Together Against Violence Network
Annual Report
Page
Overview
and Highlights………………………………………………………………………..1
Funding…………………………………………………………………………………………..5
The
Role of Volunteers…………………………………………………………………………6
Together
Against Violence Objectives………………………………………….………… 8
Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………….19
·
Goals and Objectives 2000/2001
·
TAV Month November 2000 Poster
·
North Shore News Advertisement of November 2000 Events
Bulletin
·
Post-TAV Month School Bulletin 2001
·
Purple Ribbon Campaign
·
TURN OFF The Violence Day Brochure
·
TURN OFF The Violence Day Flyer
Together
Against Violence Network
April 1, 2000 - March 31,2001
Background
The North Shore Together
Against Violence (TAV) Network is a coalition of community members and
representatives from a large variety of groups. These groups include the three local governments, the two
North Shore school districts, the North Shore Health Region, the North
Vancouver RCMP and West Vancouver Police Department, community agencies (e.g.
North Shore Community Services, the North Shore Disability Resource Centre,
Capilano Community Services, North Shore Neighbourhood House, the North Shore
Multicultural Society, North Shore Women’s Centre, and North Shore Crisis
Services Society), non‑profit organizations, religious groups and churches,
service clubs, businesses, and individuals
The Network's beginning goes back to 1992 with the
North Shore's United Way Children and Youth Committee's desire to address youth
violence. However, since the committee saw violence as a much more complex
issue, the focus quickly moved to a broader perspective to include all forms of
violence. The main goals became, and continue to be, to raise awareness around
the issue of violence and to mobilize the community to take positive action.
Network
Activities
As one of its strategies, the TAV Network has
coordinated an annual high‑profile Together
Against Violence month on the North Shore. November 2000 marked the eighth
anniversary of this violence prevention month and it was evident again that the
initiative enjoys the community’s ever-increasing support. In fact, the
November Together Against Violence
campaign has become a regular and anticipated feature of North Shore living and
an integral part of the annual community calendar.
Our November 2000 campaign was another success. Over
100 local groups and organizations sponsoring activities and events aimed at
raising the awareness of violence issues. More than 2,000 individuals attended
over 35 public events. In addition some 1 400 students and parents attended
performances promoting racial unity by the Maxwell dance troupe. Furthermore,
dozens of events and activities, not available to the public, were scheduled
internally by local organizations and in the schools, and the local media
participated by providing coverage of the events and related issues. North
Shore News published 22 articles on violence related issues. Above and beyond
these public events, there were presentations on related topics to hundreds of
church parishioners as well as an unknown number of people who listened to a
local radio program on overcoming violence.
Special Events
for November included:
· West Coast Violence Prevention Society released a CD
called The Buddy System: violence
prevention through music as their activity in November 2000. See TAV Spring
Newsletter no. 9, 2001.
· Aboriginal Family Violence in Canada 2000: This was a
report presented by the report writer, Robert Kiyoshk at the Squamish Nation
Recreation Centre. In addition the
Change of Seasons Society sponsored several sweat lodges on ending violence
towards women.
· Dolores by Laughing Baubo Productions: This was a powerful
drama on domestic violence. It was
staged several times and followed each time by a time of sharing and discussion
on the issue of violence in relationship.
· The Home Free Project
put together a remarkable art installation that told of a community’s triumph
over the bully. This exhibition
lasted 10 days and attracted considerable attention by the media. Over 350
people viewed the installation.
School activities included: cycling for
kindness, skits on non-violence, friendship soup for lunch, cooperative banner
–What Can We DO to Make the World a Better Place, keeping the pace program,
vigil for Montreal massacre, special assemblies, Buddy System music, wear
purple day, school ambassadors,
multi-cultural camp focussing on violence prevention and anger management
activities. (See appendix, School Bulletin)
A multi‑level campaign using purple ribbons,
brochures, events bulletins, posters, local newspaper and cable coverage,
newsletter inserts, and banners was again successful in both promoting the
initiative and increasing the awareness of North Shore residents.
As an additional component during TAV month 2000, the
Network for the fourth consecutive year sponsored a TURN OFF the Violence Day.
