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News from the Hub

Hub Knowledge Exchange

The Knowledge Hub hosted a foundational Knowledge Exchange in Richmond, BC on October 20-21, 2016. It was attended by two leads from each project funded under the Public Health Agency of Canada’s investment, Supporting the Health of Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse through Community Programs.

Left to Right: Tania Smutylo, Cathy van Ingen, Tania Jivraj, Sara Mohamed, Jennifer Lapum, Denise Silverstone, Jo-Anne Dusel, Nicolas Berthelot, Renee Turner , Hannah Lee, Roxanne Lemieux, Mary Motz, Margaret Leslie, Katreena Scott, Angelique Jenney, Sherill Macdonald, Sonya Vellenga, Jennifer Garland, Shannon Hurley, Denise Lamanna, Anna-Lee Straatman, Maria Garcia, Candice Lys, Crystal Giesbrecht, Marilyn Ford Gilboe, Linda Baker, Karyn Kennedy, Kayley Mackay, and Jassamine Tabibi.

The objectives of the Knowledge Exchange were:

  • To establish relationships among the community of practice members.
  • To build connections among projects.
  • To identify issues and areas of trauma-informed health promotion that members want to focus on and address.
  • To explore adopting a set of trauma-informed health promotion principles and core competencies.
  • To explore common process and outcome indicators for the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Supporting the Health of Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse through Community Programs investment.

Trauma-Informed Health Promotion CoP members participating at an activity at the Hub Knowledge Exchange

The Knowledge Exchange provided the first opportunity for participants to meet each other, build relationships, and discuss what it means to belong to the Trauma-Informed Health Promotion Community of Practice. The “Building A Trauma-Informed Health Promotion Community of Practice” report captures the key themes that emerged at the Knowledge Exchange.

Trauma-Informed Health Promotion CoP members participating at an activity at the Hub Knowledge Exchange

Knowledge Hub Webinar: From Trauma-Informed to Trauma-and Violence-Informed

On November 29, 2016, The Knowledge Hub and the Learning Network collaborated with Dr. Colleen Varcoe, Professor at the University of British Columbia and a member of the Trauma-Informed Health Promotion Community of Practice, to host a webinar on the concept of trauma-and violence-informed care (TVIC).

In this webinar, Dr. Varcoe aimed to:

  • extend and integrate participants’ understanding of trauma-informed practice into their work;
  • shift participants’ thinking from trauma-informed to trauma-and violence- informed care; and
  • discuss some practical approaches to integrating TVIC and structural competence in practice.

 

Featured Resources

Trauma- (and Violence-) Informed Approaches to Supporting Victims of Violence: Policy and Practice Considerations (2016) by Pamela Ponic, Colleen Varcoe, and Tania Smutylo.

This paper provides:

  • An overview of trauma and its complex and lasting impacts.
  • A discussion on  the shift in language from trauma-informed to trauma-and violence-informed
  • Considerations of gender and culture. 
  • Explanation of principles and strategies of trauma-and violence-informed approaches.

“Briefing Note: Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care” (2016) by Project Vega & PreVail Research Network provides an overview of the differences between Trauma-informed Care (TIC) and Trauma-and Violence-Informed Care (TVIC).

“Enhancing health care equity with Indigenous populations: evidence-based strategies from an ethnographic study” (2016) paper by Browne, Annette J., Varcoe, Colleen et al., discusses an evidence-based framework and specific strategies for promoting health care equity for Indigenous populations.

 

Project Spotlight

Shape Your Life (SYL)

The Shape Your Life (SYL) project, a free recreational boxing program for female and trans survivors of violence released a boxing challenge video in early November 2016, calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to join them at the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club on November 25, 2016.  The day marked the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women where the Public Health Agency of Canada’s funding was announced for Shape Your Life.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the boxing challenge through a video message sent to the Shape Your Life project on the day of the event. Tom Traves, President of Brock University, and Kamal Khera, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health were in attendance to show their support.

Shape Your Life started 10 years ago as a collaborative project between Brock University, Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club, and Opportunity for Advancement. They developed a trauma-informed approach to engaging with survivors of violence through a physical activity-based program that also connects them to information, supports, and community resources. The project will measure the health benefits for survivors of violence.

Photo courtesy of Shape Your Life project
(From left to right) Tania Jivraj, Program Coordinator, Shape Your Life (SYL), Savoy Howe, SYL and Toronto Newsgirls Head Coach, Dr. Joffre Mercier, Vice-President of Research, Brock University, Julie Dabrusin, Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth , Kamal Khera, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, Joanne Green, Executive Director, Opportunity for Advancement & SYL Partner, and Dr. Cathy van Ingen, Associate Professor, Brock University & Founder of SYL.

