Help SAFE So They Can Help Survivors Of Violence
Donation protected
UPDATE: December 9, 2024 - donations should be made directly to SAFE via this link:
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Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our organization. SAFE started off as a very small, Halton-based committee of survivors of gender-based violence. We have spent years volunteering any extra time we may have towards a common purpose:
To provide survivor-centric support to folks in our community experiencing abuse, leaving an abusive situation, and recovering from the aftermath of violence.
We have sought to fill a gap in our community; namely, the lack of awareness of gender-based violence and the fear, isolation, hopelessness, and uncertainty that comes from that. Adequate, culturally sensitive resources are minimal, and where they are plentiful, they are overwhelmingly so for someone who is on the path to recovery from trauma. That is where we come in.
SAFE provides peer support and we are uniquely situated to do so.
We:
- Are intimately aware of the widespread impacts of gender-based violence from our own lived and shared experiences
- Help survivors navigate the complexities of accessing resources and seeking help
- Teach survivors that recovery is possible
We do all of this from a compassionate and intersections lens, all the while amplifying the survivor's voice in our community through educational workshops, consultation with local organizations, and appearing as delegations before local governments.
After years of grassroots organizing on a small level, SAFE is proud to be growing and extending our reach. Your donation helps us do that.
With your support, SAFE will be able to:
- Launch our own programs and workshops to support survivors across Ontario
- Expand our services to provide more effective peer support
- Extend our consultative work and lobbying efforts
In short, your support will be integral to ensuring quality survivor-centric services to folks and their families across Ontario.
By survivors, for survivors
Supporting survivors of gender-based violence through recovery and beyond.
SAFE's mission is to address and prevent specific barriers faced by victims and survivors of gender-based violence, their families, and their friends by providing:
1. Peer support, discussion groups, outreach programs, and workshops catered to the specific needs of survivors, as identified by survivors.
2. Educational programs to and consulting with community organizations about gender-based violence from the perspective of survivors with lived experience.
Speaking up is an act of empowerment, bolstering self-esteem and resilience, and enhancing lives while striving to transform the lives of others. SAFE is dedicated to working collaboratively with other agencies to influence policies, educate the community and empower other survivors, their loved ones, and those still in crisis.
The objectives of this fundraising campaign are 3-fold:
1) To operationalize the organization; more specifically, to help get SAFE established and registered as a charitable organization so SAFE can continue their mission of:
- Community engagement through peer support
- Community referrals
- Outreach programs and workshops
- Raising awareness through educational public speaking
- Consultation with local organizations and governments
- Active participation in community events
- Monitoring community needs
All of this is being done with the aim of supporting those in crisis as well as those coming out of crisis.
2) To support the SAFE Committee; a small group of survivors providing peer support and resources for victims, family members and loved ones of gender-based violence.
In essence, the SAFE Committee is the heart and soul of the organization. They are the individuals using their lived experience to advocate for and support survivors in the community.
3) To build and operationalize SAFE Programs.
All of SAFE Programs help individuals in crisis, or recently out of crisis, to identify abusive behaviours, explore emotions, and plan towards long-term healing.
Importantly, all SAFE programs are created by survivors, for survivors. The underlying idea is to use the lived experience of survivors who have long been out of crisis, and are uniquely situated to provide survivor-centric guidance.
Learn more here: https://www.survivor-advocates.org/programs
Thank you again for your generosity and allyship.
As an integral member of SAFE - Survivor Advocates for Empowerment, Olivia powerfully shares her partial experience as a victim of domestic violence. As a survivor, Olivia's bravery, courage and voice is paramount to SAFE's mission and advocacy efforts.
Click on link here to read more on how communities in Ontario are declaring Intimate Partner Violence Is An Epidemic
Click here to learn more about Survivor Advocates for Empowerment!
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UPDATE: December 9, 2024 - donations should be made directly to SAFE via this link:
Organizer
Deborah Lawson
Organizer
Burlington, ON