Individuals and families were asked to turn off violence in the media and to
choose non-violent ways to solve problems during that day. Another 600 TOV
brochures (see appendix) were distributed to schools and within the community. The
brochures continue to be popular in the community and schools used them for
student assignments and in-class discussions.
Throughout the year, Network members continued to work
within their own organizations and encouraged others to develop initiatives in
the area of violence awareness, prevention, and treatment as well as the
collection of statistical data and development of policies. The following are
only a few examples of initiatives, which have resulted over the years directly
from the efforts of Network members and indirectly from the climate that TAV
has created in the community:
1. West Vancouver Kiwanis has funded peer buddy programs in West Vancouver schools.
2. School
District 44 has developed a safe school initiative and School District 45 has
implemented a goal dealing with diversity and is focusing on the bullying
issue.
3. The
North Shore Disability Resource Centre has developed policies and conducted
comprehensive in‑services.
4. The
City and District of North Vancouver have developed and implemented Zero
Tolerance of Violence Against Women policies.
5. The
City of North Vancouver has adopted crime prevention strategies through
environmental design. The environmental design guidelines were developed as a
result of the Lower Lonsdale Safe City initiative.
6.
The City of North Vancouver is
donating $20,000 per year for violence prevention programming in North
Vancouver City schools.
7.
A number of organizations sponsored
community violence prevention workshops throughout the year, e.g. Family
Services of the North Shore, the North Shore Women’s Centre, the North
Vancouver Parent Advisory Council, etc.
8. A
Youth Together Against Violence Network was established and met on a regular
basis.
9. A coalition of North Shore
organizations has been developing protocols to respond to the abuse and neglect
of Adults at Risk. The “North Shore Community Support Network for Adults at
High Risk of Abuse and Neglect” has expanded during the past year to include
not only service providers and community volunteers but also the people who are
most affected, i.e. self-advocates and representatives of populations at high
risk.
10. The
Community Support Network for Adults at High Risk of abuse, neglect and
self-neglect is also the steering committee for the OAK Tree project. Both projects focus on raising the
community awareness about a) the new Adult Guardianship Legislation in British
Columbia and b) prevention of abuse and what constitutes abuse of vulnerable
adults. The co-ordinator of both
projects offers workshops and information sessions in a variety of formats, to
help educate the community and offer support and information. The North Shore is seen as extremely
pro-active in this area, and receives constant requests for packages based on
the work done here. The Office of
the Public Guardian and Trustee and the OAK Tree project is funded by the
National Crime Prevention Strategy funds the Network.
11. The District of West Vancouver has offered Harassment in the Workplace seminars to all employees.
12. The District of West Vancouver assisted in organizing and hosting a community conference “Building a Healthy and Caring Community Across the Generations” which was co-sponsored by the West Vancouver School District and the West Vancouver Foundation.
13. The Solar Power manual is now available (call Annie at 990-2454) in print form, and soon to be on CD. This manual -along with the Youth Power manual - is being offered by North Shore Continuing Education in the form of a workshop.
In the past, the Network coordinated a special project every year. For example in 1996, with the support of North Shore Health, the Network launched its B4U strike campaign. The message was B4U strike – STOP and Think – You Do Have a Choice – There is No Excuse for Violence. Previous surveys had indicated that the Network’s message was reaching fewer men than women. As a result, this campaign was developed using public relations materials placed in locations frequented by men.
As a special project for 1997, the Network conducted an inventory of violence prevention activities/programs in North Vancouver schools. This came as a request from the District of North Vancouver as a result of its Zero Tolerance of Violence Against Women Policy. During the community consultation process for the development of the policy, many respondents indicated that the focus for program development should be on school‑aged children and youth. The inventory was designed as a first step in identifying gaps, determining type of need and, eventually serving as a basis for appropriate programming.
The special project for 1998 was working with the Ministry of the Attorney General to help support a youth-run Together Against Violence Network. Youth at various forums had identified that they wanted to become more involved in preventing violence in the community. Due to the budget cutbacks, the Network was not able to conduct a special project in 2000.
