Del Edwards Receives the Outstanding Facilitator/Trainer Award for Her Work at the Women's Remand Centre

Del Edwards is the 2024 Recipient of the Outstanding Facilitator/Trainer Award 

Each year, we are thrilled to spotlight a member of the Further Education Society of Alberta whose dedication and impact go above and beyond the expectations of their role. This year, we are excited to celebrate Del Edwards as she receives the Outstanding Facilitator/Trainer Award recipient for her exceptional work with the Calgary Women’s Remand Centre. 

Renewed Hope: A New Partnership at Calgary Women’s Remand Centre 

In May 2023, we launched a new partnership with Calgary Women’s Remand, located within the Calgary Young Offenders Centre, to deliver customized versions of our Literacy and Parenting Skills, New Beginnings (Parenting After Violence), and Financial Literacy programs. These programs are highly valued by both staff and participants and consistently receive positive feedback. Staff members who attended our facilitator trainings have also begun delivering portions of the program themselves. 

We aim to support women at the Remand Centre in developing the skills they need upon their release. Many of these women will be returning to single parenting and come from backgrounds of addiction, mental health challenges, and domestic violence—all of which pose significant barriers to learning. We worked closely with the Program Coordinator to discuss the programs we could offer and learned more about the specific needs of the inmates. As a result, our programming is diverse and covers a wide range of topics.  

The first program we launched is called Skills, Knowledge, & Opportunity, which addresses self-development, values, boundary setting, healthy relationships, emotional wellness, communication, conflict and anger management, and coping with stress and change. Participants receive workbooks for each session that include activities to encourage self-reflection and writing, as well as group work, discussions, and the use of videos and children’s literacy materials.  

The group work and discussions have helped break down barriers, build confidence, and we’ve even seen some learners give presentations and speak in front of the group. One key learning point often revolves around understanding personal values and using them to set healthy boundaries, especially in preparation for release and the challenges they may face.  

Our New Beginnings program helps families impacted by violence. We approach topics with sensitivity, recognizing that the women are not only coping with trauma, but also realizing how it has affected their children. For this reason, the topics are designed to benefit both the women and their kids. Trusting others is a significant barrier for many participants, as is overcoming the fear of starting over alone with their children. 

Most recently, we added a Financial Literacy for Women program. Many of the participants in the prison environment have not managed their money for a long time and will be released into situations where they need to manage finances from day one. One thing I’ve learned running this program is that everyone’s needs are different, and it’s essential to meet participants where they are and understand their unique circumstances to provide the most relevant knowledge. The program’s biggest success has been helping participants leave with a clearer understanding of how to rebuild credit scores and budget using a simple formula. Many previously believed that budgeting was only necessary for those with a lot of money—something they now know isn’t true.  

Across all the programs, we have seen a high success rate, with over 95% of participants learning something new and gaining confidence. Feedback tells us that participants enjoy the program formats, the facilitation approach helps them feel comfortable, and that they are building skills and renewed hope as they prepare to rejoin society. 

— Del Edwards, FESA Facilitator