SACE has submitted an idea to the 2018 Aviva Community Fund competition and we need your help to win! The Aviva Community Fund is an annual initiative that provides funding to non-profit organizations to bring their new ideas to life. The 50 ideas with the most votes will each receive a $10,000 prize. Voting closes October 4, 2018.
How to Vote:
- Register on the Aviva Community Fund website.
- Visit our page: “Exploring Resilience: Workshops for Newcomers.”
- Submit your votes.
- Ask your friends and family to vote too!
Our Idea:
SACE believes that specialized sexual violence support and services should be available to all people, regardless of ethnicity, heritage, faith, gender, culture, age, social and financial status, ability, or sexual orientation. We recognize that immigrants and refugees in particular face unique obstacles that prevent them from accessing our services. Our idea is to launch a pilot program that will help us eliminate some of these barriers.
“Exploring Resilience: Sexual Violence Information and Support Workshop for Newcomers” will be a program centred on the graphic novel “Telling Our Stories: Immigrant Women’s Resilience.” Created by and for immigrant women in Ontario, “Telling Our Stories” features experiences of community support and engagement in situations of sexual violence.
After arriving in Canada, newcomers often feel they no longer belong to their old country while also not feeling like they belong here. Those who have experienced sexual violence can feel an even greater sense of isolation. “Telling Our Stories” is a culturally safe tool that will show newcomers that they are not alone in their situations and will help create a sense of belonging. Beyond that, workshops hosted by SACE will create spaces for social connections between newcomers.
The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) has provided sample copies to SACE that we are currently sharing with the community. Since the novel was created for use in Ontario, it lists support and resources within that province. SACE has received permission to reprint and distribute the novel in English, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Arabic, French, and Spanish (strategic to the Edmonton community), with contact and resources information modified for use by SACE, in order to meet the volume and customization needed to deliver our programming in the Edmonton area.
With the success of this pilot project, SACE plans to develop our own unique curriculum set in an Edmonton context. We also see the potential to inform other organizations’ programs across Alberta. This project is only the first phase in achieving our larger goal of becoming a leader in sexual violence support and education services for immigrants and refugees. Through the Aviva Community Fund, we will be one step closer to achieving our goal.
To learn more about our Diversity and Inclusion Program, visit our Diversity and Inclusion page or contact ac.ecas@ofni.
