10 projects receive Crime Prevention and Victim Services Trust funds

Crime Prevention and Victim Services Trust Fall 2019 Recipients

Champagne and Aishihik First Nations received funding for two projects this session. The first project was the Trauma and Conflict Resolution Program, which received $25,000 and will facilitate five days of on-the-land training and circles for language learners, front line workers and community members. Content includes trauma training, conflict resolution, regulation and resiliency skills and a day of ceremony. Several follow-up circles after the training will be held.

Champagne and Aishihik First Nations’ second project is the Youth Outreach Program, which was awarded $58,542. This project will deliver workshops and programming to empower youth, build a sense of belonging and address risk factors. In consultation with youth, the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations plan to deliver a youth spring dance, teach life skills, host circles, provide one-on-one support, bring speakers and educators to the community and promote harm reduction.

The Heart of Riverdale Community Centre was awarded $29,594.95 for Hip Hop at the Heart, a free drop-in music production and recording program. For youth aged 12 and up, the program is intended to reduce barriers to accessing arts education and provide a safe space for youth. A coordinator will facilitate activities, manage youth-directed projects and provide support and referrals. The centre will also host performance opportunities for youth to showcase what they’ve learned.

The Dawson City Arts Society, through the Klondike Institute of Art & Culture, was awarded $6,000 to support its Youth Art Enrichment program. Youth Art Enrichment is a six-day art camp held annually in Dawson City for youth ages 14 to 18. Young artists choose their medium from options such as wood carving, screen printing, improv, stained glass, illustration, animation and filmmaking. This funding is supporting chaperones to provide 24/7 supervision for at-risk and community youth to participate in the program.

Kluane First Nation was awarded $25,706.72 for their Roots “Trauma Healing and Support Workshop Series” Project. Kluane First Nation plans to hold eight workshops on trauma, resilience, self-care and reconnection to the land. This project is based on the understanding that historical trauma manifests as ongoing disparities, weakened social structures, substance abuse, suicides and violence. Intended for front line service workers and community members, the workshop series aims to promote holistic healing from trauma.

The Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon (LDAY) is receiving $9,600 for their Attention Regulation (ADD and ADHD) Support project. The Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon plans to provide individual support and interventions for individuals with ADHD to help them develop their self-regulation skills, attention and focus. Facilitators will mentor and coach individuals one-on-one, as well as create age-specific support groups.  In addition, LDAY intends to create and present workshops to support educators, parents and adults.

The North Klondyke Highway Music Society has been granted $11,158 for the Dawson City Youth Fiddle and Jigging Community Tour. The Society has been delivering music education and presentation for 15 years. The group plans to tour young fiddlers to Old Crow, Pelly Crossing and Mayo to do fiddle and dance workshops. In each community, and in Dawson City, they will host a community dance. In Old Crow, the Old Crow Jigging Club will help with dance demonstrations. A Dawson dance band will provide music and dance instruction in Pelly Crossing, Mayo and Dawson City.

Second Opinion Society (SOS) was awarded $18,919 for its Mental Health Awareness and Self Care project. SOS plans to facilitate a series of two-hour mental health workshops for their members. Participants will learn techniques for self-care and positive ways to manage their emotions. Topics addressed at the workshops will include managing relationships and emotions, coping with grief and loss, taking a holistic approach to stress reduction and anxiety and creative arts therapy.

Teslin Tlingit Council was awarded $27,009 in support of Weaving Culture through Justice. This project will provide six weeks of cedar bark weaving instruction in both Teslin and Whitehorse.  Each week, elders will provide a one-day workshop on the history of clans, potlatch laws, clan emblems, Tlingit stories and legends, drumming and singing. The workshops are open to men, women, youth and children, and aim to address trauma and build healthy relationships through practising this traditional art form.

The Yukon Women’s Transition Home Society was granted $16,300 for the Women’s Social Justice Group. This project is a biweekly social justice group for women who have experienced violence and abuse. In a safer space, the women will learn, share and participate in wellness, art and self-care activities, including land-based healing. They will learn about safety planning, causes and dynamics of abuse and family violence, ways that victims resist and myths around violence.