"Education promotes gender equality and lifts women out of poverty," says Roline Maconachie. "And the more I see, the more I realize that greater action is needed. Women today still earn only 82 cents to the dollar compared to men."
Roline is a member of CFUW, a non-partisan advocacy group that promotes education for women, and the president and chair of the CFUW Orillia Education Foundation. CFUW has been a force for women's equality since it was founded more than 100 years ago as the Canadian Federation of University Women and began offering university scholarships to female students.
"At the time women had almost no voice in society and it was rare for women to have a university education," Roline explains.
Left to right: Orillia Interim Principal Dr. Linda Rodenburg, Humanities 101 graduate Lynn Beaton, and CFUW Orillia Education Foundation President Roline Maconachie celebrate at the 2024 Humanities 101 graduation ceremony. Since 1974, CFUW's Orillia club has awarded $403,975 in scholarships to 749 young women pursuing postsecondary education. CFUW also works internationally and has a special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Currently, CFUW's national, provincial, and local branches lobby different levels of government on issues such as maternal health care and ending violence against women. They've also recently broadened their membership rules. Any woman who supports CFUW's goals can join—members no longer need to be university graduates.
In Orillia, one of the ways that CFUW has been transforming women's lives is through gifts to Humanities 101—a Lakehead program that gives community members facing social or financial barriers a taste of the university experience.
"It enables people from all walks of life to gain confidence as lifelong learners," says Lakehead Orillia Interim Principal Dr. Linda Rodenburg, who is also the director of the Office of Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning, which oversees the Humanities 101 program.
Humanities 101 is a free 12-week non-credit evening course that introduces students to a cross-section of areas of study—with classes in everything from English and psychology to environmental education and chemistry. The students receive school supplies, transit passes, dinner each week, and, if needed, child- or elder-care. The course empowers them to consider the many options available to them in their community.
"Humanities 101 opened my eyes to possibilities I'd never dreamed of before," says Shannon Jervis, a program graduate. "It made me realize I could go back to school as a mature student, and I did."
Shannon enrolled in Lakehead Orillia's Honours Bachelor of Social Work program and, after completing her degree in 2022, became a registered social worker.
"I then realized I wanted more," Shannon says, "so I went back for my Master of Social Work and just graduated this April. Humanities 101 gave me the information and the courage to believe I could do anything!"
Since 2018, CFUW's generosity has allowed five students to participate in Humanities 101.
"We used to have a strict policy of awarding scholarships solely to graduating high school students about to enter university," Roline says, "but then Linda Rodenburg approached us."
Dr. Rodenburg gave a presentation explaining how Humanities 101's mission dovetails with CFUW's emphasis on human rights and social justice—prompting CFUW to offer scholarships to female adult education students who may not necessarily go on to college or university.
"We can't let society slip backwards," Roline says. "I don't want young women to be worse off than we were. That's why I'm so passionate about CFUW and Humanities 101."
If you'd like to donate to Humanities 101 and help a community member who needs a hand, please contact External Relations Associate Jacquie Kent at jkent@lakeheadu.ca or at 705-330-4010 Ext. 2080.