Eight community organizations that work to safeguard vulnerable young people from gang involvement and protect victims of domestic, sexual and other forms of violence in Cariboo-Chilcotin will benefit from $167,876 in government grants supporting public safety priorities.
This is part of a nearly $7.2-million province-wide investment— the largest-ever one-time grants investment in community crime prevention in B.C. — combining $5.5 million in provincial Civil Forfeiture Office proceeds and $1.69 million from criminal forfeiture proceeds.
“These organizations do a great job of reaching out to our at-risk and vulnerable populations and offering them the protection and services they need,” Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett said. “The civil forfeiture program benefits victims of crime and helps keep our communities safe.”
Cariboo-Chilcotin recipients:
· Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake: $18,981 for the Atalanta Project. The Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake will hold weekly sessions throughout the school year with vulnerable female youth at risk of exploitation (13-15 years) including First Nations youth with funding support for a youth worker. A member of the local RCMP detachment and the youth worker will provide outreach and information to build protective factors for female youth at risk of exploitation and connect them with services and police. Issues to be addressed include social media safety, grooming and luring tactics used by traffickers, resources in the community for assistance and confidence/self-esteem. Partners include Women's Contact Society, Williams Lake RCMP, and School District 27 (Williams Lake), including the First Nations Liaison Worker.
· Contact Women’s Group Society: $38,005 for a Sexual Assault Community Response Team. This project will develop a co-ordinated cross-sector response to sexual assault in Williams Lake and the surrounding region. The initiative will leverage existing partnerships established through the Williams Lake Interagency Case Assessment Team and seek to broaden the partnership with the inclusion of surrounding First Nation communities. Ultimately, the goal is to provide a collaborative model of service to victims of sexual assault that ensure services are client centred and respectful of victims choices regarding reporting, medical care and healing.
· Punky Lake Wilderness Camp Society: $19,000 for Innovative Interventions: This project will provide a well-rounded program of pro-social activities, employment training, and educational opportunities to at-risk Aboriginal youth.
· Punky Lake Wilderness Camp Society/RCMP-based Victim Services (Alexis Creek): $19,315 for Stopping the Violence. The focus of this project is to incorporate aboriginal holistic approaches to assist victims and communities in healing and rebuilding from the impacts of violence against aboriginal women in the Tsilhqot'in Nation. Key project activities include: a women's group and a one-day workshop.
· Big Brothers Big Sisters of Williams Lake: $19,500 for In-School and Youth Mentoring. Funding will support community partners to expand mentoring services in Williams Lake with an initial emphasis on the In-School Mentoring program. In-School Mentoring provides at-risk youth with a friend and role model to talk to and share the experiences of growing up, within school grounds. For one hour a week during a school year, mentors meet with their mentee and engage in activities such as sports, art, reading, board games and active play.
· Esk’etemc First Nation: $19,925 for the Education is Power - Esk'etemc Violence Against Women Project: This 15-week project at Alkali Lake involves a series of 10 weekly workshops for women, and involves processing pain and anger through traditional sweat lodge ceremonies. Elders, support people and family members are part of the ceremony and spouses are invited to participate in a healing circle. Parties are encouraged to attend support groups and/or the local treatment centre as part of a lifelong healing process. The second project component involves a five-week focus on the local children who witness violence.
· 100 Mile House and District Women’s Centre Society: $17,530 for Aboriginal Trauma Informed Care. This funding will provide a two day training on Aboriginal trauma informed care for South Cariboo front-line victim service and violence-against-women service providers. Training participants will learn how to recognize impacts of intergenerational trauma and how best to support those people during short- and mid-range crisis intervention.
· Denisiqi Services Society: $15,620 for Pathways to Power, Denisiqi’s violence-prevention program which promotes learning and awareness for the purpose of supporting participants to make healthy life choices, gain healthy insights that promote new cycles of behaviour, and strengthen the current and future generations of families. The project includes a four-day workshop in three Chilcotin communities.
In all, more than 250 projects and programs throughout the province will receive a one-time grant. Nearly $2 million is dedicated to gang and youth crime prevention, and more than $3.5 million will go to community services that address violence against women and girls. The remainder will support training and education for frontline victims service workers, police training and special equipment, and restorative justice.
This year a new stream of civil forfeiture grants is dedicated to programs focused on sexual assault, including responses to sexual assault on post-secondary campuses. This builds on our Vision for a Violence Free BC, the province’s long-term strategy to end all forms of violence against women.
To learn more about our government’s Vision for a Violence Free BC, go to: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/victimservices/shareddocs/pubs/violence-free-bc.pdf
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