Culture and Family Support Program incorporates the traditional Mi’gmaq/Indigenous worldview with a focus on the male population and their families of the community. A program to complement existing family violence prevention programs and service delivery, to increase awareness on family violence in the community
Objectives
- To further enhance the skills and knowledge of Program Staff in providing and offering capacity-building training to work with individuals who have abused or are abused.
- To provide an expertise and the guidance to the Community Services team, Haven House and community resources in regards to culture program and family support in addressing family violence and utilizing this knowledge in family violence prevention programming development and service delivery, in the form of networking and partnerships.
- To provide a Mi’gmaq cultural based support services for promotion of non-violence and prevention of violence thereby increasing awareness.
- To promote a healthy lifestyle, free of violence, to the male population of the community and their families
- The ultimate aim of this project is to provide a cultural program and family support to the male population of the community. Currently, Haven House provides community-based program and services to victims, as well, with providing intervention and residential shelter to victims, there is no program that provides service to the abuser or program that deals specifically with family violence prevention, resulting in a gap in service and program delivery to community members.
Similar to many First Nation communities across Canada, Listuguj continues to report an ever present incidence of family violence (conjugal / intimate partner).
There is a definite need to provide services to abusers and to address the issue of violence.
Mitchell Isaac
Culturally Programming & Family Support Coordinator