The three-day Leading Change training encourages leaders to take action to end gender-based violence and abuse which supports the Edmonton Police Service’s commitment to reduce and prevent revictimization in intimate partner relationships.
Training will address:
- Gender-based violence – social constructs and creating a new paradigm.
- Bystander approach – everyone has a role to play in violence prevention.
- Speaking up against unhealthy beliefs and attitudes; promoting healthy ones.
- Empowering youth and leadership.
- Promoting respectful and healthy relationships.
- Developing strategies to respond to gender-based violence proactively to create social change.
“Leading Change is about creating a cultural shift. It’s about taking small steps that have a big impact,” says Jan Reimer, Executive Director of ACWS. “SROs are genuine leaders and positive role models for students so it is the perfect fit to have them as champions of Leading Change within the school systems.”
SROs will receive training that will ignite interactive discussions with high school students. They will be able to engage all students to identify and appropriately respond to and report gender-based violence that occurs in their schools and community. The SROs will help create a positive change in attitudes and behaviours in high schools which will contribute to a significant reduction of violence overtime. SROs will facilitate various activities throughout the school year to address this issue.
“This initiative is for high school aged students who are beginning to date and/or start intimate partner relationships or may be exposed to violence in the home,” says Sgt. Ray Wood with the School Resource Officer Unit with the Edmonton Police Service. “This is a great leadership opportunity to educate our youth, to prevent violence, and model the building of respectful and safe relationships.”
The 30 participants will include EPS School Resource Officers, police officers, high school teachers, principals and youth workers.
This initiative exemplifies community policing. The EPS is working in partnership with ACWS, who has contracted with Mentors in Violence Prevention Strategies to offer this dynamic training. This is in addition to the historical partnership the EPS has with the Edmonton Public and Catholic School Boards since 1979.
Thank you to the Edmonton Police Foundation for funding this educational initiative.
Quick Facts
- Dating violence is highest in the 15 to 24 age category. Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics 2010
- The EPS responds to approximately 8,000 domestic violence calls per year.
- There are 19 SROs with the Edmonton Police Service who work with 21 high schools.
- Edmonton will be the first police agency in Canada to receive training on the Leading Change curriculum.