The Network has also supported local initiatives such
as the Community Mediation Services Society. This non‑profit society is now
providing trained mediators to resolve community disputes, at no cost to the
parties involved. The Network has facilitated the implementation of this
service through assistance with public relations, policy development,
photocopying, finding a mailbox and meeting space at no cost to the society.
Communication with the community always has been a
high priority. As well as coordinating the November campaign, the Network used
to produce and distribute 1,200 copies of a spring and fall newsletter to
support North Shore efforts to achieve a violence‑free community. Youth
involvement in violence prevention was the theme of the newsletter in the fall
of 1998. Due to severe funding cutbacks and reorganization of the Network there
were no newsletters in 1999 and 2000. However, the Network has produced a
Spring 2001 Newsletter.
The TAV Network also serves as a clearinghouse of
information on violence prevention as well as a hub for North Shore groups and
organizations to share related information. The Network participated in the
Community Library Access Project to make the contents of the TAV library more
accessible to the community. As part of this latter project, a TAV web site was
developed to add another communication link with the community. The Network is
currently in the process of updating the web site and relocating the library to
North Shore Community Resources for easier public access.
The Network continues to reach out, as much as
possible, to other groups and communities, assisting them in developing similar
initiatives. The TriCity area of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody has
now sponsored several Together Against
Violence months and, more recently, Duncan and Squamish have sponsored Together Against Violence campaigns. As
well, the Province of Newfoundland has launched a similar province‑wide
initiative with the focal month in February. Over the years, the Network has
received many requests for information, and packages have been sent to
communities in BC, Ontario, and Newfoundland, and to other countries such as
Sweden, New Zealand, Japan, and South Africa.
The Network has been invited in the past to present
the TAV model at a number of conferences at the provincial and national level,
e.g. the National Crime Prevention Conference, the BC Crime Prevention Training
Symposium, the BC Youth Police Network Training Symposium, and the BC Family
Court and Youth Justice Committee Conference. The Justice Institute of British
Columbia produced a manual based on the Together
Against Violence model in the spring of 1996. The manual has been
distributed at several conferences and continues to be requested by
organizations and communities.
Currently, TAV participated in the development of a
Community Safety Resource Kit produced by the Ministry of the Attorney General,
which is being distributed throughout the Province. TAV is included as one
example of promising practices in BC. The Chair of the TAV Network was invited
to sit on the Advisory Committee discussing changes to the Young Offenders’
Act.
The mobilization component of TAV has also been used
by many other North Shore initiatives such as Youth Week and Day Care Week and
by some of the youth programs in the Attorney General's Office.
The three North Shore municipalities and the North
Vancouver Chamber of Commerce honoured TAV in 1994 when it received the North
Shore Violence Prevention Award. Since that time, a number of TAV members have
received the same award. In December 1998, TAV was nominated for the first
annual Building a Safer Future Award. All in all, TAV has had a great deal of
exposure and the model is in demand.
In the first three years, funding for the TAV Network came primarily from two sources. North Shore Health provided Project Coordinator time, office space and equipment; and a grant from the Attorney General's Office, Community Justice Branch, provided funding for project supplies, evaluation, and a half‑time Project Assistant.
Sponsorship from the North Shore Health Region lasted approximately 5 ½ years until the Region reorganized in the fall of 1998. The North Shore Health Region provided TAV with a grant in 1999-2000 under the Health Promotion Partnerships program. During the past five years, the Network has begun to develop a local and business base of financial sponsorship. Funding has been provided by the District of North Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, District of West Vancouver, VanCity, the Royal Bank Financial Group, the West Vancouver Foundation, Highlands United Church, Starbucks, and branches of the Royal Canadian Legion in North and West Vancouver. This does not include “in kind” support, such as the media coverage donated by the North Shore News and Rogers Cable, the funding of events in November and throughout the year by community organizations, the hundreds of volunteer hours, free meeting space, provision of postage and photocopying, and the tireless efforts of Network members.
Since the reorganization of the North Shore Health
Region, funding has become an even greater challenge. During this restructuring
process, the original TAV coordinator was reassigned to a different position in
December 1998, which effectively cut the Network’s funding in half. However,
although the Health Region has withdrawn its sponsorship in the form of coordination
time and office space, the Health Region has provided support through the
Health Promotions Partnership program.
