Funding to help prevent gender-based violence

Eleven community organizations across the province received government grants to develop projects and services that benefit women in Prince Edward Island.  

A total of $300,000 in grants have been awarded to fund innovative projects that enhance awareness, education, and action towards preventing violence against women and gender-based violence in Prince Edward Island. The focus theme was Sexual Violence Prevention and Response. 

“Eliminating violence against women is everyone’s responsibility. This funding is another step on the journey to ending gender-based violence. I am confident that these organizations will continue to help raise awareness, encourage education and conversation, and inspire action. We all deserve to feel safe in our homes and communities.” 

- Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Natalie Jameson

“We are so grateful for this investment in our organization's ability and capacity to offer play therapy, an evidence-based intervention for working with children exposed to domestic violence. Effective and early interventions can change the trajectory of children's lives,” said Natasha McKenna, Executive Director of Family Services PEI. 

Funding for the Violence Against Women Prevention Grant is provided through the PEI Interministerial Women’s Secretariat and Women and Gender Equality Canada.

Media contact:
Katherine Drake    
Education and Early Years
kmdrake@gov.pe.ca

Backgrounder:

PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre - $25,000
Far From the Heart: Interactive Theatre Program for Teens proposal will tour the teen-dating violence prevention program to schools across PEI. 

Cooper Institute - $36,500
Better Understanding Guarantee Income and Gender Based Violence in PEI proposal aims to better understand the connection between guaranteed livable income and violence prevention in PEI.

EPWIC - $15,000
The goal of this project is to provide encouragement and outreach to businesses in the East Prince area to raise awareness about current interventions available in the province (such as the RISE and SHIFT programs, as well as programming provided through the PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre).

Community Legal Information - $50,000
Provide ongoing support for Justice Avenues and the RISE Program.

Family Services PEI Inc - $40,500
Through building the organization's capacity to offer Play Therapy, the goal of this project is to meet an unmet need in the community for children and youth who have witnessed and/or experienced domestic violence, including sexual assault or other forms of gender-based violence in their community.

The Boys and Girls Club of Summerside (BGC Prince County) - $14,000
The "Take it Easy" program will offer benefits that directly enhance the prevention of violence against women and girls. The primary focus is to empower youth aged 11-18 with essential knowledge and skills. Guided by a trained program leader, each session will offer valuable insights and hands-on activities that will promote awareness and prevention of violence against women and girls.

Native Council - $37,500
The main goal of the proposed project is to get a full and current picture of gender-based violence in the off-reserve Indigenous community so that future programs and projects can more accurately help the community where needed.

PEI Coalition for Women in Government - $32,000
The primary goal of the project, "Preventing Sexualized Technology-Facilitated Violence: Digital Self-Defense Training", is to equip women leaders with an in-depth understanding of technology-facilitated gender-based violence and teach them how to defend that protect themselves against online gendered abuse.

Women’s Network - $25,000
This project aims to reduce the number of Senior women experiencing gender-based violence in PEI by enhancing protective factors such as social connectedness.

The PEI Military Family Resource Centre - $4,500
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the goal of this project is to raise awareness by empowering the Military/Veteran/RCMP community to help end all forms of gender-based violence.

Actions Femmes - $20,000
This project focused on exploring partnerships with existing service providers in PEI (or other provinces, if appropriate) for crisis line support for the PEI Francophone community