Women's Directorate Gender Equity

Gender Equity Policy for Public Schools

Policy Implementation

When elements of a good education are present, all participants succeed - students, staff and parents alike.

We all have a responsibility in making this happen. Creating and sustaining a gender equitable school system encourages and helps us to develop according to our interests and abilities, regardless of our gender.

With this in mind, the Yukon Department of Education issued the Gender Equity Policy for Public Schools in 1996. During the April and May of 1998, a series of focus group meetings were held with stakeholder groups in the field of education, in a number of schools and other venues in the territory. The result was an implementation plan aimed at helping everyone -- students, staff, administrators, departmental staff, school councils and boards, parents and the community at large develop high standards of quality education for all.

Chronology of Gender Equity-Related Events

2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1992-3

2000

Gender Equity Awareness Week set for April 24-30. Events this year will include the announcement of the Gender Equity Award, to go to schools that have promoted the concepts of gender equity through activities in their schools.

1999

It All Adds Up, the reader-friendly version of the Gender Equity in Public Schools Policy, was printed in a colourful booklet format and released on April 13.
Control Your Financial Future and Where To Go For More Information were adapted from B.C.'s Money Smarts for Young Women project, printed in brochure format, and released on April 15.
Gender Equity Awareness Week, April 11-17, was held for the first time this year, a concept of the Gender Equity Implementation Committee. Gender Equity Awareness Week's focus was on raising the issues around gender equity in the school and community. There were plans, proclamations, and press releases. During GEAW, the Directorate released three Publications ("It All Adds Up", "Money Smarts for Young Women", and "Counting Us In: A Statistical Profile of Yukon women") and a video ("In the Heat of Passion", a discussion of the defense of provocation). The Directorate and the Victoria Faulkner Women's Centre held a Brown-Bag It on the Gender Equity policy. And the Women's Directorate held an Open House to highlight the publications, the video, and the concept of gender equity.
Gender Equity Awareness Week ended with an Open House at the Women's Directorate with approximately 50 people in attendance. The Directorate used this occasion to premiere its new video, In the Heat of Passion, on the need for reform of the defense of provocation. The Women's Directorate produced this video in memory of murder victim, Susan Klassen. It features Brenda McDonald and Lois Moorcroft, the then Minister Responsible for the Women's Directorate, as well as Victim Services staff, a Whitehorse lawyer and women's advocates.

1998

To ensure that the Gender Equity in Public Schools Policy was implemented, the Directorate established an inter-agency committee, the Gender Equity Implementation Committee, comprised of representatives from the Department of Education, Yukon Teachers Association, les EssentiELLES, the Yukon College Women's Studies Program, Victoria Faulkner Women's Centre and representatives from school councils. This is chaired by the Women's Directorate.
It All Adds Up, a reader-friendly guide to the policy, was written by WD's Communications Coordinator.
A Gender Equity consultant was hired to carry out a series of focus group meetings with stakeholder groups in the field of education, in a number of schools and other venues in the territory to assist in the development of an implementation plan for the policy. The implementation plan was aimed at helping everyone -- students, staff, administrators, departmental staff, school councils/boards, parents and the community at large, to ensure safe, equitable environments in the schools. Four pilot projects were completed at Porter Creek Secondary, Hidden Valley, Watson Lake Secondary and St. Elias Community to explore ways of implementing the policy.

1997

The Directorate sponsored Yukon Educational Theatre to tour rural Yukon communities to conduct conflict resolution workshops for elementary students throughout the Yukon.
Young Women of Grit was introduced. This program was coordinated by the Directorate with the Youth Achievement Centre and Skookum Jim's Friendship Center for young high-risk women to participate in an outdoor/workshop program covering topics such as building self-esteem, leadership skills, dealing with conflict, women and nature: reconnecting and personal healing.

1996

The Task Force to Promote Safe Schools report was released in May of 1996 and contained 11 recommendations which were accepted and adopted by the Department of Education.
SAFE TEEN returned to Whitehorse to present workshops in four Whitehorse secondary schools, a self defense workshop for women, a workshop for men on men's violence, and a workshop for teachers and parents. They also returned to Dawson City to present a number of workshops and public lectures.
The Directorate co-sponsored Act Out Theatre for a play dealing with the issue of gender equity. The play was written for youth and written and acted by youth.
A policy on Gender Equity in Public Schools was developed and was implemented in Yukon schools this fall. This policy addresses a variety of topics including curriculum, teaching practices and material use.

1995

A Cappella North - A survey of teenage girls in the Yukon was released in January of '95. The report included focus group discussions with over 200 young women. This document has proven invaluable within and outside government in developing initiatives to improve the quality of life for young women in the territory. Available through the Women's Directorate.
A Yukon Curriculum Review on Gender Bias was undertaken in the fall of '95 for distribution to schools, teachers and administrators. Available through the Women's Directorate.
Yukon Equity Project, a community-based committee held a training retreat for adult facilitators in the spring of '95 and brought 40 youth together in November '95 for a four-day retreat. Young women worked with female facilitators while young men worked with male facilitators. On the fourth day, the youth met together to work on gender equity issues. Youth developed action plans which they have continued to work on in their own schools.

1994

A teacher's guide on Equitable Teaching Practices was developed and resources in-serviced in the rural communities in the spring of '94.
Girls Exploring Technology was a summer pilot project, and became Youth Exploring Trades the following summer. Under the guidance of Yukon tradeswomen, girls and boys attend week-long camps where they build and race go-carts.

1992-3

The Women's Directorate and Department of Education co-sponsored several publications that highlight women's contributions to society, i.e. Our Land, Too: Women of Canada and the Northwest, 1860 - 1914 (a supplementary text for Grade 10 students), You Make the Choice on non-traditional career choices for women (a booklet for Grades 7 - 9), and the video, A Century of Yukon Women.

This symbol links you to .pdf files. To view and print .pdf documents you need free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.