In the meantime, the Network moved its operation to a
new host agency, North Shore Community Resources Services. The Network is able
to fulfil its basic mandate with the help of many extra volunteer hours, and
extensive “in kind” donations in the form of supplies, photocopying, and
postage.
Voluntarism is an important component of the TAV
initiative. Both community volunteers and volunteers from member organizations
are involved in the planning and implementation of Network activities. During
the annual November TAV campaign, volunteers spend hundreds of hours making
16,000 purple ribbons (this does not include the 7,000 ribbons made by the
schools), distributing TAV promotional materials, preparing events, and helping
in the office. These volunteers have included members from seniors groups,
youth organizations, the Amnity Cooinda Workshop, boy scouts and girl guides,
Community Policing Centres, North Shore Volunteers for Seniors and others, as
well as individual community members. Throughout the year, groups are also
encouraged to work on their own violence prevention initiatives. This creates
another layer of volunteers and helps to make the North Shore a safer and
healthier place to live.
Together Against Violence Objectives
The following is an evaluation of the Network's
objectives for April 1, 2000 - March 31, 2001, including if and how each
objective was met.
1. To
provide information on the prevalence, social costs, dynamics, and possible
solutions to the social problem of violence. (achieved)
Information on violence and violence related issues
was provided during Together Against
Violence month as well as throughout the year.
During TAV month
November 2000 the objective was achieved as follows:
i. Through
TAV's coordinating efforts, more than 2,000 community members attended over 36
public events. The events included a staff screening workshop on
responsibilities and risks a seminar on crime prevention, training for
volunteers to staff the Squamish Nation Crisis line; women in difficult
relationships; as well as presentations on a large variety of topics such as
scams targeting seniors, safety for seniors, safety for women, preventing
violence against infants and children, how to parent difficult teens, verbal
abuse in relationships and building healthy relationships. Three cafes
sponsored by North Vancouver Restorative Justice Society. (For a complete list
of events, see November 2000 Events Bulletin in the appendix.)
ii. Most
North and West Vancouver schools were involved in sponsoring violence
prevention activities with students and/or parents. School activities included
special assemblies, poster contests, displays, planting a peace garden, having
a “purple day”, presentations by the two North Shore police departments, a
multi-cultural camp focussing on violence prevention, dance performances to
promote racial unity, safe teen programs, anti-gang presentations, and sessions
on bullying and bully-proofing, anger management, problem solving and
alternatives to violence. (See objective 4 for more details.)
iii.
More than 15 organizations/groups
held in‑services or distributed violence prevention information internally or
to other organizations.
iv.
More than 25 organizations and faith
communities held public programs/workshops on violence related issues.
iv.
The North Shore News provided
coverage throughout November. The paper published approximately 18 articles
and/or photos with captions on related topics and events.
v. Approximately
600 brochures on "TURN OFF the Violence ‑ choosing non‑violent
entertainment and non‑violent ways to deal with conflict" were distributed
to schools and within the community.
vi. As
well, information on TAV and violence prevention related issues was
disseminated through newsletters by School District 44 and 45 schools, Capilano
Christian Community/Common Good, North Vancouver Parents’ Advisory Council, and
many others. North Shore Disability Resource Centre published its annual
special edition newsletter for Together
Against Violence month 2000.
vii. Articles,
pamphlets, etc. were distributed throughout the month by many community
agencies and groups. It is impossible to estimate numbers.
Examples
throughout the year included:
i. A
number of organizations sponsored community presentations, e.g. the West Coast
Violence Prevention Society, Neighbourhood House, Capilano Christian Community,
Selah Counselling Group, Baha'i Community of West Vancouver and Change of
Seasons Society.
iii. Both,
the North Shore Women’s Centre and Family Services of the North Shore conducted
a variety of community programs on violence related issues throughout the year.
v.
Representatives of the OAK Tree
Project, in conjunction with the North Shore Community Support Network for
Adults at High Risk of Abuse and Neglect gave information sessions and
workshops to community members and agency staff throughout the year. See
Network Activities, no. 10.
v. Bully
proofing sessions were conducted in schools in both School Districts 44 and 45.
