Funding Awarded to Help Prevent Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Children

Today, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced this year’s recipients of the Aboriginal Women’s Violence Prevention Grant Program. Funding of $200,000 will be distributed to nine new projects which address violence against Aboriginal women and children.

“As a government, we are fully committed to working with Aboriginal communities to prevent violence,” said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women and lead Minister for the Violence Prevention Initiative. “We all have a responsibility to help address violence. By working with the community through our annual grants program, we are helping to make a difference in the lives of Aboriginal women and children throughout the province.”

Criteria for the grants include a focus on violence prevention action plans, public awareness and education materials or activities, healing programs, improved programs and services at shelters for Aboriginal women, the development of Aboriginal women’s leadership, economic or educational capacity, and improved cultural strength of Aboriginal communities. These criteria are based on needs identified by Aboriginal women at the National Aboriginal Women’s Summit held in Corner Brook in 2007 and annual Aboriginal women’s conferences.

“Violence against women and children is intolerable,” said the Honourable Felix Collins, Minister for Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs. “Our government will continue to work with Aboriginal organizations to help prevent violence and increase awareness and education to advance the quality of life for Aboriginal women and children throughout Newfoundland and Labrador."

Funding for the Aboriginal Women’s Violence Prevention Grants Program is made available through the Women’s Policy Office, the lead department of the Provincial Government’s Violence Prevention Initiative. Over the last eight years, 81 projects have been funded through this program. For a full list of projects funded this year, please see backgrounder below.

The Violence Prevention Initiative is a six-year, multi-departmental, government-community partnership to find long-term solutions to violence against those most at risk. The initiative involves 11 government departments and agencies and over 30 community partners including a Community Advisory Committee and 10 Regional Coordinating Committees Against Violence. For more information about the Violence Prevention Initiative, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/vpi. 

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• Ministerial Statement - Funding Awarded to Prevent Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Children

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BACKGROUNDER
Aboriginal Women’s Violence Prevention Grants 2012

St. John’s Native Friendship Centre
Aboriginal Women: The Foundation of Cultural Wellness
This is a culturally-focused, traditional knowledge project centered around Aboriginal women contributing to their community, as well as self-empowerment by working together to use traditional practices in a positive environment. The project is designed to bring Aboriginal women together using culture as a teaching tool, bridging the gap between modern day-to-day activities and traditional Aboriginal teachings.
Grant awarded: $23,000

NunatuKavut Community Council
NunatuKavut Elder and Youth Retreat
NunatuKavut will host a three-day women and girls retreat for Aboriginal elders and youth to spend time learning from each other. Along with storytelling and traditional knowledge sharing, the weekend will be used to design and create Labrador quilts, which will be donated to charity. This intergenerational initiative will enhance the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health and well-being of Aboriginal elders and youth. This community-based project will bring together elders and youth through the provision of these social activities, health-related awareness workshops and mentoring opportunities included in the workshop.
Grant awarded: $23,000

Sheshatshiu Innu Band Council
Innu Ishkueut Healing Journey
This project will bring together 20-25 Innu women in the wilderness at Lobstick Lake for one week to learn about violence and share their own stories and experiences.
Grant awarded: $18,000

Nunatsiavut Government
Inuit Women’s Conference
The Inuit Women’s Conference is an opportunity for Inuit women to look at the recommendations from the conference report from the first women’s conference, held in 2007, and look at the progress being made, discuss what still needs to be worked on and new issues or concerns. One of the main topics of concern from the 2007 conference was violence; the final report listed nine recommendations concerning violence.
Grant awarded: $23,000

Flat Bay Indian Band
Lunskwak Sekwa’t – Phase Three – Violence Prevention Immersion Initiative
This project will develop a Violence Prevention Immersion system whereby Lunskwak Sekwa’t have the resources to send their facilitators, elders and youth into the midst of internal and external events to represent native violence prevention and demonstrate cultural prevention and healing methodologies.
Grant awarded: $23,000

AnanauKatiget Tumingit
Violence Awareness Workshops in Nunatsiavut Communities
This project will facilitate the provision of violence awareness workshops in the five communities of Nunatsiavut (Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville and Rigolet) as well as Happy Valley-Goose Bay, North West River and St. John’s.
Grant awarded: $23,000

Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network
Building on our Strengths: Collaborating to End Violence
This project will include a series of violence awareness and prevention information sessions and culturally-based mentoring and sharing sessions across the island portion of the province, as well as the redesign and launching of a new website for the network.
Grant awarded: $23,000

Mushuau Innu First Nation
Natuashish Women’s Shelter Violence Prevention Enhancement
This project will increase capacity of the women’s shelter by providing capacity building opportunities for staff as well as outreach programs and services for the entire community. Community-based violence prevention initiatives need to be developed and delivered from a population health perspective in a manner which ensures cultural competence and safety. In addition to the outreach component of the program, staff will participate in a regional provincial conference, networking meetings and policy discussions – opportunities which do not currently exist within the present model. This project will invest in financial contributions to the existing budget to cover costs associated with the creation of an outreach function within the safe house team.
Grant awarded: $23,000

Conne River Health and Social Services
Protecting our Future: Caring for our Women and Children (continuation)
This project will serve to create an additional space in the health centre where the community women’s group can meet and it will also provide additional accommodations to support women and children in crisis situations who are in need of temporary shelter.
Grant awarded: $21,000

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