Women’s Equality Prince Edward Island

1. Status of Women Blog: Women’s Equality PEI

The PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women has set up an interactive online presence at http://peiacsw.wordpress.com

Please visit our new blog and participate in discussions of issues that come up. The blog is an experiment, and if response is positive, we will continue to maintain it. From today onward, Community Notices will be posted to the blog every Friday as well as being sent out on the mailing list. They will no longer be posted on the ACSW’s regular website, as long as the blog is active.

2.  Safety Planning for Women in Crisis

Hi all – with funding from the Women’s Program, Status of Women Canada, Justice Options for Women Steering Committee is working together with The Adventure Group to develop and pilot a formal process of collaborative safety planning for women in crisis due to violence in an intimate relationship. To share information about this exciting new, born-in-PEI interest-based process, we are hosting a workshop on November 13 from 8:45 – 12:00. Please feel free to share this invitation with others you think many have an interest in our work.Kirstin Lund Project Co-ordinator Safety Circles: Collaboarative Safety Planning Processes for Women in Crisis

3. Parents Needed for Focus Groups

Research tells us that a child’s experiences in the early years will have the most influence on life long learning, behaviour and health.Parents and guardians of children 8 years old and younger are needed to participate in focus groups to talk about what may be helpful to succeed as a parent and to have the best possible influence on your child’s development. In November, focus groups will take place in Charlottetown and Summerside. Each focus group will last about two hours. All discussion will be kept strictly confidential. Participants will receive $50 if selected to participate in one of the discussion groups. Child care will also be provided upon request. To participate, please contact Crystal at 566-2566 or call toll-free 1-866-594-3777. Sponsored by the Premier’s Council on Healthy Child Development.

4. CMHA PEI luncheon with Margaret Trudeau

The Canadian Mental Health Association/PEI Division has a significant event planned for Monday, October 29. Margaret Trudeau will be featured at a luncheon at the Delta Prince Edward beginning at 12:00 pm and will speak on the topic “Overcoming Stigma: My Journey to Wellness”. Ms. Trudeau, who has experienced serious mental health problems for much of her adult life, has made it her mission to help eliminate stigma and promote recovery and community support for those experiencing mental health problems. She is on a speaking tour now and is presenting at many venues across the country. Her presentations have been well-attended and well-received. To quote an article following a recent presentation in London, ON: “After the event, as people shuffled out of the room, the words fabulous, uplifting, and inspirational echoed off the walls. People noted – if Margaret could survive all she had been through – hope prevails for everyone.”Tickets are $75 each and a portion of this amount can be receipted. Tickets are available at the CMHA Offices in Ch’town, S’side and Alberton and at the six Murphy’s Pharmacies locations (Parkdale, West Royalty, Cornwall, Stratford, Morell and Kensington). Don’t miss out!For additional information, please check our our website at www.cmha.pe.ca.TOM STEWART, Senior Manager, CMHA/PEI Division, Box 785 – 178 Fitzroy Street, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7L9, Phone: 902 628-3651

 5. Proposed Citizens’ Assembly for PEI If you’re interested in electoral reform in Prince Edward Island, you may want to take a look at the following information regarding a forum on a proposed Citizens Assembly for P.E.I.It will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2007, at St. Peter’s Cathedral Hall, All Souls Lane, in harlottetown. St. Peter’s Cathedral and All Souls Chapel are located across Rochford Street from the Shaw Building, the main building in the Provincial Administrative Building complex. The forum will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with registration taking place from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. There will be a voluntary registration fee of $10.00 to help offset the costs of the event. For more information aned to help us anticipate the number of attendees, please RSVP to Michelle Harris- Genge at wnpei@wnpei.org or Philip MacDonald at 368-8131.

The Atlantic Seniors Health Promotion Network is holding Diabetes Focus Groups throughout Atlantic Canada this fall, as part of a project called “Attitude Makes a Difference”. The project is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and is hosted in P.E.I. by the Seniors United Network. The purpose is to find out what seniors think about diabetes, what helps them to manage their diabetes, and what they need in order to live healthy, satisfying lives. We are especially interested in hearing from women over 60 who have diabetes, who are single or widowed and receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The focus groups will be held in: Montague – Tuesday, November 6th, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.  Active Communities, 540 Main StreetWellington – Thursday, November 8th, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 La Coopérative Le Chez-nous, 64 Sunset Dr (This focus group will be in french.)North Rustico – Tuesday, November 13th, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. North Rustico Lion’s ClubO’Leary – Thursday, November 15th, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. O’Leary Community CentreRefreshments will be provided and travel costs covered if needed. There will be an honorarium of $25 paid to those who attend. You can register for any of the focus groups by calling Ann or Marie at Cooper Institute, 894-4573 or 1-877-894-4573, toll-free. Or, send us an e-mail – our address is cooper@isn.net.7. PEIBWA Events

November Networking ReceptionHosted by: Moving Designz Home and Cottage Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2007Time: 6-8 pmLocation: 4 Queen Street, Harbour Terrace, SummersideAll members are invited to attend the November Mixer hosted by Susan Snow of Moving Designz at her newly opened retail store in Summerside. This event will provide members with a chance to network and check out this new store. There is no charge for members to attend.Please RSVP to Susan Jefferson by e-mail at office@peibwa.org or by phone at (902) 892-6040. Registration deadline: Monday, November 5, 2007 at 4 pm.For more details on Moving Designz, visit www.movingdesignz.com.