Equity and Women’s Programs

ETFO: A Leader on Equity Issues

ETFO is a leader among teacher federations on equity issues, particularly with respect to support for women’s participation and leadership. There are designated positions for women on the ETFO Executive (5 of 14 positions), and constitutional guarantees that programs for women will be provided, with funding allocated for this purpose. These programs offer direct services to women members through courses, workshops, awards, and publications. Funding is also available to establish provincial and local partnerships with other organizations and to support groups that advance the status of women and women’s issues in society.

ETFO’s equity and women’s programs are offered in the context of the Federation’s constitutional object “to foster a climate of social justice in Ontario and continue a leadership role in such areas as anti-poverty, non-violence, and equity,” and in the spirit of the definition of equity adopted by the ETFO Executive

ETFO recognizes that we live in a society characterized by individual and systemic discrimination against particular groups. Within this context ETFO defines equity as fairness achieved through proactive measures which result in equality for all.

Work incorporating these principles spans all of the service areas of ETFO. The particular issues of women members, Aboriginal members, visible minority members, members with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members are addressed through standing committees, included in women’s programs, and explored through a range of other equity programs, as are, increasingly, issues of poverty and social class.

Ongoing Programs, Initiatives and Resources

Some of the ongoing programs and initiatives offered through the service area include:

• An annual women’s conference, …and still we rise, held in February, incorporating leadership training (collective bargaining, presentation skills, equity, health and safety, legal issues, new teacher, and local leadership) with personal growth programs, guest speakers, music, and celebration;
• Leaders for Tomorrow:  leadership training for diverse women;
• Diversity in Leadership: leadership training for women and men from Designated Groups;
• Workshops for teachers addressing a variety of equity issues including in-service sessions for the ETFO inclusive curriculum resources;
• Professional Learning Communities for Women: support for women engaged in  leadership within the union;
• Support for local anti-racist education /equity committees;
• Partnerships with the Anti-Racist Multicultural Educators’ Network of Ontario (AMENO), Women’s Future Fund (WFF), Coalition for Inclusive Curriculum (CIC), Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), and with community groups;
• Participation in the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) equity committees and events;
• Participation in the Canadian Aboriginal Festival in November;
• Work at the local level including steward training on equity, poverty, and social justice issues;
• Partnerships with organizations addressing international human rights issues and initiatives;
• Participation in Pride Day parades and events;
• Participation in International Women’s Day and Take Back the Night activities;
• Anti-violence workshops offered at the provincial and local levels;
• Outreach to members from designated groups to increase their involvement in ETFO;
• Workshops on disabilities and accommodation issues offered at the local level; and
• Curriculum resources, pamphlets, and publications addressing broad-based equity issues.
• Regional curriculum conferences and ICT courses are offered in cooperation with ETFO locals and school boards.  Be sure to watch for the Connect conference held specifically for new teachers each year.