and Gender Studies (CWAGS) at the University of British Columbia has established a Community Visitors Program (CVP) as part of its outreach initiatives. The CVP is intended to assist community-based and grass roots organizations in research initiatives that could be undertaken using the resources of the Centre and the university.

The CVP offers wage replacement for up to two-months for one staff member in a community-based organization which will thus be able to hire a replacement. The staff person will be affiliated with the Centre and be able to focus on the development of new programs, the design of new projects, the analysis of current policies or trends, or the preparation of discussion papers for public consumption or policy-makers.

If you would like to discuss potential proposal ideas with the Director of CWAGS prior to submission please contact Gillian Creese (creese@interchange.ubc.ca) no later than February 12, 2010.

Applications should be addressed to Community Visitors Program, UBC Centre for Women's and Gender Studies, 1896 East Mall, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6T 1Z1. E-mail applications (sent to jdc@interchange.ubc.ca) are encouraged.

For more information on applying, see: http://www.wmst.ubc.ca/fac_visiting.html

Dear colleagues,

It has been more than a year now that we have started the research entitled: Internet-based health promotion programs for sexual minorities in Canada: A study of the components, objectives and future developments. The study will end soon and this is the last opportunity for your organization to participate to the online survey.

The objective of this research is to provide a profile of Internet-based health promotion programs for sexual minorities in Canada. We have focused more specifically on identifying 1) the different components of the websites and other Internet activities developed by a range of organizations, 2) the targeted LGBT populations, 3) the health topics that are addressed, and 4) the goals of these activities.

Your participation to this study is very important in order to better evaluate your needs when developing a web site or other Internet activities to address sexual minorities’ health issues.

The document discussing some of the preliminary results can be found here: http://www.svr.uqam.ca/EN/actualites.asp

Online survey link (closing on February 1^st, 2010): http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/k10104/UQAM/idr.html

We invite you to join all LGBT organizations who are contributing to reach the objectives of this study and provide useful data for all of those promoting health in these communities with the help of the Internet.

Cordially,

Jean Dumas, research assistant for Joseph J. Lévy, principal investigator

The Government of Nova Scotia has posted a discussion paper proposing provincial legislation on cosmetic pesticides similar to that enacted in Quebec. We are of course delighted, but would like your assistance with the following . . .

Our government has launched a public consultation on this topic, and they really need responses from lots of Nova Scotians (and will happily accept input from outside Nova Scotia too.) We ask that for the protection of the health of our province’s residents you please consider responding to this discussion paper and encourage others to do the same.

For your information, the IWK Health Centre has taken a position on this issue. In a recent letter to the Minister of the Environment we summarized as follows:

The bottom line: The risks far outweigh any (questionable) benefit. Children should not be exposed to cosmetic pesticides. Studies suggest that pesticides may be associated with serious health problems for all, but in children in particular, such as problems in pregnancy and birth defects, neuro-developmental disorders, certain cancers, and other effects that might occur over a long period of time.

The answer: The use of any pesticides for cosmetic purposes should be prohibited in Nova Scotia by provincial legislation, while retaining a supplementary role for municipal governments wishing to add their own by-laws that go beyond this legislation.

To help you in responding, please follow this link to the Government's discussion paper: http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/pests/discussing.pesticides.asp

We hope you’ll join us in protecting the health of all Nova Scotians through support of a provincial ban on cosmetic pesticide use.

Thank you.

Your Opinion Matters! Tell us what you think about the Women's Health Matters website.
 
Purpose of the Survey:
We are currently conducting a brief 5-minute online survey to help shape future directions for the Women's Health Matters website. Your input is valuable and will help guide our site redesign.
 
Participant Confidentiality:
All survey responses are anonymous. The information you provide will be kept in strictest confidence.
 
To participate, go to http://bit.ly/Survey-WHM
 
Thank you for your time!

Sheryl Mitchell
Director, Women's Health Partnerships
Women's College Hospital

Dear Friends,

We would like to ask you to support the following statement, calling on the Government of Canada to comply with the recommendations of the United Nations to act immediately to address the situation of women and girls living in poverty and Aboriginal women and girls affected by violence.

Please let me know directly if we can add your name or that of your organization to this statement.

