Like so many of you, we’ve been reflecting on 2021 and celebrating all the things that we have accomplished this year! While this year has not been short on it’s challenges (we’re looking at you, COVID), we managed to achieve new milestones, introduce new programming to WAVAW’s wrap-around delivery service, and continue to inspire the community to shift society to become a place that is safe for survivors. 

Here are some highlights of what we have achieved at WAVAW this year with your support:

The Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Tripled in Size 

• With this dedicated crisis response team, WAVAW is able to provide survivors with the care that they need within those critical first hours after an assault. WAVAW’s SART workers provide emotional and crisis support, intake and assessment for all of WAVAW’s services, accompaniment to hospital, police, and medical appointments as well as appropriate referrals in the community.

Launched our Transformative Justice Pilot Project

• For some survivors, the carceral system does not provide them with a sense of justice; regardless of the ruling. This rings true to survivors who are Indigenous, racialized, trans, Two-Spirit, or gender diverse. Through this two-year pilot project, we centre the needs of survivors and create safety and freedom for them to imagine and actualize their personal healing needs outside of the criminal legal system.

Introduced New Support Groups

• We’ve been building our capacity to give survivors a space to connect (virtually and in-person) so that they no longer feel isolated in their experiences. Not only were we able to offer drop-in support groups; we also introduced new connection-based programs for survivors to safely share their experiences alongside other survivors.

Relaunched the Reimagining Justice Support Group

• Despite the fact that most of our support groups have long wait-lists for participation, WAVAW is committed to providing alternative ways for survivors to connect. After a year-long hiatus, we were able to offer Reimagining Justice virtually, empowering survivors to name system-specific challenges with the existing options we have available to respond to sexual violence.

Expanding on Programming that Support Indigenous Survivors

• This year, we introduced a new monthly virtual workshop series called Remembering Our Ancestors for Indigenous survivors. Month to month, survivors can be grounded in cultural teachings that re-establish a connection to the land, bring traditional movement for healing the mind, body, and spirit, reclaim their stories, and learn ways to bring Indigenous teachings into their daily lives. This program will be available until February 2022!
• This past fall we coordinated and hosted the Honouring Survivors Pipe Ceremony which safely connected Indigenous community members of all genders to find a space to gather and find healing.

Their Spirits Are Still With Us Artist Talk and Silent Auction

• Artists Priscilla Omulo and Mack Stewart donated six original paintings to support the culturally-relevant support services that WAVAW provides to Indigenous survivors of sexualized violence. An artist talk was held to raise awareness about the disproportionate number of murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ peoples and the ways colonialism and systemic racism that contributes to violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit peoples to this day. 

Connecting Anti-Violence Workers and Community Members Through the WAVAW Salon Series

• The work to end sexualized violence cannot be done in isolation and must involve people from across communities to make the change needed for survivors to be safe. That’s why we created this salon series to invite anti-violence workers to explore critical and emerging issues that our communities are facing and share work that is being done by practitioners, academics, organizers, activists, and creatives on the topic of sexual violence.

Shifting Society Through Workshops 

• This year, despite the challenges that virtual workshops force, WAVAW was able to reach 700 people through 16 panels, workshops, discussions, events, and 28 hours of outreach!

Created Innovative New Ways to Connect Communities Through Streaming For Survivors 

• Last March, we introduced an innovative way to support survivors by creating a digital-based fundraising campaign that engaged over 45 streamers including sword-working classes, Tabletop Roleplaying Games, Live Podcast Episodes, Video Game Let’s Plays, and more. We were overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from this weekend and were able to raise just under $30,000 -crushing our $10,000 goal! Stay tuned… as Streaming for Survivors will be back March 20 – 26, 2022!

Even after nearly 4 decades of doing this work, WAVAW continues to evolve to support survivors and shift society. We’re so motivated to continue bringing new and impactful ways to change the lives of survivors of sexualized violence in 2022 and we’re glad that you are part of this change!