The BC Society of Transition Houses (BCSTH) and Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) are partnering on a new project to provide training and mentorship to frontline shelter staff based on BC’s successful Prevention, Education, Advocacy, Counselling, and Empowerment (PEACE) approach for working with children and youth who have witnessed and/or experienced gender-based violence. This program is for staff at shelters located in rural, remote, and northern communities outside of BC. There is no fee to participate in this program.
The essence of the PEACE approach is to uphold the dignity of mothers and their children while shining a light on the many resourceful and creative ways that they resist and respond to the violence in their lives. At the end of the training participants can expect to feel resourced, encouraged, valued, inspired and more equipped to support young people and their caregivers.
Through the PEACE for Canadian Children and Youth project, participating shelters were able to select up to 3 staff to:
- Take part in 4 interactive online workshops on the guiding principles and approaches of BC’s PEACE program.
- Access additional self-directed online training and resources from the BC PEACE program
- Participate in 18 months of mentorship with their training cohort and a mentor from the BC PEACE program
Around 263 front-line staff from 130 VAW shelters and transition houses in rural, remote, and northern parts from 13 provinces and territories in Canada received training and mentorship in 2022-2023. Learn more about the program from conversations with PEACE Program Counsellor, Tracy Myers and Amanda Dynes, a training and mentorship participant in our blog posts. At the end of the project, WSC and BCSTH will create a legacy blueprint of promising practices that will be available for widespread use.
This three-year project is made possible with funding from Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) Canada as part of their Safe Kids Initiative, which has made response to the escalation in gender-based violence during COVID-19 a key priority.