About Bridges

Program Overview

The research program features an experimental design, such that women who agree to participate will be assigned either to usual service (control group) or the Bridges program. Bridges features in-kind support from both Western and Wheable and provides a dedicated classroom for a group of women who are or who are at risk of experiencing violence at the hands of an intimate partner. The ultimate goal of the research is to remove barriers to success faced by women who have experienced abuse. For some, this may result in empowering her to attain the credits necessary to graduate, so they may take part in higher education, claim access to stable and adequate employment and achieve financial independence from both government assistance and, in may cases, their abusers. For others, this success look very different – building social networks, using a bank, leaving her home on a regular basis. Funding allows us to build an enhanced, supportive environment for women and ensure that her program will be:

  • Taught in a safe and secure classroom
  • Taught by a teacher who has knowledge about not only curriculum and pedagogy, but also violence against women and the impact violence may have on learning experiences and academic achievement
  • Tailored to her individual learning and life needs, including those related to her children, her experiences with violence and her support system.


The pilot program is designed to be transitional (women may complete some credits through Bridges, then transfer to the regular adult education program), short-term (3-week modules), participatory (working at their own pace with their own strengths toward individualized goals), cumulative (at the end of each module they can complete assessments and have their achievements recorded, so that if they need to leave, when they come back, they start where they left off, not back at the beginning as is the current practice), and supportive (teachers, school administrators, mentor/advocates and counsellors working together within the community and with the women).

The time spent in Bridges will vary based on personal goals, situation, supports and skills, but is planned to be less than one year. Once they have reached their goals, participants will then be encouraged and supported to access existing and more extensive educational opportunities at adult learning centres in the community. Participation in the supportive elements of Bridges will be maintained as long as she desires.

As the program gets under way, we are anticipating that most women will be studying at the Literacy/Adult Basic Education level. Even if she has some high school credits, and can read and write, beginning here allows time to develop confidence, make connections, and prepare for success. The curriculum will be presented using multiple teaching methods including computer-assisted instruction, self-paced learning and direct teaching so that a number of students could be working on different parts of their courses at once, and one teacher can supervise the class and provide support.

Assessments may be traditional tests, or authentic/portfolio assessments, and participants will take part in a journaling project. The courses will be offered in a linear fashion, so that a student can complete a section, or module, of her course and have her progress assessed with a 3-week period, an approach that fits with the cycle of violence described by Walker (1979) and Riger et al. (2001). Additionally, suggestions by Horsman (1999) and research addressing the learning needs of students with learning challenges such as learning disabilities or attention problems suggests that providing students with smaller units and frequent testing can result in more learning, higher test scores, and increased confidence (Smith,1998).