By Maya Ekman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Source: NWOnewswatch.com
Dilico Anishinabek Family Care is rolling out a culturally-grounded anti-violence program to all First Nations the organization serves.
MPP Kevin Holland held a press conference on Monday to announce that the province is allocating $200,000 over the next two years to fund delivery of the 12-week Kizhaay Anishinaabe Niin (I am a Kind Man) program.
“This funding is to get into the communities and help people that are having difficulties with interpersonal violence, domestic violence, to make sure that we can support them in a cultural way to work towards healing and being accountable for the actions that they’ve taken towards their intimate partners” said director of substance health and special projects, John Dixon.
“We believe that we can take this money and invest it directly in communities and work with role models locally, to provide the kind of support that men need to see a good way of treating their partners and working towards healing” he said.
The funding will be used to train existing staff and hire additional staff to deliver the program which was first started by the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres.
Connecting culture with the program is essential to reach the outcomes that they aim for and that offering the program in all communities will target the problem directly on the ground in the places where it matters most, Dixon said.
“We have already been actioning this funding envelope, getting out to the districts, connecting with communities and trying to find the right people to deliver this at the community level,” Dixon said. “We’ve identified some role models that we believe will be integral to rolling out this program and connecting people and helping us to heal from the legacy of colonization.”
Holland said that the program will “help prevent community violence and victimization by using traditional teachings geared towards Indigenous men,” and that enforcement, prevention and support must go hand-in-hand to create change.
The $200,000 comes from the civil remedies grant program, which takes $5 million in cash and proceeds seized from crime and reinvests into 27 law enforcement agencies, community organizations and Indigenous partners throughout Ontario.
“Crime should never pay, and reinvesting the seized funds into these programs will help break the cycle of re-offending. This is about turning the proceeds of crime into tools for prevention, support, and safer neighbourhoods,” Holland said.
