The birth of change

Women's Network PEI (WNPEI) is a not-for-profit organization that works to strengthen and support the efforts of women living on Prince Edward Island to improve the status of women in our society. In this report we provide an evaluation of one particular area of work, conducted over the period of 2001-2006, through which WNPEI sought to: understand the content and ramifications of Canada's parental benefits policy and legislation; develop strategic alliances to generate consensus around recommendations to improve access to and quality of parental benefits; and influence the Canadian public and policymakers in an attempt to bring about positive change. This report documents WNPEI's experience from the inception of the project in 2001 to the end of the funded project in 2006. In following the life course of the project, one can see how it developed and grew in impressive and unprecedented ways. One gains insight into how the efforts of a small, women-centered organization on Prince Edward Island was able to influence policymaking and attain national and international recognition. We attempt to document a range of project impacts, not only impacts on the parental benefits policy-making process, but also on the participating community-based, regional and national organisations engaged in the struggle for change.