Reflections on Victims of Crime in the North - A Gathering
Disclaimer:
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice Canada.
The world famous Northern Lights may not have appeared due to cloudy weather, but the Northern Responses and Approaches to Victims of Crime Conference 2009… Building on Strength and Resilience, lit up Yellowknife, Northwest Territories from September 29 to October 1. The landmark conference, which was two years in the making and a first of its kind in the region, brought together victim services professionals from across Canada's North. Two hundred and seventy-five delegates traveling from all 13 provinces and territories had the opportunity to share ideas and best practices on a wide range of issues. What follows are two accounts from people who work with victims in the North and what they took away from the conference.
My Experience at the Northern Conference
By: Cst. A.L. St-Germaine, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
In September of 2009, I attended the Northern Responses and Approaches to Victims of Crime... Building on Strength and Resilience conference,. I attended as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who works in partnership with community-based Victim Services, located in Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories. This community is located 27 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, on the Mackenzie River. It is accessible by plane only during the summer months and for approximately three months a year by a winter road. By all standards, this is a very isolated community. As such, the resources within the community are minimal and groups must partner with one another in order to provide a response of any kind to members of the community.
The number of resources that the conference presented really opened my eyes to what can be accessed by our community, regardless of the isolation factor. One of the more serious crimes that police officers deal with, in my opinion, is spousal violence. As a result, I attended the "Victims of Spousal Violence: Risk Assessment and Safety Planning Strategies" workshop. I found this workshop to be very informative and it provided me with different tips on how to help the victim and how to work with Fort Good Hope Victim Services to ensure the safety of the victim. The tips that I received at this workshop were passed on to our Victim Services Coordinator.
I also attended the "Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Youth Violence and Youth-Developed Responses" workshop. A kit was passed out during this workshop, with various activities to get youth involved in breaking the cycle of violence. Our Victim Services Worker is currently preparing to put on some of these workshops for people within the community. After attending this conference, I, in a way, felt rejuvenated to deal with victims again. It was very encouraging to meet people who work directly with and for victims of crime and learn from them and their experiences. I think there is so much more work that needs to be done to obtain the best working relationship possible between each group and that starts with information sharing. The possibilities are endless with these kinds of conferences for people to get together and network and meet people who are fighting the same battle.
Highlights of the Northern Conference
by Cpl. Shannon L. Mansbridge, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
I am a Corporal in the Crime Prevention/Victim Services Unit stationed in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I was very fortunate to be one of the few RCMP members chosen to attend the Northern Responses and Approaches to Victims of Crime Conference held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, in September of 2009. The conference was very well-organized and informative. There were so many great resources, presentations and workshops that it is difficult to choose just a few that were, for me, a highlight. Overall, personally, the biggest impact wasn't just the workshops and presentations, but the opportunity to network with people involved with Victim Services Programs from across Canada. There were many valuable discussions on how the programs function in each Province and we were able to find some commonalities, as well as some specific differences. The environment of the conference allowed us the opportunity to share best practices and discuss any issues or concerns within each program. I met with many wonderful people who exuded so much compassion, enthusiasm, wisdom and dedication to the victims they serve. I was excited to bring these attributes and successes back to F Division to share with the other members of my unit, detachments and the people dedicated to the Victim Services Programs.
Another highlight, for me, was the workshop presented by a representative of the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC). This presentation was called "Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Youth Violence and Youth-Developed Responses." Through this workshop, we were able to share community-level and community-driven responses to youth victimization and explore how these interventions can break the cycle of inter-personal violence among the youth. This presentation provided participants with NWAC's "Youth Council Violence Prevention Toolkit", which is a package containing booklets, facilitation guides, Power Point presentations and a DVD on different workshops created to present to Aboriginal youth, with the main focus on female youth. Each presentation is designed to provide information and tools for youth to utilize in five different themes: Domestic/Relationship Violence, Date Violence, Sexual Assault, Emotional/ Psychological Abuse and Bullying, as well as a section on Community Action. All the information required to instruct the workshop is provided for every category in the toolkit and can easily be presented by anyone. I recognized the value of this excellent tool for members of the RCMP, especially those posted to isolated locations, as requests are often received by the members to provide information on such topics. I ordered a toolkit for each of the members in my unit for their information and dissemination to their detachments. I also provided detachment commanders in my area with information on this toolkit and how they can obtain this valuable resource. Further information regarding the toolkit is available on the Native Women's Association's website.
There were many presentations that inspired me and I was able to share many best practices that I received at the conference with my co-workers and communities when I returned home. As they say, information is only useful if it is shared and I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of this conference, to learn and then, in turn, to share many ideas and valuable information with the people in our communities.
