EDMONTON:ALBERTA

The Edmonton team provides services in Edmonton and the neighbouring communities of Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Leduc, Spruce Grove, and Stony Plain in central Alberta. A stand alone sexual assault centre at the University of Alberta is one of only a very few campus sexual assault centres in Canada. Edmonton is the only Canadian Making a Difference community that utilizes a "flying squad" of sexual assault forensic medical examiners who travel to the specific medical facility the victim has reported to.

NEWS:

April, 2012:
A special thank you.

Local media recently contacted Karen Smith, Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Center of Edmonton, to alert her that a rape victim’s name was posted on the court website. At the time, all of the local Crowns were in court so she contacted David O’Brien, a Crown on the other side of the country, and within seconds the information was pulled from the site. A special thank you to the media watchdogs and to the local Crown’s quick response.

March 12, 2012:
Bold Initiative Continues to Create a Lot of Buzz.

The “Hey Buddy Don’t Be That Guy” campaign is going global. Originally created in response to findings that 48% of 18-25 year old males didn’t consider it rape if a woman drank too much, the campaign is resonating with communities from Texas to Australia. That means the blogs and social media that accompanied the media launch across Canada in November 2010 were extremely effective in getting the word out. Due to the overwhelming success of campaign, The SAVE Committee in Edmonton is currently working on fine-tuning the artwork, and generating a new slogan to extend the campaign. Read the Story.

EVENTS:

April, 2012:
Event Follow-up: Sexualized Violence in Marginalized Communities

After the fall conference, Sexualized Violence in Marginalized Communities, the Edmonton team is expanding its outreach, and is currently working on a project with aboriginal women in more remote rural communities. The team continues to evolve to meet the unique needs of the community, and has engaged more minority representation that really understands what it’s like to be marginalized. To date, the program has grown from 5 participants to over thirty.

June 23-24, 2011:
Addressing Sexual Violence – Changing Attitudes, Changing Lives
Toronto Conference

The Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton (SAVE) gave a presentation on our “Don’t Be That Guy” campaign. Our campaign focused on the issue of alcohol facilitated sexual assaults with a poster campaign aimed at the offender. In Edmonton there has been a recorded increase in the number of alcohol facilitated sexual assaults committed by young men between 18 and 24 and that the vast majority of victims are young women of a similar age who have some form of relationship with the perpetrator. These are not stranger assaults. This was an excellent conference that addressed changing social norms and attitudes to bring about positive social change. Read the Story.

INITIATIVES:

2012:
A War Rape Therapy Program

The Edmonton team offers a War Rape Therapy Program for immigrants and refugees who experienced sexual violence during a time of armed conflict before arriving in Canada, and who need help dealing with what happened to them. One of the key challenges is to help these women realize why mutilation is wrong. For example, one woman from Somalia compared women being mutilated with sharp glass to putting braces on a daughter to make her more marriageable. An important part of this initiative is education and shared respect.

The Healing Movement Group

What started out as a pilot a year ago is now being offered in addition to regular individual and group therapy. Healing movement involves exercise and various types of therapeutic body movement to engage healing the healing process. Response to the class was overwhelmingly positive and the demand so high, it is now offered on a monthly basis.

2010:
A Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Initiative

The team expands its membership for special projects that have a different focus or broader scope, such as Don't be that guy! campaign, a poster campaign that uses graphic photos and language to increase awareness and promote changes in behaviour of 19-24 year old males. The team is a recognized leader in the development and delivery of services to immigrant communities, and has done significant work in the area of mass sexualized trauma experienced by survivors of Indian residential schools and war rape. Several members provide tele-health type support to doctors and nurses conducting sexual assault examinations in remote areas.

TEAM MEMBERS : SANE Committee (Sexual Assault Network of Edmonton)

CONTACT:

For further information about the Edmonton program contact: