The Peace Project Service Provider Forum Led by: Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society Funded by:...

The Peace Project Service Provider Forum

Led by: Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society

Funded by: Status of Women Canada

What is The Peace Project?

The Peace Project is a three-year, community driven initiative to

reduce violence against women and girls in Fort St. John. The project is led by the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society and funded by

Status of Women Canada.

The Peace Project: SWC Call for Proposals

Women Living in Rural and Remote Communities and

Small Urban Centres – Theme 1: Community Planning to Reduce

Violence against Women and Girls in Rural

Communities and Small Urban Centres in Canada

The Peace Projec

t

The Peace Project: Phases

oPHASE ONE: ResearchoPHASE TWO: Community

PlanningoPHASE THREE:

Implementation

The Peace Project: PHASE ONE

During the first phase of the Peace Project, three methods of data

collection were used to understand the influences, barriers,

and gaps in the community that perpetuate violence against

women and girls.


DATA COLLECTION METHOD #1:

Advisory Stakeholder Interviews

Twenty local service providers, who work with women and girls who

experience violence, were given in-depth interviews.

They identified the following…


o Which local women and girls are most at risk for experiencing violence;

o The most effective ways local service providers assist clients;

o The barriers and challenges they face as service providers; and,

o The local cultural factors that can contribute to violence against women.


ADVISORY STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWEES WERE FROM:Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society Fort St. John Community Corrections

North Peace Community Resource Society North Peace Aboriginal Success by 6

Northern Health Rising Spirit Aboriginal Youth Centre

School District 60 FSJ Mental Health & Addictions

Fort St. John R.C.M.P. Local Private Counsellor

Fort St. John Crown Counsel Child and Youth Mental Health



Focus GroupsSeven focus groups, with a total of

twenty-five participants, were held in November 2012. Participants

examined the local cultural factors that contribute to gender-based violence.

Notable themes were…


o Isolation;

o Materialism;

o “Camp culture”;

o Lack of services; and,

o Traditional gender roles.



Surveys

322 respondents, aged 19 and older, living in FSJ and surrounding area,

completed the Peace Project Community Survey. 95 respondents,

aged 13 to 18, living in FSJ and surrounding area, completed the Peace

Project Youth Survey.


WE ADVERTISED BOTH SURVEYS THROUGH:

Email Newspaper articles

Posters Television interviews

Flyers “Community Booths”

Project Website Drop-boxes

Twitter Info booth at North Peace Secondary School

Facebook On-on-one conversations


Respondents (Peace Project Community Survey)

Were from many different employment industries: Oil and gas, education, social

services, government, retail, health, finance, restaurant, media, and

environmental.

Also, the majority were: English speaking, Canadian, heterosexual, Caucasian, female, employed full time, aged 25 to 34, married, and earning an annual household income of

$85,000 to $149,999.


Questions in the Peace Project Community Survey covered the

following topics:Mental Health & Wellness Income

Financial Stress Employment

Housing Migration

Transportation Local Services

Isolation Gender Roles

Drug/Alcohol Use Personal Experiences of Violence/Abuse


Questions in the Peace Project Youth Survey covered the following topics:

Friends Local Services

School Relationships

Mental Health Parents

Drug/Alcohol Use Personal Experiences of Violence

The Peace Project: Definition of Violence

Violence/abuse is any act that results in (or is likely to result in)

physical, sexual and/or psychological harm or suffering.

This includes the following forms of abuse: physical, sexual,

verbal, mental/emotional, social, financial, spiritual, and cultural.