2. To
encourage at least 75 groups and organizations, reflecting the diversity on the
North Shore, to participate by holding violence prevention activities during
November 2000. (achieved)
Over 100 groups and organizations, reflecting the
diversity on the North Shore, participated in TAV month November 2000. This
number includes at least 45 groups and organizations, such as the Multicultural
Society, the Disability Resource Centre, the Women’s Centre, Crisis Services
Society, Neighbourhood House and many other North Shore agencies, several faith
communities and churches, a number of seniors organizations, the three
municipal governments on the North Shore, non‑profit and first nations
organizations, the two police departments and many more. This number also
includes at least 47 North Shore schools that participated beyond displaying
promotional materials. As well, 10 businesses, municipal and other funding
groups participated by providing the necessary funding to enable the Network to
coordinate TAV month and fulfil its mandate.
3. To
encourage North Shore community members to participate in violence prevention
activities during November 2000. (achieved)
North Shore citizens again participated in a variety
of ways, including attending events, wearing purple ribbons, reading articles,
displaying public relations materials, and talking about issues. The last post‑TAV‑month
random sample telephone survey of 500 adult North Shore residents (18 years of
age or older), conducted in January 1995, indicated that 39% of the respondents
that were aware of the month (31% were aware) participated as outlined above.
As a formal survey was not conducted this past year, participation can only be
measured in a limited way.
i. At
least 2,000 North Shore citizens attended community events. Event sponsors were
generally satisfied with attendance at events. Out of the more than 40 events,
which were scheduled for the month of November, five were cancelled, for
various reasons.
ii. Over
16,000 ribbons were again produced by volunteers and distributed in the
community. (Above and beyond, schools made approximately 7,200 ribbons for
their own internal use.) Hence, many individuals on the North Shore were seen
to be wearing purple ribbons during November and even beyond the month.
iii. Approximately
2,000 posters and 9,000 calendars of events were distributed to businesses,
stores, schools, doctors’ offices, and other organizations on the North Shore.
The exact number of businesses/organizations that participated by displaying
public relations materials is unknown, although comments were made that the
materials were clearly visible everywhere on the North Shore.
iv. The
TURN OFF the Violence (TOV) campaign consisted of: the distribution of
approximately 600 TOV brochures and hundreds of flyers, inclusion of TOV
information in many school newsletters, and proclamation of November 16 as TURN
OFF the Violence Day by the three municipalities and the two school districts.
(See objective 6 for more details.)
v.
Violence prevention information was
disseminated throughout the community in the form of newspaper and newsletter
articles, flyers, and brochures, by other organizations and individuals as well
as TAV Network members.
4. To
encourage 100% of public and private schools (elementary and secondary) on the
North Shore to participate in the 2000 Together
Against Violence month by displaying promotional materials and to encourage
at least 75% of schools on the North Shore to participate beyond the display of
promotional materials. (partially achieved)
As in previous years, results of a questionnaire
forwarded to North Shore schools in January showed high levels of involvement
during the 8th Annual North Shore Together Against Violence (TAV) Month November 2000. About 89% of
District 44 and District 45 schools responded to the survey (less than 20% of
the private schools) and 98%) participated by displaying TAV month materials in
the schools in support of the TAV campaign. The following survey results are
based on the responses of School District 44 and 45 schools.
The degree of participation in the purple ribbon
campaign varied. As in previous years, many of participating schools made
between 200 and 1,000 ribbons each. In total, schools produced close to 7,200
purple ribbons for internal distribution last November.
As well, 41 of the 52 principals who responded
reported that 100% f their staff knew about the TAV initiative. Another 5
reported that over 70% knew of the TAV initiative and 6 did not make an
estimate.
Further, 37 of the 52 principals reported they had
included information on the TAV initiative in the parent newsletter.
