2. Menntasmiðja kvenna Women´s Educational Center (Kvindedaghøjskolen) Anna Ólafsdóttir To insert your company logo on this slide From the Insert Menu Select “Picture” Locate your logo file Click OK To resize the logo Click anywhere inside the logo. The boxes that appear outside the logo are known as “resize handles.” Use these to resize the object. If you hold down the shift key before using the resize handles, you will maintain the proportions of the object you wish to resize.

3. Anna Ólafsdóttir2 The background Unemployment in Akureyri had reached new heights in 1994 Greater number of women than men registered unemployed Much more hidden unemployment amongst women than men

4. Anna Ólafsdóttir3 The Founders Founded by the Equality and Education office in Akureyri in 1994 Supported by The Ministry of Education and The Ministry of Social Affairs

5. Anna Ólafsdóttir4 The main “theme” “Learning for Life”

6. Anna Ólafsdóttir5 A 16 weeks day-school program from 9 am to 3 pm Monday-Friday 20-24 students taken in each semester The program is based on the Scandinavian Women´s highschool model adapted to Icelandic conditions and culture The Program

7. Anna Ólafsdóttir6 The students At first mostly registered unemployed women Also women who were away from the labour-market for other reasons such as pregnancy, young children, illness etc. Today women whose background can vary in many different ways

8. Anna Ólafsdóttir7 Three main learning fields Self - empowerment Creativity Practical knowledge

9. Anna Ólafsdóttir8 The subjects The subjects are flexible and may vary from one year to another so does the emphasis within each subject Sometimes this happens because of changes in the teacher´s team, new teachers with new ideas etc.

10. Anna Ólafsdóttir9 Main subjects Web of life-a specially designed women´s self-powering program Philosophy, history and religion Dreams and personal myths Crafts Visual Art Language/creative writing Dance/physical expression Women and practical financial knowledge Foreign language/English Computers/IT Women´s health Environmental Awareness

11. Anna Ólafsdóttir10 Teaching-methods Emphasis on integration of all subjects The program on the whole is adapted to the needs of the group each time but always based upon the three main learning fields The students themselves can have influence on the development of the program as they study

12. Anna Ólafsdóttir11 The Effect of the Program “Menntasmiðja kvenna” has shown a great success Surveys informal and formal have shown that approx. 60-70% of the women who have studied there are working in the labor- market six months after they finish the program Some 20-30% go to traditional schools to learn more Only 10% go back to previous situation

13. Anna Ólafsdóttir12 The Effect of the Program Almost all the women claim that the learning-program has had a major positive impact on their life

14. Anna Ólafsdóttir13 Today “Menntasmiðja kvenna” started as an experimental project Today it´s here to stay Local communities both inside and outside the country have shown great interest in starting women´s centers using the model from Akureyri

15. Anna Ólafsdóttir14 Women and the Information Age Computer-learning has been a part of the program in Menntasmiðju kvenna” since the beginning in 1994 Information Technology and computers are becoming more and more vital in today´s workplace It has been argued that computers and Information Technology are likely to affect women negatively especially when it comes to opportunities on the labour-market

16. Anna Ólafsdóttir15 Course of Action This necessarily doesn´t have to happen. Women themsleves can take action to prevent it Women can empower themselves in this field, be actively involved and in that way influence the course of action in their own favour

17. Anna Ólafsdóttir16 The future Same model - new vision Our emphasis in near future will be focused more on computer and IT- related learning This we want to do in a way that is completely in harmony with the ideology of our learning program

18. Anna Ólafsdóttir17 CEEWIT As a part of that goal we are now participating in the CEEWIT project (Communication, Education & Employment for Women through Information Technology) which started last January There we will take part in disigning, developing and implementing courses tailored especially for the needs of women with little or no computer experience

19. Anna Ólafsdóttir18 We believe that our participation in the CEEWITproject can help a lot in our effort to make our women gain “life competence” for the future. Apart from what our women gain from this project we believe that our experience can be useful in the design of the program in many ways CEEWIT

20. Anna Ólafsdóttir19 CEEWIT The courses our former and present students have taken in “Menntasmiðju kvenna” can be of guidance in designing the courses Already we have done a small survey amongst our day-school-students and also a little group of women who attended our computer course especially designed for women with little og no computer-experience.

21. Anna Ólafsdóttir20 The survey 20 questions giving information about: –Computer Access –Computer skills and interests –The Quality and Efficiency of our courses – Attitude and Motivation –Our student´s hobbies and main interests in daily life

22. Anna Ólafsdóttir21 The answers - some data Computer-Access

23. Anna Ólafsdóttir22 Computer-related Attitudes and Motivation -important for the future.

24. Anna Ólafsdóttir23 Computer-related Attitudes and Motivation -dislike computers

25. Anna Ólafsdóttir24 Computer-related Attitudes and Motivation -insecure when using a computer:

26. Anna Ólafsdóttir25 Computer-related Attitudes and Motivation -enjoy using a computer:

27. Anna Ólafsdóttir26 Computer-related Attitudes and Motivation Rather prefer to use computer for practical purpose:

28. Anna Ólafsdóttir27 How would you like to use computers in the future? Most of the women mentioned practical things like skills in Word Processing Many of them mentioned the Internet and e-mail as a vital part of computer use

29. Anna Ólafsdóttir28 Hobbies Most of the women mentioned some art-related hobbies; crafts, sewing, music, photography and literature along with interest in traveling, physical exercise, spiritual matters etc.

30. Anna Ólafsdóttir29 Women´s Learning Center vs/Women´s Educational Center Our goal for the future doesn´t change.We don´t focus on Education, We focus on “learning for life” MENNTASMIDJA KVENNA is and will hopefully continue to be: “a place for being and growing”