I have put together a series of slide presentations about the Women’s Institutes as part of my final project for ADED 380 Teaching Technologies,. Their present format is as yet incomplete, however, they are for the most part finished in terms of being a demonstrative part of the project. In this session we look at all levels of the W.I. and The Associated Country Women of the World. In BC, in its heyday, there were 20 branches of the Hopeline District W.I., reaching from Vancouver to Hope West. Currently (2013) in Chilliwack, there are just three branches: Ryder Lake, Atchelitz and Upper Sumas.

2. IN THIS LESSON WE LOOK AT THE LEVELS OF
W.I. IN CANADA:
Locally in Chilliwack, British Columbia
Provincially in British Columbia
Nationally as the Federation of Women‟s Institutes in
Canada (F.W.I.C.)
Internationally as the Associate Country Women of
the World (A.C.W.W.)

3. CHILLIWACK, B.C.
There were close to 20 clubs in the Hope Line District, of which
Chilliwack was part: originally this district covered the area from
Hope west to Vancouver.

4. CHILLIWACK, B.C.
R Y D E R L A K E W . I .
• Incorporated in
1939/1940 and had
twenty members
• Currently has 30
members
• Known for its
historians
• Records are archived
in Chilliwack‟s
museum
• Fundraise for 4H club
members to enable
them to compete in
local fairs.
A T C H E L I T Z W . I .
• Atchelitz Women‟s
Institute (A.W.I.) was
formed 1914
• Currently has 16
members
• „Atchelitz‟ is
commonly
understood to mean
„area with many
rivers‟
• Will celebrate
Centennial with
Summer BBQ event
in July 2014

5. BRITISH COLUMBIA
B.C.W.I. website proclaims, it is keeping „Women interested,
informed and involved in building a better tomorrow!‟
(www.bcwi.ca, 2013)

6. BRITISH COLUMBIA
• In 1909, Laura Rose (who was the „appointed by Ontario
government to be the first W.I. organiser in 1899, and one of the
33 women employed as lecturers for the W.I.‟ (Crowley, 1970, p5
) came to B.C., where she organized 16 Women's Institutes.
• "Wherever there is a home with a woman in it, there is work for
the Institute." (pembertonmuseum.org (n.d.))
• As the „government began to give attention to the living
conditions on farms,‟ it sponsored the Farmer‟s Institutes to
educate farmers so their „labours would be easier and more
productive‟ (Dennison, 1970 p55).
• In the same vein, „by organising the W.I.‟s it promote (d) its
agricultural policy; educating „women in ways of making the
farm more inviting‟ and enlist the women‟s aid in making
agriculture more appealing to their children‟ (Dennison,1970,
p55).
• Dennison quotes an extract of a government article in which it
is stated that, „Agriculture is the basic industry of our country;
the child is the greatest asset and the status of womanhood is
the standard of civilisation‟ (Dennison 1970, p55).

7. BRITISH COLUMBIA
• „Despite the great value of their contributions, The Women‟s
Institutes received very little recognition for them.‟ „T(t)heir
activities seldom attracted comment. Yet their
accomplishments were as vital to community well-being as the
housewife`s accomplishments were vital to the well-being of her
husband and children‟ (Dennison, 1970, p65)
• During World War I, the W.I.‟s were busy conserving food and
occupied in „practical sewing including remaking of old
clothes.‟ In 1922, the government provided Esquimalt
WI/Institute School „to provide practical training in the rules of
order and instruction on various lines of institute activities.‟
Subsequently, „10 lessons were filed with the office of the
province‟s organiser of technical education‟ (Dennison, 1970,
p57). When World War II broke out, the interest in the
preservation of food was renewed. Instead of canning, this was
achieved by drying food stuffs: canning was limited by the
sugar rationing.
• The first seeds of the British Columbia Children‟s Hospital were
sown in 1922 when Edith Scott, stepmother of Othoa “Polly”
Scott wrote to Mrs. V. S. MacLachlan, Superintendent of the BC

8. F.W.I.C.
• In February 1919, representatives of the provinces met in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, to form the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada.
• The Homestead, which is also the location of the National Office, is
owned and operated as a museum. It was the birthplace of Adelaide
Hunter Hoodless, founder of the Women‟s Institute.
• The objectives of the F.W.I.C. are:
 To provide a united national voice for all Women’s Institutes of Canada
 To initiate national programs and provide resource material
 To provide a medium of inter-communication among the units of the
federation
 To provide leadership in the promotion of Canadian agriculture and
community living
 To develop responsible citizens through the study of issues of national and
international importance

