Family Violence Initiative

COMPENDIUM OF PROMISING PRACTICES TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND INCREASE SAFETY OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA

INTERACTIONS WITHIN COMMUNITIES

Healthy Relationships: Children and Youth

Program Name:

Increasing Safety for Women in NWT Communities

Organization/Community:

Young Women's Christian Association

Location:

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Website:

www.ywcanwt.ca/

Goals and Objectives:

To implement safety options for women in eleven small NWT communities that do not have RCMP presence and to strengthen the connection among women in the communities.

Target Group Description:

Women and girls (ages 8 and up)

Program Description:

Program consultants seek to build trusting relationships among the Elders of the communities as well as the Chief of the communities to foster support from the leadership. The consultants also work with the schools in building healthy relationships with the children of the communities. The program operates within community gatherings such as BBQ's, hide tanning, and canoe trips. These activities are all done by the recommendations of the women of the communities and serve to create a safe space in which the women feel comfortable and free to talk about things without fear of consequences.

Program Successes/Impact:

The acceptance of a program initiated by outsiders of the communities by the women of those communities.

Key Lessons/Challenges:

Travel costs as these are fly-in only communities.

Program in operation since:

2011.

Program:

Ongoing.