Finally, 38 of the 52 schools that responded reported
that they participated in the 2000 TAV campaign with special activities and/or
events, including:
·
Special assemblies;
·
Paula Temerick for anti-bullying
workshops
·
Justice Theatre presentations
·
Gotcha Program for good behaviour
and a draw for prizes
·
Remembrance Day ceremony with purple
ribbons
·
Skit to all grade 8 students on
violence prevention
·
Friendship Soup for lunch
·
Power speech
·
Cooperative Banner on What Can We Do
to Make the World a Better Place
·
Odd Squad speakers
·
Discussions on bully proofing
·
Staff Training on sexual abuse
awareness
·
Anti-gang presentations
·
Planting a peace garden
·
Wear "purple" day
·
Older students helping younger ones
cut ribbons
·
Sue Malcolm and the Buddy system
music
·
A lighted street march
·
Dance performances (Maxwell) to
promote race unity
·
Empathy training
·
Anger management and building
healthy relationships
·
Talk by members of Multi-Cultural
society
·
Presentations by the police
departments
·
Students/staff/parents decorated an
entire school with posters, banners, etc. in the violence prevention theme.
These are just a few examples of special school
activities and events during TAV month 2000. Overall, schools have maintained
their high levels of participation this last year.
Response by the North Shore’s private schools remains
very limited and participation in TAV month generally does not extend past the
display of materials.
5. To
encourage staff and students of post-secondary institutions on the North Shore
to be involved in Together Against
Violence Month 2000. (partially achieved)
Capilano College, the Canadian International College,
and the Lucas Centre participated by sponsoring activities and displaying
promotional materials.
i. The
Capilano College Counselling Department and the Capilano College Student Union
co-sponsored a violence prevention display and information session in the
cafeteria.
ii. Capilano
College also sponsored a workshop on “Women in Difficult Relationships” to help
women recognize the difference between healthy relationships and abuse.
iii.
Capilano College, the International
College, and the Lucas Centre all displayed promotional materials and
distributed purple ribbons.
iv.
Capilano College - Theatre of the
Oppressed produced a dramatic presentation on violence against women in
relationships.
6. To coordinate a media violence awareness
campaign during November 2000. (partially achieved)
The Network sponsored a TURN OFF the Violence Day on
NOV 16. Community members were asked to turn off any kind of violent
entertainment during that day.
i.
The North Shore News provided
front-page coverage of the event by focusing on a family and its participation
in the TURN OFF the Violence Day.
ii.
All three municipalities and both
school districts proclaimed November 16 as TURN OFF the Violence Day.
iii.
Flyers advertising TOV Day were
distributed in the schools and more than 600 TOV brochures were again requested
by some of the schools. The brochures were used for in-class discussions and
take-home assignments.
iv.
The post-TAV school survey revealed
that half of the respondent schools participated again in TOV Day. Many schools
included information on TOV Day in their newsletters and other school
involvement included special assemblies, displays, class discussions, and
special announcements, wearing purple clothing for a day.
v.
Hundreds of flyers and approximately
600 TOV brochures were again distributed throughout the community. A number of
organizations reported that community members really liked the brochures and
that they continue to be popular.
7. To promote activities and events that
increase the awareness of violence issues among males. (partially achieved)
This objective continues to be a challenge.
i. Change
of Seasons Society, Aboriginal Men's Domestic Violence Groups Program, held a
special sweat lodge for men dedicated to ending violence to women
ii.
Many events were offered on violence
prevention topics for children and seniors (which include both males and
females) and the events dealing with multi-culturalism and racial unity as well
as building healthy relationships also target people of both genders.
iii.
Matchbooks with the "before u
strike" message were again distributed to gas stations, pubs, and
cigarette vending outlets. The merchants continue to be very supportive and
receptive in distributing the matches.
iv.
Dating violence presentations were
given in secondary schools.
8. To involve decision‑making and governance
bodies in prioritizing the issues of violence. (partially achieved)
Decision‑making bodies were involved in prioritizing
the issue of violence by:
i. The
three municipalities and two school districts proclaimed November as TAV month
and encouraged participation in their jurisdictions.
ii.
The OAK Tree project has produced a
handbook: Adult Abuse Prevention &
Response Directory, North Shore 2000. The Oak Tree Project works to
increase awareness about abuse, neglect and self-neglect of adults at high risk
and to connect them with support in our community.
iii.
