Fonds F-123 - British Columbia and Yukon Association of Women's Centres fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

British Columbia and Yukon Association of Women's Centres fonds

General material designation

  • Photographic materials
  • Textual records

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Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title of the fonds is based on the name of its creator. Titles of series were supplied by the archivist based on the contents of series. At the file level, titles are based on the creator's folder names.

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

F-123

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1986 - 1999 (Creation)
    Creator
    British Columbia and Yukon Association of Women's Centres

Physical description area

Physical description

94 cm of textual records
6 photographs

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1985 - 1998)

Administrative history

The British Columbia and Yukon Association of Women's Centres (BCYAWC) was founded in 1985 as an umbrella organization of over 30 women's centres. It ceased operations in 1998.

Women's centres developed in the 1970s as a project of the women's movement. They served as women-only space to practice an egalitarian model of organization. They were devoted to improving the status of women through education and political action and to helping women through the provision of safe space, support, and services. Over the years, the number of women using women's centres increased as the centres struggled to find ongoing funding.

By 1984, women's centres were looking for a more structured way to work towards common goals, including secure funding and improved cooperation and communication among centres. In 1985 they established the BCYAWC and incorporated under the BC Society Act on November 12, 1987. By 1990, the BCYAWC consisted of 31 women's resource centres – 30 in BC, one in the Yukon. The Association was managed by a volunteer coordinating collective that included a secretary, treasurer, 11 regional representatives, and six members-at-large. Meetings were scheduled for four times a year.

Around 1993 the group began to lose its cohesiveness because of funding and other issues. In 1995, the province cut the Association's funding. The following year, the Association was struck from the Registry of Societies for failure to file required documentation such as audited financial statements. While the Association made an attempt to file the papers necessary to regain status, the remaining members in 1998 agreed to dissolve the organization and distribute its assets.

Custodial history

Upon its dissolution, over two metres of the Association's records were in the custody of its volunteer secretary, Janet Dahr. Ms Dahr donated the materials to the SFU Archives in April 2003 and in May 2003 the Archives formally accessioned and took custody and control of the records.

Scope and content

Fonds consists of records made or recieved by the Association in the course of its activities. Activities documented include incorporation; meetings of the Annual General Meeting and various committees; maintenance of membership; financial management, budget planning, and grant applications; correspondence with member centres, regional representatives, government ministries and agencies, and other organizations; and development of a training strategy ("Planning for Change") and other projects. Records include correspondence, reports, meeting minutes and supporting papers, policies and procedures, financial records, agreements, published materials retained for reference, and notes, drafts and working papers.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

The records were maintained by the creator as a single block of office files, and the arrangement of the fonds into series was provided by the archivist in order to facilitate intellectual access to the records. Series were established on a functional basis, grouping together records generated by similar activities. Researchers should be aware that overlap among groupings occurs, and the entire file list for the fonds should be reviewed to determine the existence of all files on a particular subject.

Within series, files are typically arranged chronologically; exceptions only will be noted in series descriptions. Within files, documents are generally organized chronologically, though strict chronological order was not always originally maintained within files nor has it been supplied by the archivist.

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Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Some files may contain personal or confidential information. Access to these files may be restricted as stipulated by Archives policy or the donor. Files marked "pending review" must be reviewed by an archivist prior to release and, as a result of the review, access restrictions may apply. Please see the file lists and consult the reference archivist for more details.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

File lists are available.

Finding aid

Associated materials

The SFU Archives also holds the archival records of two women's centres that were members of the BCYAWC. See:

  • F-40, Simon Fraser University Women's Centre fonds (1972-2000).
  • F-76, Port Coquitlam Area Women's Centre fonds (1974-1996).

Related materials

Accruals

As of April 2009, all accessions have been processed. No further accruals are expected.

General note

The six photographs are included in series 5, "Correspondence", file 11 ("Correspondence, 1994").

General note

Financial assistance for the arrangement and description of the records and production of the finding aid was generously provided by the Government of Canada through the National Archival Development Program, a program delivered by the Canadian Council of Archives in partnership with Library and Archives Canada (March 2009).

Alternative identifier(s)

Wikidata identifier

Q104892397

Wikidata URL

https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104892397

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Status

Published

Level of detail

Full

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Finding aid prepared by Frances Fournier, Richard Dancy (April 2009).

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