Literacy for Women on the Streets

Lucy Alderson and Diana Twiss

Literacy for Women on the Streets was a participatory action research project (August 2001 – June 2003) that examined the impact of literacy activities on the lives of women sex trade workers in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

Participatory action research was difficult to achieve for a variety of reasons however, we worked in strong collaboration with the women at WISH (Women’s Information and Safe House) and experienced numerous participatory instances. Many women at WISH inspired the research project and we all learned a great deal in our collective efforts to create literacy and learning opportunities in the WISH Drop In Centre.

During the research we came to understand the deep-rooted stereotypes society has attached to women working in the sex trade and the impact of these stereotypes on women’s self-concept and learning. We generated a list of myths about women’s learning – myths that are lived by women at WISH, that shape their daily experiences and access to learning.

Myth 1: Women who work in the sex trade are just objects, they have no minds.

Women in the sex trade in the Downtown Eastside have active minds and important thoughts. The voices of women sex trade workers are voices our society needs to hear. The women of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside come from towns, reserves and cities across the country. Many women’s lives were determined by their experiences in their home communities. We need to understand how poverty, discrimination, sexual abuse, learning disabilities and societal betrayal make drugs and street life a viable option for young women in this country. Women at WISH have poured out their experiences through writing, poetry, advocacy and art. Their eloquence demonstrates to us how important literacy and learning opportunities are to everyone and, in particular, to women who have access to so few resources.

Myth 2: Women who work in the sex trade and/or who use drugs are not “ready” to learn.

We found that sex trade workers are ready to learn. They are also ready to create, to teach and to organize their community. But clearly, learning institutions are not ready for sex trade workers. Women described how important it is to have a space at WISH where they can be active in their learning while they are active in their addictions. Women articulated how important it is to be in a nonjudgmental environment that matches their definition of safe. Until institutions and society change their views of sex trade workers, literacy programs belong where women already feel safe. This requires instructors and funders to accept the challenge of doing literacy work in new ways with new community partners.

Myth 3: Street-involved women are not interested in building their minds or in getting pleasure from thinking, reading, discussion or analysis.

Over the past two years, the WISH Learning Centre distributed hundreds of donated books, dozens of journals and reams of writing paper. Women published 15 newsletters and debated the politics of gender, the use of prescription methadone and the role of governments in maintaining or eliminating the social safety net. Women at WISH are thrilled to have access to the Internet, using it as an instant source of information on every subject ranging from Hepatitis C to Inuit legends. Being involved in street life and the sex trade can be a temporary experience for women or a lifetime occupation. Women at WISH tell us that it is important to nourish their desire for knowledge, discussion and debate and that we learn from the stories of their lives.