Kate McInturff, Executive Director

Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA)

151, rue Slater, Suite 704m Ottawa (ON) K1P 5H3

Téléphone: (613) 232-9505, poste 111

Fax: (613) 822-5089

Courriel: kate@fafia-afai.org

Web: www.fafia-afai.org

EXTENDED DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15, 2010

Alarmingly high rates of cancer are affecting women in Canada today, across all social, economic, and geographic boundaries. This cancer epidemic has generated a wealth of feminist and non-feminist discourses that have an impact on the lives of all women, not only survivors. Given the scale of the problem, we believe that a critical engagement with these discourses, as well as an examination of the material realities of cancer, are both timely and necessary. CWS/cf's Winter/Spring 2010 issue (Vol. 28, Nos. 2,3) will provide a space for a more complex and nuanced feminist analysis and critique of the lived experiences and discursive constructions of cancer, drawing on its social, political, cultural, ecological, and personal dimensions. We encourage both academic and creative submissions, especially from people whose lives have been changed by cancer

For more information on possible topics and submission guidelines, see: http://www.cbcn.ca/en/?page=12347&section=4

Write or call as soon as possible indicating your intention to submit your work.
Canadian Woman Studies/les cahiers de la femme
210 Founders, York University, 4700 Keele St. Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
Telephone: (416) 736-5356 Fax: (416) 736-5765   E-mail: cwscf@yorku.ca

Women's Worlds 2011, a global feminist conference being held in Ottawa-Gatineau in July of 2011, has launched a call for participation.

Acknowledging that important insights come from academia, community, and everywhere in between, organizers have deliberately dubbed this a 'Call for Participation'. Proposals from individuals, groups, coalitions, networks, and teams will be accepted until September 15, 2010. Potential presenters are being invited to submit proposals under the main congress theme, "Inclusions, exclusions, and seclusions: Living in a globalized world." The 30th anniversary of Women's Worlds in 2011 will potentially be the largest gathering of its kind in Canadian history.

Proposals are invited in French, Spanish, or English via the online form at the Women's Worlds 2011 website. For more information, contact Pam Kapoor at 613-853-8089 or media@womensworlds.ca.

This petition, developed by the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador &  Amnesty International, demands that the government of Canada sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in order to ensure fundamental respect and human rights, individually and collectively, for Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples.

http://ontario.psac.com/ontario/documents/Petition_AFNQL_sept08.pdf

The University of Ottawa and the Institute of Population Health invite applications from outstanding researchers in the field of women’s health. The Chair will be located at the Institute of Population Health with an academic appointment in the relevant Faculty. Echo: Improving Women’s Health in Ontario is an agency of the Ontario government and a co-funder of the chair with the University of Ottawa. The selection committee is especially interested in candidates whose research includes the study of chronic diseases. Review of the applications will begin in January and will remain open until a suitable candidate is selected.

The second annual Imagyn Film Festival, March 5-7th, 2010 in Waterloo, Ontario, a student-run film festival at Wilfrid Laurier University, is requesting submissions. The festival seeks to provide Canadian high school, college, and university students with a platform to express themselves on the topic of violence, using the medium of film.

Canadian students can submit films that are under 10 minutes long, on the subject of *anti-violence resistance and engagement*.
Submissions are due *February 19th, 2010*.

Find out more at www.imagyn.ca

21^st National Conference

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, October 14-16, 2010

“Bridging the Worlds of Practice, Research and Education”

 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS (Papers/Posters)

Deadline for submission: March 12, 2010

AWHONN members, as well as non-members, are invited to submit abstracts for the 2010 conference.  More details are available online at http://www.awhonncanada.org/site/awhonn/index.php?page=2149

The following types of abstracts can be submitted for review:

1. INNOVATIVE PROGRAM PRESENTATIONS
2. RESEARCH PAPER PRESENTATIONS   
3. KNOWLEDGE TRANSER (KT) PRESENTATIONS  
4. EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE PRESENTATIONS  
5. CLINICAL PRACTICE UPDATES  

Presenters can request an oral or a poster presentation. 

The 8th Annual Canadian Cochrane Symposium will take place during the Canadian Tulip Festival this spring for on 19-20 May 2010. This year’s symposium theme, Evidence in Uncertain Times: Meeting the Challenge, reflects the urgent need to network, share and communicate what has been learned about the best ways to produce, synthesize and use research evidence to improve the health of Canadians.

Those interested in particpating can submit an abstract by 12 February 2010. Perspectives from patients, practitioners, policy makers, students, review authors and researchers are welcome.

Find out more at ccncsymposium.com

III Competition: Best Practices that Incorporate a Gender Equality Perspective in Health of Adolescents and Youth To obtain a registration form and access the application guidelines, visit: www.paho.org/geh/bestpractices

The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization has opened the application process for its annual competition III Competition: Best Practices that Incorporate a Gender Equality Perspective in Health of Adolescents and Youth. The competition will accept applications from November 30, 2009 to January 31, 2010. We appreciate your participation and wide dissemination of this initiative.

Women and Environments International Magazine is seeking submissions for its upcoming issue on women and water. The objective of this issue is to critically examine women’s right and access to, relationship with, and consumption of water. Submissions containing examples of good practices, innovative ideas, and/or projects that address issues of women and water, including strengthening the role of women in decision making, and women's concerns for future generations are most welcome. Our aim is to gather content from both the North and the South, which embraces all women’s experiences.Submissions can be in the form of essays, book or film reviews, poetry, photography, and/or visual art.

