Family Violence Initiative
COMPENDIUM OF PROMISING PRACTICES TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND INCREASE SAFETY OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA – COMPENDIUM ANNEX: DETAILED PRACTICE DESCRIPTIONS
INTERACTIONS WITHIN COMMUNITIES
Healthy Relationships: Children and Youth
- Program name:
Be More than a Bystander Campaign
- Organization:
Ending Violence Association of B.C.
- Location:
Vancouver, British Columbia and surrounding areas
- Target Group:
Everyone (with a focus on young men).
- Contact Name:
Tracy Porteous
- Phone:
604-633-2506
- Email:
- Website:
Program Overview
- History:
The "Be More Than A Bystander" campaign was launched in July, 2011. This two year initiative will see sports icons from the BC Lions use their status and public profile to create awareness about violence against women in BC and urge everyone to "Break the Silence on Violence Against Women."
Program Description
- Goals & Objectives:
To increase the understanding of the impact of men's violence against women and to provide the tools, language and practical ideas about how to be more than a bystander, how to speak up and how to communicate that violence and abuse is not acceptable.
- Traditional/Indigenous ways:
N/A
- Components of program:
The program offers 40 school-based interactive educational workshops about gender based violence facilitated by B.C. Lions players emphasizing the importance of developing respectful relationships. B.C. Lions coaches are also brought in to train at an amateur football coaches' clinic instructing coaches on how to mentor their teams and talk to them about the issue of violence against women. The program has also created a series of public service announcements featuring B.C. Lion's players giving positive messages on how it is "cool" to respect women. There has also been a film and viewer's guide directed at youth with positive messages on how it is "cool" to respect women.
- Services/How they work:
Services are provided on location at the various schools the program visits.
- Funding:
Funding is provided by the Department of the Status of Women Canada; Province of British Columbia; the Ministry of Child and Family Development; Encana Natural Gas; the City of Vancouver; and the City of Surrey.
Relationships and Stakeholders
- Involvement of Target Groups:
Steering the "Be More Than a Bystander" initiative is an advisory group of women who are experts in the area of violence against women: anti-violence services providers and survivors of violence who bring extensive knowledge, commitment and experience to this project.
- Partners:
N/A
- Other relationships:
N/A
Details of Program Evaluation
- Evaluation:
No evaluation has been completed.
- Highlights of Evaluation Findings:
N/A
Program Outcomes
- Measures of Success:
Success is measured against the feedback given from the program participants (students and coaches).
- Achievements:
To date, there are a series of public service announcements that have been played at BC Lions games, on radio 1040 and on Global Television and they are on the EVA BC website. J. R. LaRose, from the One Arrow First Nation south of Batoche, Saskatchewan, is one of the BC Lions who made video and radio public service announcements for "Be More Than a Bystander."
- Challenges:
N/A
Things to Know to Replicate
- Replication Advice:
The program is considered replicable. Potential program designers would need to establish their own relationships with sports organizations to find sport champions to participate in the campaign.
- Resources:
Human resources to organize and collaborate with a sports organization would be needed.
- Date modified: