Embrave Agency to End Violence is excited to announce the BraveSpaces Public Education Program. This is a three-year project funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) and aims to reduce systemic violence among survivors of gender-based violence through the development and delivery of a public education training program to organizations that support survivors.
“The project is addressing systemic violence which stems from the criminal justice and police system, the psychiatry and mental health system, or systemic violence relating to sex work and sex worker’s rights” said Rebecca Rogers, Director of Advocacy Communication & Programs. “In our work with survivors, these areas of focus were indicated as being the greatest areas of concern when it came to systemic violence.”
Centering the voices of survivors and building a training program informed by survivors, for the benefit of survivors, is a priority at Embrave. The BraveSpaces Public Education Program will be engaging with survivors as well as organizations in the community throughout the course of this program in the form of town halls, surveys, and focus groups. Information from the lived experiences of survivors and supporting organizations will shape the content and structure of the training program. The goal is to reduce the experience of systemic violence among survivors through the creation of a shared knowledgebase about systemic violence in the gender-based violence sector.
Messages from survivors of violence:
- As a racialized person, threatening to call the police during a “wellness check” is perceived as a death threat. The community is unaware of alternative options on how to de-escalate situations.
- I had no choice. No choice over my own treatment. No knowledge of the potential consequences of accessing the mental health system. Nobody helped me. Nobody was on my side.
- They should believe my story. It’s my story. Not your story. I called for help, and I was arrested. They did not take my report of rape. They assumed I didn’t look like a victim.
“We welcome participation from survivors of the criminal justice and police system, psychiatry and mental health system, or sex workers with experiences of systemic violence in either system” said Luxana Ramesh, BraveSpaces Project Coordinator. “We would also like to hear from organizations in southern Ontario which support survivors. Those interested in contributing to the BraveSpaces Public Education Program may do so by completing an online survey.” Survivors will be compensated for their time. Eligibility criteria and the surveys can be found below:
Survivor Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7BRYBM5
Organizations Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MVFL5GS
Learn more about Embrave: Agency to End Violence at https://embrave.ca/
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