Projects target violence prevention for Aboriginal communities

Joan Burke, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, announced today that funding for eight projects to aid in violence prevention for Aboriginal women and children have been approved through the government�s Violence Prevention Initiative.

The eight projects, totaling approximately $78,000, will provide funding for Innu, Inuit, Labrador Metis and Mi�kmaq communities.

Funding will be provided to the Sheshatshui Innu First Nation to support a unique project that will, for the first time in Labrador, bring together approximately 100 Innu women from both Labrador and Quebec to discuss and increase awareness about how to deal with the violence they face in their communities.

Other programs receiving funding include a curriculum development project on healthy relationships for student�s grade seven to nine in the Miawpukek School in Conne River. The Labrador Friendship Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay will also receive funding for projects focused on preventing abuse and maltreatment of children and youth.

"This is the second year that this government has provided funding for the prevention of violence against Aboriginal women and children and provided services to victims of violence in their communities," said Minister Burke. "Providing funding to help raise education and awareness of violence prevention is a positive step towards creating safer communities."

In December of 2005 funding for eight projects was given to seven organizations to run various projects in 11 communities across the province. The projects included public awareness and education, counseling, violence prevention training for community members and service providers, and early violence prevention programs aimed at children and youth.

This years projects will run in several communities in Newfoundland and Labrador including, Conne River, Sheshatshui, Postville and Rigolet. Projects are being delivered with the help of a number of groups including the Department of Health and Social Development of the Nunatsiavut Government, the Labrador M�tis Nation and the Labrador Friendship Centre.

Information gained from each of the projects will help create ways to prevent violence towards Aboriginal women and children within their communities.

Funding for these projects was allocated from Budget 2006, and is an integral part of the Newfoundland and Labrador government-wide Violence Prevention Initiative - Taking Action against Violence.

The Violence Prevention Initiative is a six-year comprehensive plan of action and annual investment of $1.25 million by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to increase government and community capacity to achieve, in the long-term, a reduction in violence against women, children and youth, Aboriginal women and children, seniors, persons with disabilities and others who are victims of violence.

For more information on the Violence Prevention Initiative please visit www.gov.nl.ca/vpi

Media contact: Michelle Hynes, Communications, 729-6225

Sheshatshui Innu First Nation
Innu Ishkueut Healing Journey
This retreat aims to increase awareness among Innu women of the violence they face in their community. It originated from a workshop held at the Lobstick Family Treatment Centre on Violence Against Women, and has grown into an event involving women from Innu communities in Quebec as well as Labrador. The event is set to take place in the wilderness about 100 kilometers from the community of Sheshatshui, and will provide a woman�s-only space in which to discuss means of preventing violence within their communities. Approximately 100 women are expected to attend.

Miawpukek First Nation
Violence Prevention in Aboriginal Women and Children
This project includes the development of a module on forming healthy relationships for young girls and boys. It will be offered in grades seven to nine, as part of the school curriculum. The project will also include a retreat for young women in grades 10 to 12 (held within the project�s first year). This project would allow for the six week program to be incorporated into the curriculum for the upcoming school year, as well as through the youth center, resulting in age appropriate models and learning tools.

Nunatsiavut Government, Department of Health and Social Development
Honouring Abstinence
Understanding the negative impacts of drugs and alcohol on Aboriginal communities is a crucial step in prevention violence against women and children. The goal of this program is to aid the Nunatsiavut government in celebrating those people who have abstained from drug or alcohol consumption for three years or more. Celebrating these choices through a retreat style workshop will instill the participants with the ability to take what they have learned back to their own communities, and break the devastating cycles of violence that plague Aboriginal communities.

Labrador M�tis Nation
Violence Prevention Phase II
In many cases family violence prevention is not an isolated issue, and is connected to many other facets of living. In recognition of this interconnection, the Labrador M�tis Nation will be holding self-esteem workshops within M�tis communities to address the connections and concerns with family violence prevention. The goal of these workshops is to highlight the strengths, and areas of improvement, for M�tis communities to address family violence, as well as raising awareness and building confidence in the ability of various communities.

Labrador Friendship Centre
Community Capacity Building � Violence Awareness Training
This two component project focuses on preventing abuse and maltreatment of children and youth. The first part is a three-day workshop designed to help adults who work in the fields of social services, health, and justice, to develop effective violence prevention strategies for Aboriginal youth. The second part consists of a series of 14 development courses from the Canadian Red Cross on Preventing Child and Youth Maltreatment, to be attended by the community development/cultural worker at the Labrador Friendship Centre. Aiding frontline workers in their ability to address the needs of women and children facing violence will better equip Aboriginal peoples with the tools they need to maintain strong and supportive communities.

School Council, Postville
Inspiring young Women Program
Allowing young women in Aboriginal communities to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment is an important part of sustaining Aboriginal culture and traditions. This program seeks to foster self confidence among young Aboriginal women from preteen ages through to high school graduation, through motivation, positive reinforcement and leadership skills. The program will introduce young girls and women to successful female entrepreneurs, with the hope of encouraging them to advance personally and professionally. Exposing young girls and women to positive role models will hopefully improve their self esteem, and better prepare them in avoiding negative relationships.

Town of Rigolet, Labrador
Rigolet Women�s Renewable Project
Increasing the profile of violence against Aboriginal women is an important part of reducing its occurrence. The goal of this project in Rigolet is to develop the capacity within the community to educate young women about how to prevent violence. The programs will also teach them the skills to mediate conflicts and altercations and build self esteem. Having Aboriginal-centered, culturally sensitive solutions are integral to the prevention of violence. This project will also explore the feasibility of a woman�s shelter, identify statistics of target groups within the community, employ a coordinator to assist the women�s group with their initiatives, and develop issue specific retreats to promote skill building and healing.

Nunatsiavut Government, Department of Health and Social Development
Land-Based Outing Equipment
Aboriginal cultures often have a strong attachment to their lands, and these lands serve as an important cultural touchstone. The goal of this project is to have lands-based treatment opportunities for those affected by drug and alcohol abuse, as well as supporting outings for youth and other culturally sensitive treatment options. Purchasing land-based outing equipment ensures that these healing opportunities and resources can be harnessed when they are needed, thereby strengthening the attachment felt by Inuit peoples towards their lands. Having reliable access to these programs would be a significant contribution in reducing the negative effects of family violence, while promoting cultural relevance.

2006 08 09                             10:30 a.m.