How Can I Help?
Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence in Your Community
How Can I Help? Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence is a free two-hour presentation to provide community members with basic information on how they can help. If
you are someone who cares and is willing to learn about the services
and supports available in your community, we encourage you to attend.
Victims/survivors
often disclose first to people they know, rather than the police or
service providers. This means that there are many people in our
communities who may someday find themselves in the position to hear a
disclosure or be asked to provide support to a victim or their family
and friends. Examples of community support people include
volunteer youth leaders, sports coaches, clergy, teachers, front-line
administrative staff in schools, hospitals, student support staff,
nurses, parents, friends, roommates, family members or recreation
leaders.
People
may assume that they must be a therapist, lawyer, police officer or
health care professional to help a victim or survivor, and while
eventually the person may need some or all of those professional
services, in the early moments of disclosure or reaching out for help
after an assault, victims/survivors need a caring person who is willing
to listen, believe them, and assist them by connecting to the level of
support they need at that time.
It
could be 20 minutes or 20 years after the assault, but regardless of
when it happened, victims and survivors need people in their communities
to provide them with compassionate support, appropriate options and
reliable information.
1 in 2 Transgender individuals are sexually abused or assaulted at some point in their lives.
1 in 3 Canadian women will experience sexual assault in their adult life.
1 in 6 Men have experienced abusive sexual experiences before age 18.
The workshops are FREE and all handouts and materials will be provided. Visit the FSENS website http://ensfamilyservice.ca/pro
Workshops will be facilitated by Linda MacDougall Penner M.A.,M.Ed. Clinical Therapist, CCC, RCT;, Laurie Suitor MACP, RCT C, Private Psychotherapist and Lori Castle, Support Counsellor, Naomi Society.
To learn more about sexual violence, join the Every Door is the Right Door
campaign by committing that your staff and or volunteers take the free
online course offered by the NS Sexual Violence Strategy at https://breakthesilencens.ca/t
The Strait Area Community Response to Sexual Violence Network
is a group of organizations from the region who work together to
improve outcomes for victims of sexual violence in the Strait Area. This
project is being administered by Family Service of Eastern Nova Scotia.
For more information contact Nancy O’Regan at nancy.oregan@fsens.ns.ca or call 902 -870-1320.
Workshop Schedule
|
Community
|
Date
|
Time
|
Location
|
Contact Person for Registration
|
|
Guysborough
|
Thursday, February 8th
|
7:00 pm
|
Chedabcuto Place/Guysborough Academy
|
|
|
Antigonish
|
Thursday, March 1st
|
7:00 pm
|
John Hugh Gillis Regional High Schools
|
|
|
Sherbrooke
|
Wednesday, March 7nd
|
7:00 pm
|
St Mary’s Education Centre
|
|
|
Canso
|
Thursday, Feb 22nd
|
7:00 pm
|
Fanning Education Centre/Canso Academy
|
|
|
Louisdale
|
Wednesday, February 21st
|
7:00 pm
|
Richmond Academy
|
|
|
St. Peter’s
|
Wednesday, February 20th
|
7:00 pm
|
East Richmond Education Centre
|
|
|
Inverness
|
Monday, March 19th
|
7:00 pm
|
Inverness Education Centre/Academy
|
|
|
Cheticamp
|
Wednesday, March 7th
|
7:00 pm
|
Ecole NDA
|
For further information about this project, contact
Nancy O'Regan, Project Manager,
Family Service of Eastern Nova Scotia.
or call 902-870-1320.