Welcome Announcement

The Knowledge Hub welcomes five new projects that received funding under the Public Health Agency of Canada’s investment, Supporting the Health of Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse through Community Programs to its Trauma-Informed Health Promotion Community of Practice (CoP).

Building Internal Resilience through Horses project will deliver and evaluate a 12-week resilience-based intervention program featuring equine- assisted learning in combination with expressive arts and psycho-educational workshops. It will further existing research on the benefits of equine assisted learning for survivors of child maltreatment and for young women exposed to intimate partner violence. It is a collaborative project between The Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, Trent University, and The Mane Intent.

Trauma-Informed Health Promotion CoP Members: Jennifer Garland, Kateryna Keefer, and Sonya Vallenga.

Creative Solutions to Easing Victimization’s Effects project will develop and deliver a 12 week trauma-and violence-informed artistic and cultural program to increase the physical and mental wellbeing of Indigenous women who have experienced intimate partner violence. This project is led by the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS), in partnership with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and researchers at the University of Regina.

Trauma-Informed Health Promotion CoP Members: Jo-Anne Dusel and Crystal Giesbrecht.

iHEAL in Context: Testing the effectiveness of health promotion intervention for women who have experienced intimate partner violence project will examine the impacts of an innovative, evidence-based intervention called iHEAL, specifically designed to meet the needs of women who have separated from an abusive partner. iHEAL is delivered by community health nurses and a community partner working in partnership with women over a 6-month period. It is a collaborative project between Western University, The University of British Columbia, and The University of New Brunswick.

Trauma-Informed Health Promotion CoP Members: Marilyn Ford-Gilboe, Kelly Scott-Storey, and Colleen Varcoe.

Supporting Victims and Strengthening the Health of Northern and Aboriginal Youth Experiencing Teen Dating Violence in the Northwest Territories project uses drama, visual arts, moose hide beading, traditional hand drumming, photography, digital storytelling, and music to educate and facilitate discussion issues that affect Northern youth, including violence, relationships, sexual health, and mental health. This project is led by Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY), in partnership with University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Blachford Lake Lodge, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife, Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, Aurora College School of Health and Human Services, Northwestern Air, and First Air.

Trauma-Informed Health Promotion CoP Members: Candice Lys and Kayley Allin Mackay.

STEP: Supporting the transition to and engagement in parenthood in adults who have experienced maltreatment as children project will design, deliver, and evaluate an innovative intervention aimed at adults who have experienced abuse or neglect during their childhood and are awaiting a child. This intervention also aims to promote the psychosocial development of the child, and intercept intergenerational cycles of abuse. It is a collaborative project between the Centre d'études interdisciplinaires sur le développement de l'enfant et la famille (CEIDEF), Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), and The Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec (CIUSSS MCQ).

Trauma-Informed Health Promotion CoP Members: Nicolas Berthelot and Roxanne Lemieux.

Upcoming Events

 

What it takes to be a Trauma-informed Organization
Date & Time: January 31, 2017 | 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm Eastern Standard Time

Presented by: Ms. Holly Murphy, Advanced Practice Leader for Trauma Informed Care, the IWK Health Center and Ms. Sue McWilliam, Advanced Practice Leader for Outcomes & Evaluation Research, IWK Health Centre.

The IWK Health Centre is a pediatric and obstetric hospital that provides care to women, children, youth, and their families from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. In this webinar, you will learn about the Centre’s process of becoming a fully trauma-informed organization.

Reaching Youth through Sports: Trauma-Informed Physical Activity
Date & Time: March 7, 2017 | 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm Eastern Standard Time

Presented by: Ms. Rebekah Roulier, Chief Operating Officer, Doc Wayne

Doc Wayne, a non-profit that connects with youth through sports has a specially designed curriculum, Do the Good (DtG), built on the therapeutic model of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and The Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency Framework. In this webinar, you will learn about Do the Good, a trauma-informed sports intervention.

“Trauma and Children: Closing the Gap between What We Know and What We Can Do”, preconference workshop, the Canadian Conference on Promoting Healthy Relationships for Youth.
Date & Time: February 15, 2017 | 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

Speakers: Linda Baker, Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children, Joanne Baker and Renee Turner, BC Society of Transition Houses, and Heather Gregory and Sandra Pribanic, Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre.

In this workshop, leaders of innovative initiatives using trauma-informed physical activity will describe their programs, including trauma-informed yoga for children, youth and women in shelters and transition houses and trauma-informed dance for youth 12 to 17 years attending a community-based program. 

 

Knowledge Hub Team

Linda Baker, Sara Mohamed, Anna-Lee Straatman, Jassamine Tabibi

We would love to hear from you!

Contact us: astraat2@uwo.ca

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