Agency stepping up youth programs

Their work is cut out for them, that's for sure. There's no shortage of people who require the programs and services offered by St. Albert Stop Abuse in Families, also known as SAIF.

A new grant is helping them to plug the hole, though executive director Doreen Slessor admits more money is needed. Much more.

"We still are really just doing Band-aids," she confessed, referring to the agency's relatively new youth counselling program.

She was still thrilled to receive the $1,900 from the St. Albert Community Foundation at a ceremony held just before Christmas. The program is a new facet of service that, sadly, is already overflowing.

"Youth counselling was started two years ago as a pilot project, just five hours a week to start, just to see if there was the critical mass to even run the program," she began.

Slessor remembered a few years ago when there were a lot of parents who called looking for help for their children who had either witnessed or experienced domestic violence or were in a problematic dating relationship. This includes psychological and emotional abuse.

In the past, SAIF's mandate was exclusively set for adults, however.

"We didn't have any programs. We didn't have any staff either that were youth counsellors."

All of that has since changed. Now, programs and services are being designed for youth 12 to 17 years old and the age bar keeps getting set lower. Children's programs won't be far off.

"Within two months of the youth program starting … we were full on the waiting list. We thought there was a gap in service but we didn't think it was like the Grand Canyon gap. It's that big," she emphasized. "We have a gap between nine and 11-year-olds! If we had room, we could fit them in. There's just so many youths needing our help in the community."

Her hope is to catch these issues as early on as possible. If unchecked, she said, an abused child or youth could easily go through life not understanding what a healthy relationship is like and the cycle would repeat itself.

SAIF's website (found at www.stopabuse.ca) states that children who witness violence may experience a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties including fear, confusion, aggression, depression, and self-destructiveness or even seeking punishment as they identify it with love. They can also become perpetrators in future relationships.

"All of these cases are very complicated and we're just one agency. There might be four or five agencies working with each of these families."

This $1,900 grant will allow SAIF to offer 31 hours of youth counselling, a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things but still a huge boost for a worthy service.

Help for men

Slessor said that the next big service gap is for men, and not just for those who are perpetrators either. She said that there is a growing demand for help for men on the receiving end of domestic violence.

"We're just doing an analysis right now if we have the critical mass to hire a male counsellor. We would be looking at some funding sources to work specifically with men on both sides of the coin," she said.

"We have lots more men walking in our door than I saw in previous years. They're looking for help and some of the stigma is gone. They know that they can be victims of family violence as well."

The agency is gearing up for its fifth annual fundraiser that allows men to see what life is like in women's shoes. The Red Shoe Gala gives the ladies a break from high heels and gets the men to put them on, for a change in footwear and perspective.

A selection of man-sized red high heels will be available to borrow for gents who don't have their own.

To help things along, there will be great food and dancing as well. It's SAIF's 25th anniversary this year so it's sure to be a big event.

Slessor said that the gala has become so popular that it has had to move to a larger venue, which just so happens to be the same place where it was first held.

"It's kind of a flashback to the past, a nice trip down memory lane."

The event takes place on Friday, April 19 at the Italian Cultural Centre, 14230 133 Ave. in Edmonton. Cocktails start at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are $75 each and you can RSVP by calling SAIF at 780-460-2195 or via email at [email protected].