EASTSIDE DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTRE 44 East Cordova Street, Vancouver JANUARY 1995
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SUNDAY 2 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 12:OO Bingo 5:00 Circle
MONDAY
TUESDAY
3 1-3 Health nurse 1:30 Women's
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
CENTRE CLOSED
voice 5:00 Women Surviving Together
10 1-3 Health nurse 1:30 Women's
l:00 Beading 3:00 educ. video
10:30 learning grp
1:3O Raffle 2 5 0 Video
1:30 Haircuts 2 3 0 Video 5 0 0 Circle
9 11:00 Spanish 2:00 Educ. video 2 3 0 Outing 5:00 Learning grp
1:30 Bingo 5:00 Circle
1 9 0 talk on "No
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22 1:00 Haircuts 1:30 Video 5:00 Circle
Contact Orders"
5:00 learning grp 23 11:00 Spanish 1:30 talk on "Cus4ody & Access" 5:00 Learning grp
Voice 5:00 Women Surviving Together 171-3 Health Nurse 1:30 Women's Voice 5:00 Women Surviving Together
24 1-3 Health nurse 1 3 0 Women's
l:00 Beading 3:00 educ. video
10:30 Learning grp 1:00 Law student
1 3 0 Raffle 2:30 Video
18 1:00 Beading 3r00 educ. video
19 10:30 Learning 1:00 law student 5:00 Voi. dinner
20 1:30-4:30
Dreamcatchers Workshop
25
CHEQUE DAY
26 1:30 learning grp 1:00 law student
27 1:3O Raffle 2:30 Video
Voice 5:00 Women Surviving Together
31 1-3 Health nurse i:30 'Womens
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I ?.9n m. :" .. .uv ulllyu
5:00 Circle
Hours: Mon 10:30 5 Tues. iu:30 5
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Voice 5:00 Women Surviving Together
Weds. 11:SO 5Thurs. 10:30 5 Fri. 1090 - 5 Sun. 12:OO 5
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1230 Lunch
JANUARY NEWS
Well 1995 has arrived! Christmas at the centre was great. We had six seatings of fifty five women per seating. So thankyou thankyou to all the wonderful volunteers who wrapped presents and helped with Christmas dinner.
Staff News
Welcome to Marion our new crisis counsellor. Marion is filling in for Carol while she is on maternity leave. Looks like we'll be doing another hiring. Catharine and Pam have officially resigned. The volunteer coordinator and programming positions are being reevaluated and we will be also looking to fill the new position of Victim assistance worker.. Patti and Kathleen will continue in the positions they have been doing until the end of January. So sad good-byes to Pam and Catharine.
Uocomin~ January in
We will be open on New Year's day and our first circle for addictions will be that evening. Our outing for January will be ice skating at Britannia on Monday January 9th. We can get skates at Britannia, so limber up and lets see some of those fancy triple sow cows and double axles. Julie will be doing another dream catchers workshop on Fri Jan. 20th. Jilie's workshops are always well attended and in great demand. The Volunteer dinner will be Thursday January 19th. Due to a lack of attendance and participation the newsletter committee has been canceled.
WELL HERE'S TO A HAPPY 1995!!!!
Legal Info & News
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3 MIDWIFERY ONE STEP CLOSER: Women in B.C. will soon have the option of a midwife-assisted birth. The provincial government has announced that a college of midwives will be established in the spring of 1995 to "license and regulate the profession". Right now, until the college is set up, midwifery without supervision by a physician is illegal in B.C. An aboriginal midwifery committee will be set up within the college to (hopefully) recognize the cultural differences in the practice of midwifery among First Nations women. This will be followed by a number of pilot projects before women can easily access the services of a midwife. The B.C. Ministry of Health has stated that it "supports the principle of full public funding for midwifery services" but no details are available. Seeing is believing, no?
3 LEGAL AID UPDATE ON FAMILY LAW: Legal Aid is available to any woman on welfare who is in a situation that threatens the immediate safety of herself or her children. Emergencies include: if you or your children are at risk of abuse, if your child is "apprehended" by social services, if you need to get a family maintenance order, or when there is a dispute over custody or access to your children.
Recently, were there some changes in the way that the Legal Services Society (legal aid) handles family law cases. In emergency cases, you will still be be for the specific entitled to a referral to a lawyer. But the referral will emergency that needs dealing with right now. After that, the lawyer will fill out a form telling Legal Services whether or not you still need herlhis legal assistance. And, unfortunately, if some other family law emergency comes up later, you will have to go back to Legal Aid and apply aqain. They can then refer you back to the same lawyer, or a different lawyer if you so choose. In any case, the Legal Services Society itself will now form part of the legal-client relationship. This means that you will have to agree to let the lawyer share any information about your case with Legal Services. Note: Even if your situation is NOT an emergency, you may still be able to get help from legal aid; for example, if there are no other services or information available, if you don't speak English very well, or you cannot understand hat to do next. Legal Aid offices are listed in the White Pages phonebook.
FREE LAW CLASSES: The People's Law school offers classes all over Vancouver on such topics as Alternatives to Court, Custody & Access, Tenancy Laws, Welfare Rights, and many other topics. All you need to do is call ahead to reserve a space. Ask Sonia for a copy of the winter schedule and tel numbers.
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RETURN OF THE LAW STUDENTS:
Starting the second week of January, law students will be available at the centre on Thursdays at 1pm. For the last couple of years, U.B.C.'s Law Student Legal Assistance Program has generously provided us with students to assist women who have problems with welfare, landlords, ICBC, human rights or any other area of law. They were off for the month of December to write exams -- we're eager to welcome them back. An additional law student may also be available on Tuesdays andlor Wednesdays, but this has yet to be confirmed. Best to call us at 681-8480 before coming down to the centre.
3 LEGAL PROGRAMMING NOTES:
Jan. 16th -- Ruth L. Taylor, a lawyer in private practice, will be giving a talk on NO CONTACT ORDERS. Have you ever identified yourself as a battered woman? Ever find yourself in a position where you have to choose between pressing charges of assault or getting a no-contact order? Do the cops ignore you...