Outlined below are some of the activities of the Coalition, as well as the duties of the Coordinator.

 

Community Capacity Building

Maintaining a robust network of community and governmental agencies devoted to social justice is central to our work. The very reason the Interagency Committee Against Violence Against Women was established was to bring to the table representatives of government and community, as well as issues pertinent to women, namely those related to violence and its intervention and prevention. Regular meeting of key stakeholders in both realms – government and community, policy and front line, is an inherent community capacity building exercise. Meeting format has been revised to suit the needs of members. As such, we now feature guest presenters on topics relevant to our equality seeking anti-violence mandate. This revision has fostered mutual learning, reinforced regional partnerships with an ultimate goal of better practices. 

 

Public Education

Education and outreach are crucial aspects of effecting attitudinal change in both governmental and non-governmental sectors. Such efforts must extend beyond “at risk” populations to the public at large, for it is our collective misunderstanding of violence as a natural aspect of social life that necessitates revision. Education and outreach activities will therefore include lectures, seminars, roundtables, etc. 

Our Coalition conducts workshops throughout the Eastern Avalon Region for adults and youth alike. These workshops have been designed to educate the public on the root causes of violence, and include such topics as gender inequality, dating violence, elder abuse, and bullying, among others. The Coalition collaborates with educators and front line staff so as to form a trickle down effect of sorts regarding anti-violence awareness. The Coalition also participates in various community forums and information sessions to keep abreast of the latest projects related to violence prevention.

The Coordinator is also responsible for arranging Violence Awareness and Action Training - a provincial education initiative that takes an experiential interagency approach to educating governmental and non-governmental representatives on the roots of violence and the compounding vulnerabilities of victims of violence.

Learn more about Violence Awareness and Action Training

 

Read about our recent Youth Forum on Violence on a Local and Global Scale!

 

Lobbying and Advocacy

 

In conjunction with community and government, the Coalition Against Violence advocates for effective policies that support victims of violence. The Coalition also supports the endeavours of fellow community-based agencies in advocacy around violence prevention. The role of the Coordinator involves delivering presentations to various governmental departments, as well as participating in community/government committees with anti-violence mandates. Dana sits on the newly struck Community Advisory Committee of the Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI), a conference of the 10 Regional Coordinating Committees in Newfoundland & Labrador. The Committee meets regularly to discuss priorities related to violence prevention, as well as to make recommendations on behalf of community to the VPI Deputy Ministerial Committee. 

 

Read about our recent coaster campaign to raise awareness around drug facilitated sexual assault.

Send mail to cavae@coalitionagainstviolence.ca with questions or comments about this web site.