The Peace Project: Most at Risk

Of survey respondents from the Peace Project Community Survey, the following reported experiencing violence/abuse in

their past:

ALL RESPONDENTS 74% Annual household income of $35,000 to $49,999

88%

Annual household income of $35,000 to $49,999

71%

Always feel isolated 94% Difficulty finding affordable housing

86%

Never feel isolated 73% Do not have housing issues 70%

Aboriginal 93% Lack of confidence 86%

Caucasian 72% Always confident 74%

Grew up witnessing violence

88% Female 78%

Did not grow up witnessing violence

65% Male 52%


Of survey respondents from the Peace Project Youth Survey, the following were most at risk for experiencing violence/abuse:

Female

Isolated

Currently in a relationship

Experimenting with alcohol


REVIEW: Individuals over 19 years of age who are most at risk for experiencing violence

Isolated

Aboriginal

Grew up witnessing violence

Experiencing financial difficulty

Lower self-esteem

Female

REVIEW: Individuals under 19 years of age who are most at risk for experiencing violence

Female

Isolated

Currently in a relationship

Experimenting with alcohol

The Peace Project: What do we know about the rates of violence against women in Fort

St. John?

1. In 2011/2012, the Fort St. John Provincial Adult Criminal Court saw the highest number of concluded domestic violence cases in the northern court district (which includes Prince George).

2. In 2011/2012, there were an average number of domestic violence related calls to FSJ R.C.M.P.

3. In 2011, Fort St. John was ranked 11th in violent crime severity according to Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index.

4. Skye’s Place (Fort St. John’s second stage housing) is always full and always has a waiting list.

5. Meaope House (Fort St. John’s women’s emergency housing) is always full.

6. In 2012, 137 women were referred to the Stopping the Violence Counselling Program at NPCRS.

7. In 2012, the Community Based Victim Services at NPCRS saw 57 different clients – 54 of them were women experiencing domestic violence.

8. 78% of the 259 female respondents from the Peace Project Community Survey reported having experienced some for of violence in their past. 5% reported currently experiencing violence.

The Peace Project: High rates of concluded domestic violence cases

o 498 concluded domestic violence cases in 2011/2012 in the Fort St. John Provincial Adult Criminal Court*

o Highest concluded domestic violence caseload for British Columbia’s Northern Court System (including Prince George)*

NOTE: According to R.C.M.P. statistics, in 2012, there was an average rate of domestic violence related calls in Fort St. John. *Data retrieved from CORIN: Court Services Branch database

The Peace Project: What is a concluded domestic violence case?

A concluded case is one where an individual has

been charged and gone to trial; and, the case has since

come to an end. In other words, when a case has had a final ruling, it is concluded.

The Peace Project: Crime Severity Index

According to Statistic Canada’s 2011 Crime Severity

Index values for 238 police services policing communities

with a population over 10,000, Fort St. John is ranked

eleventh overall in violent crime severity.

The Peace Project: Crime Severity Index

The Crime Severity Index tracks changes in the severity of police-reported crime by accounting for both the amount of crime reported by police in a given jurisdiction and the relative seriousness of these crimes. It tells us not only how much crime

is coming to the attention of police, but also about the seriousness of that crime.

To do this, each type of offence is assigned a seriousness "weight". The weights are derived

from actual sentences handed down by courts in all provinces and territories. More serious crimes

are assigned higher weights, less serious offences lower weights.*

*Information from Statistics Canada

The Peace Project: Other Stats

The characteristics of FSJ that stand out from provincial and national averages include increased:

Wages for male workers Mothers who are “not in the labour force”

Wages for couples with children

Gender-based income disparity

Birthrate and teen pregnancy

Drug-related offences

Housing prices Rates of violent crimes

Transient population Number of men

Alcohol and drug use Younger population

The Peace Project: General Service Gaps

Related to preventing and addressing violence against women in Fort St. John, the

following gaps in service were identified:

Affordable Childcare

Counselling

Affordable Housing

Transportation

Legal Aid/Services

The Peace Project: General Service Gaps

Community members who face specific service gaps and

barriers (e.g. – isolation, racism, lack of targeted services, camp

culture, etc.)Aboriginal

Men

Youth

Workers in Industrial Camps

Men who commit gender-based violence

The Peace Project: Local Services

Services for women experiencing violence, named by the Advisory Stakeholders:

North Peace Community Resource

Society

Fort St. John Child Development Centre

Settlement Workers in Schools (SD 60)

