Sub-series SS1 - Speaker's Bureau

This series includes several manual developped by SaskWITT Regina. The first manual was developped based on Saskwitt's speakers bureau project in partnership with SK Women's Secretariat. It includes background information and delivery methodology. The creation dates correspond to the workshop first delivery, in October 15-24, 1991.

A few tradeswomen in Regina, Valerie Overend included, established SaskWITT-Regina and created their first venture in 1991. They applied for funding to organize a series of one-hour presentations for middle years’ classrooms. They trained a handful of tradeswomen in age-appropriate presentation skills and sent them in their work boots as role models to talk about their satisfaction with their jobs, outline their career paths, and to lead the class through a group activity. The presentation was designed to showcase and promote TTO occupations to girls.

We partnered with a SaskWITT member who owned and operated Live Wire Video Productions to produce a video “*She’s Got Her Ticket”. The video featured local women working and discussing various components of being female in trades and technology occupations. Using the video as a conversation starter, they delivered presentations to 50 classrooms in a 2 week period. The workshop provided some basic information about trades jobs and encouraged critical thinking around social myths related to women’s skills and abilities in trades occupations. They left a booklet of activity-based handouts to assist teachers with further investigation .

The activity booklet contains a few activities such as matching tools and terminology, a career crossword puzzle and career exploration activity, and short bios of the speakers. Each student received a copy of the booklet when they left.

Following the success of our first Speaker’s Bureau, SaskWITT produced another video with Live Wire Video Productions as well as a full Educators Kit, “She’s Making Choices”, for use in Saskatchewan schools and shared with WITT groups across Canada.

Concurrently, they were developing curriculum resources to align with requirements of SaskEducation. They produced 8 Lesson Plans that were inclusive of women and focussed on skills and abilities required in various TTO occupations. They packaged the lesson plans in an attractive Educator’s Kit and included a poster along with a VCR tape including both video productions.
This Educator’s Kit was subsequently sent to all Saskatchewan Schools with grades 7 – 9 classrooms.

As a further strategy to expand their reach, they developed a second workshop and trained another batch of women to deliver a second series of workshops to middle years students in Regina.

Using the SaskWITT Speakers Bureau project as a foundation, the Speak-It-Kit provides background and history, a timeline for organizing, outlines and information for 2 speaker’s training sessions, and templates for 2 different workshops. Valerie Overend hired an unemployed SaskWITT member and mentored her to organize and write this document. Another SaskWITT member, an Industrial Designer organized it with them

(Valerie Overend Index, 2022).