Safer Stronger

Description of Program

With funding from the Canadian Women’s Foundation and Women and Gender Equality Canada, a collaboration of six community organizations was formed to support 300+ women and girls from primarily racialized communities with holistic supports counselling services, wellness programs, and referral supports. The service delivery offered to women focused on awareness building, crisis intervention, mental health supports, and creating spaces for stronger social connections and social capital from the safety of their homes, while gaining the tools and resources to become more resilient to navigate the challenges related to gender based violence (GBV) and other stressors posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The key project activities included:

Online Learning and Discussion Opportunities

Women Connect Circles

Research and Public Engagement

GBV Symposium

The Safer & Stronger grant supported the Women & Girls Circle Project, a 6-month inter-agency project led by Skills for Change (SFC). This inter-agency project included five partner organizations:

1. Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services (SAFSS)

2. Centre for Immigrant and Community Services

3. Women's Support Network of York Region

4. Bangladeshi-Canadian Community Services (BCS)

5. South Asian Health Research Hub (SAHRH)

Number of Workshops and Events

36 workshops conducted

400 workshop participants

394 symposium registrations

200+ attendees

18 speakers

A collaboration of 10 partner organizations

Client Testimonials

“I never attended something like this or learned about abuse and that kind of thing.” (Safety Planning Workshop participant)

“I appreciate you did this workshop. Yes, it’s true it’s difficult for women to say “NO”” (Women Empowerment Workshop participant)

“My pain was reduced, and I was in a good mood even after the workshop.” (Laughter Yoga Group for Women and Girls participant)

Key Successes/Outcomes

6 partner agencies delivered workshops and provided information on a variety of GBV topics including: the culture of silence in gender based violence, safety planning, healthy relationships, GVB community resources and supports, online sexual exploitation, self-care and self-confidence, consent, intersectionality and barriers for reporting, non-Eurocentric ways of healing, the different types of violence, rape culture, mental health and laughter yoga

Together Against Violence Symposium

This incredible event brought together 10 community partners working in the Gender Based Violence sector to share ideas, workshops, and learnings. From engaging workshops around trauma and self compassion to eye opening discussions on sextotion and the impact of GBV on South Asian communities, the day was impactful and illuminating. We had a total of 394 registrations with audiences and partners expressing a tremendous amount of gratitude for the event and to the SfC team.

Funders for the Program

Women & Gender Equality (WAGE)

Corporate Sponsors and Community Partners

Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services (SAFSS)

Centre for Immigrant and Community Services

Women's Support Network of York Region

Bangladeshi-Canadian Community Services (BCS)

South Asian Health Research Hub (SAHRH)