This May, EVA BC staff, Wendy Potter, Director of Community Coordination for Survivor Safety (CCSS) and Evie Griffin, Program Lead for CCSS, delivered two days of training on Interagency Case Assessment Teams (ICATs) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Coordination in Hazelton. A village on the banks of the Skeena River, Hazelton is surrounded by the peaks of the Skeena and Kispiox mountain ranges, and sits about halfway between the larger towns of Terrace and Smithers, on Highway 16, the infamous Highway of Tears.
They remarked on the stunning location, the deep sense of connection in the community. “Wendy and I both learnt a lot about the community and were very warmly welcomed by everyone, in such a stunning part of the country,” said Evie.
A wide variety of workers from the local IPV sector attended the training with representatives from Gitanyow Human Services, Gitxsan Child and Family Services Society, Community Corrections, Northern Society for Domestic Peace, RCMP, and Upper Skeena Counselling & Legal Assistance Society, just to name a few.
“The community put a lot into the two days together and strongly participated in the training, asking questions that showed us they understood and were interpreting the training well,” said Evie.
She noted that the students were engaged in their work together with a strong desire to listen and learn from each other.
“It was such a highlight to see everyone so actively involved in the process of learning and developing their relations with each other to build on community initiatives and further their understanding and processes.”
For more information on the coordination training the CCSS Team provides to anti-violence workers, community service providers and system partners around the province visit EVA BC’s Training Centre.