The North Vancouver School Board has
appointed an official representative to the TAV Network.
iv. The
District of North Vancouver is providing core funding for the TAV Network and
the City of North Vancouver and the District of West Vancouver are providing
grants as well as “in-kind” support.
v. A
half‑time domestic violence coordinator continues to be funded by the City and
District of North Vancouver.
vi. A
number of decision‑making bodies sponsored community activities and events in
November, e.g. the West Vancouver Police, the RCMP, Capilano College, North and
West Vancouver School Boards, and the three municipalities.
vii.
The City of North Vancouver
continues to donate $20,000 per year to City schools for violence prevention
programming.
viii. North Vancouver
City and District Councils have adopted Zero Tolerance of Violence Against
Women policies.
9. To encourage organizations to gather
statistics on the incidence and types of violence and encourage policy
development in the area of violence prevention. (partially achieved)
The Network has been successful in the area of being a
catalyst in the community for policy development but has not been as successful
in the area of encouraging the gathering of statistics. The following are a few
examples of policies and protocols being developed or implemented.
i. There
is a collaborative process in place involving many organizations, which looks
at developing a Community Support Network to deal with the abuse and neglect of
adults at risk. The Network has expanded during over the years and has
collaborated with the OAK Tree project to produce information materials and
deliver information sessions to the community on the topic of adults at risk.
ii.
North Vancouver District and City
Councils have implemented their Zero Tolerance of Violence Against Women
Policies.
iii.
School
District 44 has examined school conduct codes, which has implications in the
area of policy development.
10. To encourage individuals, groups, and
organizations on the North Shore to develop initiatives in the area of violence
awareness, prevention, and treatment. (achieved)
One of the main functions of TAV on the North Shore
has been keeping violence prevention on the community agenda. Further, it is
the responsibility of all Network members to work within their own organization
to encourage the development of initiatives. The following are examples of
current initiatives, which are the result of the climate that TAV has created
in the community:
i. The
City of North Vancouver is funding violence prevention programs in City schools
on an annual basis ($20,000 annually).
ii. West
Vancouver Kiwanis has funded Peer Buddy Programs (Conflict Resolution) at
Chartwell, Irwin Park, Hollyburn, Ridgeview, West Bay, Caulfeild, and Bowen
Island, and Peer Mediation Programs at Rockridge and Sentinel.
iii. The
Community Mediation Society has provided trained mediators, at no cost to the
parties, to resolve community disputes.
iv. Representatives
of the District of West Vancouver, School District 45, the Health Region,
Parent Advisory Council, West Vancouver Seniors’ Centre, Family Services of the
North Shore and other community groups formed a community steering committee to
plan the “Building a Healthy Community” conference which was co-sponsored by
the West Vancouver School District and the West Vancouver Foundation. The
Committee continues to support the follow-up activities planned by the groups
that came together at the conference. Action teams have been formed to address
the issues identified and to suggest appropriate solutions.
v. North
Shore groups and organizations sponsored various violence awareness and
prevention events in November.
vi. The
North Vancouver Parent Advisory Councils have been sponsoring violence
prevention presentations.
vii. Family
Services conducted sessions on relationship violence in grade 10 classes on the
North Shore.
viii. Family
Services has set up a Family Place.
11. To
encourage North Shore organizations to promote youth-driven violence prevention
initiatives. (partially achieved)
Youth have identified at various forums in the past that they wanted to be more involved in violence prevention activities.
i.
Funding has been received from the
National Crime Prevention Council for a youth violence prevention project which
includes such aspects as supporting the Youth TAV Network, training all youth
workers to do anger management workshops, and “train the trainers” workshops on
violence prevention for youth. A Youth Violence Prevention Facilitator was
hired last year. The facilitator assisted in editing and finalizing a Youth
Violence Prevention Manual, which was developed by City and District youth,
Capilano Community Services, the City and District Youth Development workers
and the North Shore Health Region.
12. To
raise awareness of gaps in the area of programming and services that address
violence related issues in the school-aged population within or outside the
school. (partially achieved)
The strategies involved to achieve this objective revolved mainly around the efforts of the Network members that are service providers to the school-aged population. For example, representatives from both school districts have been responsible for identifying gaps in programming and services within their own school-aged populations. As a result, School District 44 has responded with a Safe School initiative and School District 45 with initiatives around diversity and bullying.
