Victims and Survivors of Crime Week 2019

May 26 - June 1, 2019 is Victims and Survivors of Crime Week. This week is intended to raise awareness and initiate discussion about the issues victims and survivors of crime face and improving the resources that are available to them. It is also a time to thank service providers who dedicate themselves to assisting and supporting these individuals and their families.

This year's theme is: "The Power of Collaboration". We believe in the power of collaboration whole-heartedly at the Zebra Centre as we have seen just how effective it can be.

The criminal justice system and victims services have made tremendous strides in providing more opportunity for collaboration through multi-disciplinary approaches and partnerships over the years.

The Zebra Centre is a multi-disciplinary organization. Under our one roof, we have over 50 individuals from 5 different organizations (in addition to Zebra staff & volunteers) who play a vital role in supporting and assisting children and their families who have been impacted by abuse. We also have many off-site partners who play a fundamental role in our work.

We are proud to have been the first Child Advocacy Centre of its kind in Canada that was able to show just how effective working collaboratively could be - especially in terms of reducing trauma for children and their families. We are delighted to say that this model has been adopted by many, and there are now 27 Child Advocacy Centre's across the country!

This week, we take time to think about those who have unfortunately been impacted by crime and look at ways we can improve services and supports to assist them in their journey. We also take this opportunity to thank all of those who work in professions that support and care for victims and survivors.

Service providers who respond to crime are continuously working towards improving systems to ensure the needs of victims and survivors of crime are met (and exceeded). We at the Zebra Centre believe this can be achieved with the power of collaboration.