9. F.W.I.C.
The F.W.I.C. has thirteen committees, broken down into three categories:
Educational, Administrative and Other:
Organization Issues include:
Currently, the F.W.I.C. has 13,000 members across 1000 branches
nationally and has „charitable status‟ (Federated Women‟s Institutes
of Canada Fact Sheet, (n.d.))
Educational
• Agriculture
• Canadian Industries
(Environment)
• Citizenship & Legislation
• Education & Cultural
Activities
• Home Economics & Health
• International Affairs
Administrative
Constitution & By-laws
Finance
Resolutions
Editorial & Publicity
Other
Recruitment & Extension
Canadian Unity
Projects
Food Safety & Nutrition
Agriculture Awareness
Environment
Health
Education
Rural Child Care
Legal Rights
Literacy
Rural Renewal
Farm Safety
Financial Planning
Violence against women
Support services for the elderly

10. ASSOCIATED COUNTRY WOMEN OF THE WORLD
(A.C.W.W.)
• In the „late 19th Century, rural women's groups were
set-up independently.
• The„first International Conference of Rural Women at
which 46 women from 24 countries attended a four-
day conference, was held in London, England in
April 1929.‟
• In Vienna in 1930, a decision was made by the
International Council of Women to form a 'Liaison
Committee' of rural women's organisations. That
committee, in „Stockholm 1933,‟ became „the
Associated Country Women of the World.‟ (ACWW
History, (n.d.))
• The organisation represents nine million
women through its 450 Member

12. A.C.W.W. ACTIVE MEMBER SOCIETIES
EAST, WEST & CENTRAL
AFRICA
Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana,
Mali, Sierra Leone, Tanzania,
Uganda
CENTRAL & SOUTH ASIA
Bangladesh, India, Kyrgyz
Republic, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka
EUROPE
Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Denmark, England,
Estonia, Finland, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Latvia, Netherlands, Northern
Ireland, Norway, Poland,
Republic of Ireland, Romania,
Russia, Scotland, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Wales
SOUTHERN AFRICA
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia,
Republic of South Africa,
Swaziland, Zambia,
Zimbabwe
SOUTH EAST ASIA & FAR
EAST
Brunei, China, Indonesia,
Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia,
Philippines
SOUTH PACIFIC
Australia, Christmas Island,
East Timor, Fiji, Kiribati, New
Zealand, Niue Island, Papua
New Guinea, Tonga
CANADA UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA
CARRIBBEAN, CENTRAL &
SOUTH AMERICA
Brazil, Colombia, Grenada,
Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia,
St Vincent & Grenadines,
Trinidad & Tobago

13. REFERENCES:
Art on the Farm (n.d.) Notes on Chilliwack‟s Atchelitz WI Retrieved
from: http://members.shaw.ca/artonthefarm/artist_bio_artist_22.html
BC Laws, Farmers‟ and Women‟s Institute Act 1996, Notes re
membership age. Retrievedfrom:
http://www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/freeside/
00_96133_01
British Columbia‟s Women‟s Institutes, Notes on BCWI‟s motto (n.d.)
Retrieved from http://www.bcwi.ca/
Dennison, C. 1970, Houskeepers of the Community – The BC
Women‟s Institutes 1909 – 1946. In Welton, M. R., Knowledge for the
People: The Struggle for Adult Learning in English Speaking Canada
1828-1973
Out there 4U Community Online, Chilliwack, Notes on Atchelitz W.I.
(n.d.) Retrieved from:
http://www.outthere4u.com/listing.php?listingID=3838 ()

14. REFERENCES:
Pemberton Museum: Special Exhibit - Pemberton Women's Institute.
Note on Laura (Rose) Stephen (n.d.) Retrieved from:
http://www.pembertonmuseum.org/blog/2009/6/13/pemberton-
womens-institute/
Stamper, Anne, Voluntary action History Society Seminar – Voluntary
action of a membership organisation – countrywomen organise their
own education, 2000 (Hon. Archivist, National Federation of Women‟s
Institutes (NFWI) UK) Retrieved from:
http://www.thewi.org.uk/__documents/about-the-wi/for-
archivists/voluntary-action-of-a-membership-organisation-
countrywomen-organise-their-own-education.pdf
The Associated Country Women of the World, About ACWW (n.d.);
ACWW‟s Aims and Objectives (n.d.) and Active Member Societies
(Jan 2012). Retrieved from: http://www.acww.org.uk/
The Federated Women‟s Institute‟s of Canada, Fact Sheet (n.d.)
Retrieved from: http://www.fwic.ca/FactSheet.php