Centring Relationships to End Violence

Project Introduction

This 24-month action-based research project will develop and implement a meaningful approach to anti-oppressive, anti-colonial relationship building and collaboration to improve services for Indigenous survivors of gender-based violence in Alberta through an inclusive and reconciliation-based lens. The Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA), the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS), and the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) will achieve this by developing authentic relationships across sectors at the provincial and community level; creating community of practice circles at provincial and local levels; and further developing the partnership framework through identifying and implementing cross-sectoral initiatives to strengthen GBV services at the local level.    

Objectives of the Project

At the end of the project, the organizations will have developed and built supportive working relationships that enhance coordination between Native Friendship Centres, Sexual Assault Centres and Services, and Domestic Violence Shelters, and cultivated a deeper understanding of Indigenous experiences, thereby improving access to services in communities to better meet the needs of Indigenous survivors of violence.  The effectiveness of the partnership model will be carefully documented through ongoing evaluation. Findings and learnings will be shared to help promote systems change of the GBV sector.    

Impacts & Outcomes of the Project

The intended outcomes of the Project will be evident at the individual, community and agency levels. Outcomes include enhanced safety for Indigenous survivors of violence in Alberta; strengthened connection and collaboration between ANFCA, AASAS and ACWS; capacity building by learning more from each other’s areas of front-line service experience and expertise; and systems change within the networks and external systems partners.  

As a result of the Project, we hope our Provincial Associations and Members will have built and demonstrated the power and responsibility of authentic and sustainable relationships. By engaging Elders, Indigenous women with lived experienced, community organizations and sector experts, we hope that our Provincial Associations will become models of collaboration and innovation in supporting Indigenous women and girls who have experienced domestic or sexual violence.  Through coordination and collaboration, during and after the Project, our Provincial Associations will become strong advocates to transform services and systems for Indigenous women and girls impacted by domestic or sexual violence.   

Member Involvement  

Through a series of engagements and meetings, provincial association members will meaningfully participate and co-create communities of practice to fully understand challenges to service coordination and systems change; collaborate to develop member-specific communications, and materials; and share findings and learnings by identifying practices that are working among network members through dialogues and information sharing.   

Stakeholders, including Elders, women who have experienced gender-based violence and local service providers will develop authentic relationships through a facilitated process, identify and work to address gaps locally and provincially to strengthen networks and collaborate to accelerate systems change.  

Messages from the Provincial Association Leaders

“We learned from the voices of Indigenous survivors in Canada, in the opening chapter from the Report on MMIWG, that relationships are key to ending violence in the lives of Indigenous people,” says Deb Tomlinson, CEO of the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services. “With this funding, our three organizations will build upon and leverage our relationships to address the high rates of violence Indigenous peoples experience in Alberta as a result of years of colonialism and racism.” 

“Covid-19 has disproportionately impacted women and Indigenous survivors of violence in a negative way, lighting a fire under our need to respond to this ongoing issue. We’re very excited about this opportunity to work collaboratively with two of the leading violence intervention and prevention organizations in the province to address domestic and sexual violence and as part of our commitment to advance the Calls to Justice from the MMIW.” Says Jan Reimer, Executive Director of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters. 

“This initiative will contribute to changing the negative outcomes of violence for Indigenous people including the psychological and behavioural impacts, health and socioeconomic impacts, and their links to the intergenerational transmission of violence and re-victimization,” says Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association’s Acting Executive Director, Jeannette MacInnis. “Our three provincial organizations are pleased to work towards creating transformational change through strengthened collaborative relationships.” 

Facts:  

• Compared to 43% of Albertans who have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, respondents who identified as Indigenous, 66% reported that someone had perpetrated sexual violence against them over the course of their lives.  
• In Alberta, Indigenous women are 7 times more likely to be a victim of homicide than non-Indigenous women.  
• Indigenous women also reported that they had experienced spousal violence more than 3 times that of non-Indigenous women.  
• Out of all the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls cases in Canada, Alberta is home to 16 per cent of them, and 42 per cent of those cases are unsolved.

Background

Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA): 

The Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA, incorporated in 1970) is the Provincial/Territorial Association of 21 Alberta-based member Friendship Centres. The ANFCA supports active member Friendship Centres who, through program and service delivery, engage with and improve the quality of life for urban / off reserve/ off settlement Indigenous people. Our priorities are guided by our member Friendship Centres and subsequently defined by community needs. 

For over 50 years, Friendship Centres have provided safe, friendly, welcoming, status-blind Indigenous hubs that provide culturally appropriate programs and services to the approximately 70 percent of the Indigenous population in Alberta reside in urban areas and towns. The 21 Friendship Centres across Alberta deliver annually: 195-200 unique and culturally responsive programs and services, over 30,000 program activities, and 322,189 points of service (2019/2020 stats). https://anfca.com/ 

Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS): 

AASAS is a provincial network made up of 14 sexual assault centres located across the province of Alberta. The sexual assault centres provide a continuum of specialized services informed by research, with the highest standards of care delivered by trained professionals. We are a provincial network of knowledgeable and specialized professionals working from the same values and beliefs. We build on our existing strengths while emphasizing innovative approaches to promote and facilitate healing and transformation and justice for those who have experienced sexual violence in our province. 

For over twenty-seven years, AASAS has been accountable to our provincial membership as an audited not for profit society with a provincial Board of Directors. AASAS has worked with community and government stakeholders to raise awareness of sexual violence and to increase access to services and support for Albertans affected. https://aasas.ca/ 

Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS): 

The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters represents 40 emergency and second-stage sheltering organizations for women and children fleeing violence and abuse. The ACWS provides professional development and training, action-based research and increases public awareness of issues related to family violence for the benefit of abused women and their children. http://acws.ca 

This project has been funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada