The Achievers Project
Side by Side Project: National Victims of Crime Awareness Week
Youth Alliance Project
Take Action Project
Girl EmPower Project

The Achievers Project is a prevention and intervention initiative between San Romanoway Revitalization Association, the Toronto District School Board, and the National Crime Prevention Centre, funded by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. It addresses the needs of “at-risk” students at Elia and Brookview Middle Schools in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood to decrease risk factors associated with crime, violence, and victimization and enhance protective factors for students, families, and the community. In May and June 2009, METRAC partnered to develop Achievers Project curriculum for students on gender issues, healthy sexuality, and sexual harassment. The curriculum will be delivered to and evaluated with students between October 2009 and June 2010.

Through funding from the Department of Justice Canada, ReAct Peer Facilitators engaged in a number of activities to raise awareness about victimization of girls and young women in schools and neighbourhoods during National Victims of Crime Awareness Week (April 26 to May 2, 2009). We engaged 1103 youth and 50 teachers in educational assemblies and workshops and distributed 6249 youth-friendly written resources on violence against girls and young women.

YAP Phase I

The Youth Alliance Project (YAP), funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation, sought to make schools and communities safer for young women. The Youth Alliance was a youth-driven collective focused on violence against women and girls. It worked to strengthen the capacities of youth to advocate for improvements to existing violence prevention strategies. In 2009, community forums were held for youth, which included training to build their civic engagement and advocacy skills. A literature review on violence against young women, including results of a survey on young women, violence, and oppression, was created. A youth-friendly poster on the issues, an advocacy peer training manual for youth, and a checklist for non-profit boards to assess their youth-friendliness were also been designed.

YAP Literature Review, Survey Findings, and Youth Demands (PDF, 56 KB)
YAP Poster (PDF, 391 KB)
Don't Make me Repeat Myself: A Peer Educator’s Advocacy Training Manual for Youth on Gender-Based Violence (PDF, 164 KB)
Youth Friendliness of Non-Profit Boards Checklist (PDF, 59 KB)

YAP Phase II

Members of the Youth Alliance were reconvened in early 2010 to address policing, sexual assault, and gender-based violence against youth in Toronto. The Youth Alliance will work to build more supportive police-youth relationships; create youth-driven systemic improvements to police policy and practices; and facilitate opportunities for youth to contribute to police training, policies, and processes. Phase II of the Youth Alliance Project is funded by the Laidlaw Foundation.

Funded by the United Way of Greater Toronto, this project developed a collaborative, intersectional, and multi-dimensional analysis of the relationship between women's poverty and violence. Participatory research and community consultations were conducted to inform the development of a policy brief.

"No Cherries Grow on Our Trees": A Social Policy Research Paper for the Take Action Project to Address Women’s Poverty and Violence Against Women (PDF, 379 KB)

Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada (GGC) received funding from the Ontario Government to partner and implement the Girl EmPower Project with METRAC. We worked with girls and leaders in GGC groups to create the Girl EmPower Challenge, a comprehensive training and activity program to prevent the proliferation of abuse and help diverse young women build healthy, equal relationships. The most exciting part of the project was the development of a Girl EmPower badge, designed by girls themselves. The Girl EmPower Challenge was released in September 2009 in English and French to thousands of diverse Brownies, Guides, and Pathfinders across Ontario and Canada.

Girl Guides of Canada-Guides Du Canada Press release on the Girl EmPower Project, May 2008 (PDF, 32 KB)