Edmonton Regional Women's Committee:Meeting Minutes - Feb 28 2017

In attendance:  

Patty Jesome, Chair        
Dragana Ristivojevich, Vice Chair
Kim Cardinal, Secretary
Charmaine Nelson, Treasurer
Kim Haynes, Member
Karolina Klug, A/Regional PSAC Rep

Regrets:  
Collette Lee, Member
Darlene Lewis, Member
Deborah Basaraba, Member

1.    Welcome - Call to Order – Patty called the meeting to order @ 5:35 pm. 

2.    Agenda - Adoption: Agenda approved by consensus.

3.    Last meeting minutes – Adoption: Minutes were reviewed – Kim would like to add to these minutes details that were missed from the January 26, 2017, minutes. There is a total of $515 in cash, which was collected at the December 4, 2016 Women’s Seminar. The $515 in cash was deposited by Charmaine and a cheque will be issued and donated to the Ermineskin Women’s Shelter.

4.    Follow up on previous business: 

#    Description    Person    Action / Discussion/Completed
a.    Correct minutes from Dec 8th    Patty    Completed
b.    Post mortem questions to be filled out    All    Kim had completed these questions and has attached them to these minutes.
c.    Summarize evaluation forms from Women’s Seminar and bring to next meeting    Kim    The evaluations have been misplaced at this time.  No further action required.
d.    Thank you cards. Insert pictures and bring to next meeting    Kim    Pictures inserted, just need to mail out.  Patty will provide Kim the list of names. Kim will start finding the addresses and will make the address labels for the cards.
e.    Update on garden project with Spruce Avenue    Patty    Patty did speak with Jeff from Spruce Avenue and told him that due to the wait of him returning the phone call, this committee has decided to go a different way with the garden and to continue with our committee’s theme.

The garden will be planted and harvested by the committee.  The location of the garden will be at Kim Cardinals, she has volunteered to give up space in her backyard.  All produce will go to food banks and SAGE.
f.    Start FaceBook page for RWC    Charmaine    Kim will ask her son to assist in developing a RWC Facebook Page and the administrators will be the committee’s executives.
g.    Prepare the 2017 Planned Budget for the Feb 11 meeting to share and discuss with committee.    Charmaine/Kim    Changes to the 2017 planned budget will be completed by Charmaine and update to be sent to this committee.  Budget is required to be submitted by March 15, 2017.

Committee voted and agreed on the purposed changes. Minor changes such as putting a name of the campaign/event, etc.

For the 2016 Budget there is an outstanding cheque of $515 and a T-Shirt order of $50.
h.    Volunteering at Women’s Shelters    Patty    Patty spoke with Jan Reimer and shared with the committee some of Jan’s comments.  The AB Council of Women’s Shelter, are always looking for volunteers to be part of their Board.  If anyone is interested they can go online and find the information on when they hold their AGM’s.

Patty has offered to contact SAGE to discuss our garden plan.
i.    International Woman’s Day (IWD) Contest    Patty    Posters will be sent to locals and put on the PSAC website.  The participants have to complete the quiz by March 18th.  The committee was given the questions to review.  We are all able to participate in the quiz with the exception of Patty as she was given the answers.  There will be 3 winners:  1st place will get a lunch with Robyn Benson and a Swag Bag estimated @ $150. 2nd and 3rd place will receive a Swag Bag estimated @ $150/each.

The winners will be awarded in April/May.
j.    Confirm if there is a budget for LWOP in another forum    Nina    Confirmation is that there is another forum for LWOP, however should still have a line object for LWOP in our committee budget.

5.    New business:
Patty with give Karoline a message to put message on thank you cards and attach to each card.  Committee that was in attendance signed the thank you cards under the picture.  Also discussed in 4d above regarding mailing them out.

6.    Discuss Events and Campaigns for 2017: Theme:  Fifty Years; Women Helping Women

Event/ Campaign    Dates    Where    Ideas    Leads
IWD Contest
Budgeted Item    March 8 – 18th, 2017    On line contest    15 minutes with Robyn Benson    Patty
One-day Child Care Seminar

Budgeted Item    Sept 16th, 2017

April-June start planning the seminar    PSAC Office    Community speakers (politicians) perhaps children entertaining

Karoline provided the committee a handout: “Child Care in Canada: A Scarce Resource” dated July 2013. Suggestion is to have an Economic Voice as a speaker(s) on Child Care in Canada. Contact places such as NAIT, U or A, Grant MacEwan.     Patty
Dragana

Kim H will look for speakers and have a list for next meeting.
Day of Remembrance
Budget Item    December 6th, 2017    TBD    Collaborate with UNIFOR women’s Committee    Patty
Food for Women Campaign
Budget Item    Gift Cards to be ready for June 28        Grocery cards for women in shelters, volunteer in shelters

Reach out to components and locals for donations.  Patty will write up a letter for the next meeting and those that are attending the PSAC Equity Conference in March can hand these letters out in their respective caucus.
Further action required    Patty for letter

All for organizing donations
Crayon’s for Kids (aka Tools for School)    June – last week of school    Nakota Sioux Nation School    $400 donation for Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation School.

Ensure committee has swag to wear and pictures are taken and advertised.    Presentation at school

7.    Roundtable:  NIL

8.    Next meeting(s): Time is 5:30 – 7:00 pm @ PSAC Edmonton Regional Office
March 22, 2017; April 26, 2017; May 24, 2017; June 28, 2017.

9.    Adjournment:  Meeting adjourned at 6:50 pm

Actions:

Who    What    When
Kim H    Garden Planning design for the layout of the produce and timelines to plant – See 4e.    March 22
Patty    Design a poster to recruit people for the “garden”    Mar 22
All    Plant the garden    May 20
Patty    Draft letter requesting donations for the Food for Women Campaign    Mar 22
Kim H    List of possible speakers for the Child Care One day Seminar    Mar 22

 
Kim Cardinal’s answers for the Women’s Seminar that was held on December 3-4, 2016
Post Mortem Questions

1.    Are you proud of our finished deliverables? If yes, what made them great? If no, what was wrong or missing?
I was very proud of the finished deliverables.  This was the first event this RWC ran and I believe that the speakers and participants made it great.

2.    Did we get the results we wanted and did it make an impact?
I believe we did get the results we wanted and the impact was how the participants reacted at the end of the seminar, seemed all were impressed and excited to bring their lessons learned to their workplace, community and home.

3.    Which of our methods or processes worked particularly well?
Having the speakers, I believe each had something so different but yet the same to talk about and share with the group.

4.    Which of our methods or processes were difficult or frustrating to use?
The group exercises were difficult, not sure the real reason on this, I could feel tension at times in the room.

5.    How would you do things differently next time to avoid this frustration?
The hosts put the participants in groups, when they register they get a number and that is the number of the group they are assigned in.

6.    What else could we do better next time?
More time to advertise and/or get out to the local presidents requesting the names of all women in their local and maybe contacting each one separately to see if they received the information to the “event”.

7.    What was the most gratifying or professionally satisfying part of the project?
The networking and getting to know fellow sisters and respecting each belief that was in the room. Gaining tools and having the resources to bring the lessons learned back to the workplace, community and home.