Family Violence Prevention Month
November is Family Violence Prevention Month in Alberta.
Family Violence Prevention Month started in 1986 as a local initiative in the town of Hinton, Alberta where concerned residents launched a family violence education and prevention campaign.
This grassroots effort inspired the Alberta Legislature to support family violence prevention as an ongoing provincial initiative, resulting in the inception of Family Violence Prevention Month. Today, hundreds of Alberta communities and thousands of individuals are actively involved in preventing family violence through education and service provision.
Albertans encouraged to reach out to victims of family violence
Speak up for those who are silenced. That’s the focus of the government's Family Violence Prevention Month campaign which encourages Albertans to call the Family Violence Info Line at 310-1818 and help those affected by family violence. The 24-hour line is toll-free and available seven days a week. The Info Line provides help in more than 170 languages through a tele-interpreter service.
As a part of Alberta’s commitment to safer communities, public awareness campaigns focus on providing Albertans with an increased awareness of available resources. In November 2011, public awareness strategies will focus on supporting the Children and Youth Services Minister’s mandate to improve access to existing programs for those affected by family violence and expanding supports for aboriginal and immigrant people. Television ads, radio ads and print ads will highlight examples of the help people will get when they call the Family Violence Info Line. For more information about what you can do to “Speak up for those who are silenced,” visit http://www.familyviolence.alberta.ca.
Alberta Children and Youth Services has developed a community resource toolkit that includes a number of new Family Violence Prevention Month tools to help community members plan awareness activities and learn about resources relating to family violence. Materials and Resources include information sheets, booklets, banners, posters, wallet cards and postcards, as well as print, radio and television advertisements.
Family Violence Prevention Resources include:
- What You Can Do About Family Violence In Your Community Information Sheet
- How to Make Your Event Culturally Inclusive
- News Release Template - promote your initiatives with a news release
- Media Notice Template - let editors know about your event in advance
- What Faith Communities Can Do About Family Violence – an information sheet for spiritual leaders.
- Translated Information Sheets - a series of printable information sheets that have been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Punjabi and Spanish.
- Translated Audio CD’s – family violence information is read aloud in Arabic, Blackfoot, Chinese, Farsi, Plains Cree, Punjabi and Spanish.
- English Express Family Violence Insert – a four-page newspaper insert that explains information about family violence in pictures and simple English for those learning English as a second language.
- Family Violence Prevention Month Banner Ad – to highlight Family Violence Prevention Month on your website.
Communities across the province have planned events to recognize Family Violence Prevention Month and National Bullying Awareness Week. To find out about events happening in your community click on the links below. Please return to our website to check out ongoing event updates in each region as they become announced. To find out which region your community is in click here.
Events by Region:
The Family Violence Info Line 310-1818 helps Albertans reach out to individuals and families affected by family violence. Help is available anytime, toll-free provincewide, in more than 170 languages.