13. To maintain and enhance communication
between the Together Against Violence Network
and the North Shore community. (achieved)
The Network has worked to develop both formal and
informal systems of communication with North Shore residents and organizations.
i. The Network has acted as a clearinghouse for many North Shore residents and organizations wanting information on violence related topics, violence statistics, opportunities for voluntarism, and referrals for counselling.
ii. Information
sharing at the monthly TAV Network meetings is an important component in this
communication process. The shared information is then reflected in the minutes
of the meetings and distributed to almost 60 individuals and organizations on
the North Shore.
ii.
Articles on TAV have appeared in
newsletters of the Disability Resource Centre, the North Shore Women’s Centre,
North Shore Crisis Services Society and many other North Shore
agencies/organizations; the British Properties Area Home Owners’ Association
(and other similar associations), the Capilano Christian Community/Common Good
(and other religious organizations/churches), the BC Institute Against Family
Violence, BC Teachers for Peace and Global Education, and parent newsletters in
many individual schools, to name but a few.
iii. The
Together Against Violence month has
served as a vehicle for communicating with North Shore citizens through
presentations, posters, brochures, local newspaper articles, and cable
coverage.
iv. The
Network has participated in a Community Library Access Project, which makes the
contents of the TAV library more accessible to the community. Also, as part of
a related project, a TAV web site has been designed.
14. To develop an economic framework for a self‑sustaining
community violence prevention initiative on the North Shore. (partially achieved)
In the past year, the TAV Network received grants from
the District of North Vancouver, City of North Vancouver, District of West
Vancouver, VanCity, Royal Bank, the West Vancouver Branch of the Royal Canadian
Legion, Starbucks, and Highlands United Church. The North Shore News continued
to support the Network with a free one-page ad of the November calendar of
events. As well, there are opportunities for the North Shore Health Region to
again support the TAV Network in the future through the community grants
process. The Network is also looking to further expand the funding application
process in the following year.
15. To provide information and resources on the
Together Against Violence Network to
other communities or groups. (achieved)
Although this function was reduced in the past year
due to the budget cutbacks, the Network has been active in disseminating
information on TAV by providing information packages, acting as a resource, and
providing some strategic planning consultation. To date, a number of
communities have developed similar initiatives. The TriCity area of Coquitlam,
Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody sponsored its fifth Together Against Violence month in November 2000, and Duncan and
Squamish have also sponsored TAV month initiatives. The Province of
Newfoundland launched a similar province‑wide initiative with the focal month
in February several years ago.
Information packages on TAV have been disseminated to the following groups/communities over the years:
•
100 Mile House
•
Squamish
•
Abbottsford
•
Township of Langley
•
Toronto
•
Women’s Information/Vancouver
•
Burnaby
•
South Africa
•
Arrow Lakes
•
Victoria
•
Surrey
•
Ladysmith
•
BC/Yukon Society of Transition
Houses
•
Howe Sound Women's Centre, Squamish
•
Cranbrook
•
TriCity (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam,
Port Moody)
•
Killarney Community Project
•
Francophone Women's Association
•
Township of Langley
•
Mount Pleasant Area Network
•
Richmond
•
B. C. Criminal Justice Association
•
Visiting Health Professionals from
Sweden
•
Visiting Professor from New Zealand
•
Japan
•
Second Street Community School,
Burnaby
•
Newfoundland
•
Cowichan/Duncan
•
Prince Rupert
•
Waterloo, Ontario
•
Kelowna
•
Prince Edward Island
•
Britannia Community School.
•
BC Teachers for Peace and Global
Education, Vancouver
•
VINA (Violence is Never Acceptable)
Burnaby
•
Councillor Eddington, City of Surrey
•
Town of Ladysmith
•
District of North Cowichan
•
MSS Community Worker, Richmond
•
Bonnie McKie, Surrey
•
Ottawa Carlton Health Department,
Ottawa
•
Ken McCrae, Pitt Meadows,
•
Lois Godfrey, Burnaby
As TAV goes
into its 9th year,
the Network
will continue to keep
violence
prevention on the community agenda.
Together Against Violence
Appendices