Meet the Herd: Maria
Meet Maria, the Zebra Centre’s RCMP Justice Navigator! Maria shares why she’s so passionate about her role, one of her proudest moments as a member of the Zebra Herd, and much more.
Q: Tell us about your role as Justice Navigator at the Zebra Centre.
Maria: My role as the RCMP Justice Navigator is making sure that kiddos and families in rural areas are receiving court supports. I connect with rural Crown Prosecutors and Victim Services across Alberta, sometimes even outside of the province to arrange court preparation and accompaniment for kiddos who are required to testify. I get to support Crown and family meetings, provide court preparation and accompany our kiddos in court too.
Q: What does a typical “day in the life” as Justice Navigator look like?
Maria: My days are typically spent connecting and coordinating with Victim Services and rural Crown Prosecutors. This includes scheduling court preparations, facilitating virtual and in person Crown meetings, confirming day of supports from Victim Services and tracking court matters so we can provide supports accordingly. Some days, I get to provide court preparations for our kiddos and other days I get to spend time with them at the courthouse as their court accompaniment advocate.
Q: What do you love most about your role?
Maria: I truly love every bit of my job. From having to meet with the kiddos, empowering them with information about the Justice system and connecting with their support people. I also enjoy supporting Crown meetings, which can be intimidating and confusing for some families, but I get to be the advocate that can help them better understand the court process. I get to work to reduce re-traumatization in court, by ensuring testimonial aids are in place when kiddos must talk about their experience of abuse. I also love getting to connect with other supporting agencies and our partners, as it sets a reminder that systems are in place to serve children and youth who have experienced abuse.
Q: What is your proudest moment at the Zebra Centre so far?
Maria: Aside from being proud to support kiddos at court, I would say one of the proudest moments I’ve had is representing Zebra at the UAlberta Law Trauma Informed Lawyering Panel. I spoke in front of law students and discussed trauma-informed practices to better understand how re-traumatizing the court process is, and how we can be better advocates for those who have experienced abuse who are now navigating the justice system.
Q: What motivates you to show your stripes (your why)?
Maria: Thinking about all the kids that have to go through the justice system. It is an intense, long and painful process and knowing that the Zebra Herd is around to serve the children and youth who have experienced abuse motivates me every day to show my stripes.
Q: Lastly, share a surprising or fun fact about you.
Maria: I guess this isn’t really a fun fact, but it’s my favourite thing to bring up. I accompanied a child witness to court and while they were testifying, they were asked who was sitting with them and they said, “she’s a zookeeper who works at Zebra Centre” which made the jury, and the lawyers laugh. It still makes me laugh to this day.