Sub-series SS21 - Nipawin Oasis Building Women Project

Delivery agent and target audience:
SaskWITT
Nipawin Oasis, Community Centre

A longstanding and active member of SaskWITT, Joy Hanson, retired from her work as an Operating Engineer at SaskPOWER and moved to Nipawin, SK. She began working with a community centre and focussing on the needs of women and girls. In 2012, she acquired funding for several initiatives and asked Overend to share in the visioning and guidance to operationalize several of these. Overend engaged Pat Fayant, a Métis woman, another longstanding member and one of her apprentice carpenters. They often worked on telephone meetings and developed several plans and proposals. They received support from the Status of Women office in Saskatchewan and consulted often with WinSETT on possible collaborations.
Pat and Overend made a trip to Nipawin to initiate the Building Women Project in 2012. During this visit, Pat led a crew of women to build a deck at a Habitat for Humanity home under construction. Pat returned a few weeks later to build a fence with the same women. They addressed students in a general assembly at a local school to promote women in trades occupations. Overend spent the bulk of her time working with Joy to plan upcoming deliveries of the Kindergarten Project, summer IMGETT Camp (which Pat taught) and other introductory activities for adult women. Pat and Joy continued to work together for several years.