Submission deadline: December 31st, 2009.

Detailed editorial guidelines and information can be found on our website http://www.weimag.com.

The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) is pleased to announce the Call for Abstracts for the CPHA Centennial Conference. The conference will be held in Toronto , Ontariofrom June 13 - 16, 2010. The conference theme ‘Public Health in Canada: Shaping the Future Together' will provide a forum for public health practitioners working in research, policy and practice to learn from reflecting on the past, describe current activities, share successes and challenges and envision how we can shape the future. 

CPHA is pleased to collaborate with the:

§ Canadian Institute for Health Information – Canadian Population Health Initiative

§ Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Institute of Population and Public Health

§ National Collaborating Centres for Public Health

§ National Specialty Society for Community Medicine 

§ Public Health Agency of Canada

This conference is hosted in association with the Ontario Public Health Association.

The online submission system is now open. Deadline for submissions is Monday, December 14, 2009.

For further information, contact:
CPHA Conference Department
613-725-3769, ext 126
conference@cpha.ca

http://conference.cpha.ca

I am compiling some research regarding the help and support (or lack thereof) for breastfeeding moms with physical disabilities. Ideally, I would love to connect with mothers who have experienced breastfeeding or who are presently breastfeeding. My ultimate goal is to produce a guide or booklet with resources and practical tips for these mothers

Please contact: Jean Kouba. RN. IBCLC, 416- 407-8552, Halton Breastfeeding

Nominate someone you know. It's easy and it only takes a moment. Do you know someone who has helped advance and promote equality for girls and women in Canada?

The Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case honour outstanding contributions that have promoted equality for girls and women in Canada, demonstrated by leadership and excellence in any field, in either a paid or unpaid capacity.

Find out more about the criteria on the website.

Submission deadline: MAY 1, 2010

The editorial board is seeking submissions for Vol. 12.2 of the Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering (ARM) to be published fall/winter 2010.

The journal will explore the topic of Mothering, Bereavement, Loss and Grief from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. We welcome submissions from scholars, students, social workers, health care workers, and other professionals and community workers. Cross-cultural, historical and comparative work is encouraged. We also welcome creative reflections such as poetry, short stories, and artwork on the subject.

Visit the website for details.

An Anthology of Writing to record the impacts and experiences of violence against women

Deadline: October 15th, 2009

LoudSpeaker Festival is currently seeking submissions for an anthology of diverse voices which record the experiences and impacts of violence against women at all levels: brutality, neglect, a punch, a put-down; violence in language or media imagery; from the personal to the abstract.

We invite everyone - of all genders and backgrounds - to submit ONE work of fiction or non-fiction* of no more than 1500 words, or a maximum of FOUR poems on the subject of violence against women and girls.  We are interested in literary work, but not exclusively so.  Whether you are a published writer or not, you may have a story that needs to be heard, be it a story of survival, tragedy, hilarious revelation, sadness or joy. 

All submissions can be sent by email as WORD or RTF attachments to Andrea Routley at <loudspeakerfestival@gmail.com> <http://loudspeakerfestival@gmail.com>   Please include your name and contact information in the body of your email.  We welcome anonymous submissions.

Susan Musgrave is among the contributors to this anthology; by submitting, you would not only be supporting organisations dedicated to helping women, but you would be among good company.

This is a charitable project; no remuneration. Contributors will receive two copies of the anthology. PEERS (Prostitutes Empowerment and Education Resource Society) is among the beneficiaries of this project.

For information visit LoudSpeaker Festival.

* We are especially interested in receiving works of non-fiction at this time. If your piece is about another person, we encourage you to get expressed permission from that person to have transcribed his/her story.

Deadline for Applications: August 21, 2009

The Blueprint for Action on Women & Girls and HIV/AIDS seeks a Project Coordinator for planning a national women’s conference.  The position is a 9-month contract, 3 days a week, with a possibility of extension, located at the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) national office in Ottawa.  

The primary responsibility of the Project Coordinator will be to assist a national steering committee to identify and secure support (financial and in-kind) for the development of a national women’s conference on HIV/AIDS.

For more information, visit the website.

The 11th Women’s Worlds Congress (WW 2011) is coming to Ottawa - Gatineau in July, 2011. This will be the largest international feminist gathering ever to take place in Canada. WW 2011 will be an opportunity to foster linkages across constituencies, to combine and celebrate knowledge and practice, and to influence discourse.

WW 2011 is hoping that women in Canada will participate in large numbers in this unique gathering. To spread the word about WW 2011 we are developing regional networks which will facilitate the participation of women’s groups form across the country. As a first step, we would like to identify twelve regional Network Leaders. A Network Leader can be a women’s group or an individual with the ability to network broadly with women’s groups in their region.

For further information, please contact, info@womensworlds.ca

Visit the website.