Stride Advocacy began as a partnership effort in 2016 to embed and strengthen volunteer community based advocacy in amiskwacîwâskahikan, aka Edmonton in Treaty 6 Territory. Stride Advocacy’s goal was to educate and equip the community with knowledge of their rights and with connection to organizations that could help them in their self advocacy efforts. After a year of work, Stride expanded its network across the province and now the country and continues to grow today supporting community members. 

Stride was developed and led by the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC)  in collaboration with the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights. JHC works to advance dignity, freedom, justice, and security through collaborative relationships and transformative education on peace and human rights. The Coalition is an independent advocacy and education network that ensures justice and accountability on human rights.

Community members approach Stride Advocacy either because they want to offer support and become volunteers (usually informed by their lived experience) or because they are in need of support to find remedy for human rights violations in their lives. Stride Advocacy provides a connection space for volunteer community-based advocates willing to support in the documentation and filing of complaints to human rights commissions and administrative mechanisms.

For volunteers, Stride Advocacy provides human rights education and capacity building for community advocates to provide direct support to community members who are seeking remedy to human rights violations, discrimination, and  other human rights concerns. Advocates are trained and coached to assist community members primarily by helping them write letters, draft and fill out complaints, quietly witness meetings/events/dispute resolution proceedings (including mediation and Tribunal Hearings), and support with research. 

The Stride team works for the people and seeks not to be the voice of the community, but to amplify others’ voices and walk alongside them in the search for remedy which is usually a lonely and difficult path to walk through.

We can't thank enough the City of Edmonton, Government of Alberta, Government of Canada, and the Edmonton Community Foundation for giving us the capacity to build this project and provide a greater source of support to those that are looking for remediation and access in our communities.  We thank the McConnell Foundation for allowing us to continue to grow and expand this important work.