Trobak Holistic Counselling

Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society

School District 60 Counsellors

Rising Spirit Aboriginal Youth Centre (NENAS)

Fort St. John Women Warriors

Mental Health and Addiction Services

Fort St. John Friendship Centre

Nenan Dane_Zaa Deh Zona Children & Family

Services

My Strength is Not for Hurting (North Peace Secondary School)

Ministry of Children and Family

Development

North Peace Pregnancy Care Centre

Blueberry River FN Healthy Relationships

Program

Northern Lights Recovery Centre

Local Churches Aboriginal Education Centre

Child and Youth Mental Health

Fort St. John Crown Counsel

Salvation Army Local Private Counsellors Northern Health R.C.M.P. Victim Services

Fort St. John R.C.M.P. Fort St. John Hospital OPT Sexual Health Clinic S.U.C.C.E.S.S.


If you want more information, the full report is available. If

you want a copy of, “The Peace Project: Gender Based Analysis of Violence against Women and Girls in Fort St.

John”, go to http://thepeaceprojectfsj.com/

gender-based-analysis/

Any questions?

The Peace Project: PHASE TWO

Community Planning Activities

o The Peace Project Community Survey

o Fort St. John CKNL Trade Show

o Meeting of the Minds


Peace Project Community Survey & Fort St. John CKNL

Trade ShowWe asked the following:

o How do we prevent violence against women and girls in Fort St. John?

o How do we better support women and girls who are experiencing violence?

o How do we better support those who commit violence against women and girls who wish to stop their violent behavior?


Peace Project Community Survey & Fort St. John CKNL

Trade ShowTheir answers fell into two main categories:

o Education and Awareness (70% of respondents)

o Resources and Support (30% of respondents)


Meeting of the Minds

The Peace Project Coordinator shared research with a select group of local

stakeholders. The stakeholders discussed gaps and barriers in service related to preventing and addressing violence against women and girls in Fort St. John. As well, they discussed local resources that could address

these gaps.


Feedback from the Meeting of the Minds, combined with information from the other

activities, resulted in the Peace Project Community Plan.

For the full Peace Project Community Plan, go to

http://thepeaceprojectfsj.com/peace-project-community-plan/

Any questions?

The Peace Project: PHASE THREE

What is the Implementation Phase?

o The Implementation Phase runs from May 2012 to March 2015.

o It includes an Implementation Plan that will be delivered by the Peace Project Coordinator.

o The Implementation Plan includes three key aspects of the Community Plan that involves various stakeholders in community-wide activities with the goal to reduce violence against women and girls in Fort St. John. Stakeholders include local service providers, industry and community leaders, health care professionals, youth, and the public-at-large.


Peace Project Implementation Plan

The Peace Project Implementation Plan focuses on:

o Capacity Building – “Lessening the Disconnect”

o Promoting existing services

o Engaging men and youth in preventing violence against women in Fort St. John


Capacity Building – Lessening the Disconnect

o Small Group Meetings (with local social service providers)

o Community Roundtables (I sit on the following tables: Fort St. John Violence Against Women in Relationships Committee, Family First Coalition, Healthy Living Alliance)

o Peace Project Service Provider Forum (with local community service providers)

o Industry Engagement (Engagement with local industry leaders and workers, health care professionals, municipal leaders)


Promoting Existing Services

o Resources for Women who Experience Violence – Deck of Cards

o “What are the Options?” – Service Provider Manual

o Peace Project Website

o “NO VIOLENCE: Starring Fort St. John” Awareness Campaign


Engaging Men and Youth in Gender-Based Violence Prevention

o Multimedia Project with Youth: Part 1 (Bert Bowes Middle School, Dr. Kearney Middle School)

o Multimedia Project with Youth: Part 2 (North Peace Secondary School)

o Interviews with Industrial Camp Workers

o 2014 Energy Conference

o Industry Forum

o Trade Show Speakers’ Corner

Any questions?

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