Correspondence from Mary Manning Centre

Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee

November 6, 2013

Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee - CRD c/o Councillor Cynthia Day Committee Chair

Delivered via e-mail: Councillor.day@shaw.ca

Dear Councillor Day and Committee Members:

The Mary Manning Centre (MMC) has been the proud recipient of support and recognition from the community for almost thirty years. Awarded a community service excellence award from the BC Representative for Children and Youth in 2011, MMC is the only non-profit agency dedicated to treating child and youth victims of sexual, physical and emotional abuse in the Greater Victoria area.

We are writing this letter and application to request $ 3,000 in funding for the development of a “Turtle Talk program” on line training protocol which supports our strategic plan objectives of youth engagement and prevention services.

We are aware that it is estimated that a large percentage of youth in contact with the youth justice system have experienced abuse in one form or another. As well, aboriginal youth far outnumber the number of non aboriginal youth in the youth justice system. Numerous reports, including a recent report by the BC Representative for Children and Youth, indicate that there are significant service gaps facing aboriginal children and youth. Funding for the “Turtle Talk” educational initiative will enable us to extend the development of positive mental health in children, youth and families in BC First Nations communities at a minimal cost as MMC’s contribution to reducing this service gap from a preventative perspective.

MMC developed and delivered the Turtle Talk program in partnership with Twasout First Nation on Vancouver Island for 3 years. Turtle Talk is an abuse prevention program for hi risk aboriginal children, youth and families. It focuses on values, principles and situation focused problem solving. The program is geared for children ages 4-11 and their parents. MMC provided therapeutic support to victims and their families and mentorship to elders in the delivery of sex-abuse support services in a culturally sensitive and community based manner. Working with health and justice staff, the program focused on educating children, parents and families about the importance of disclosure of abuse, signs to look for, and healthy relationship building. MMC assisted in strategizing a prevention and recovery model that incorporates First Nation’s respect for restorative interventions and outcomes. MMC also supported training for aboriginal staff in trauma and sex abuse counseling.

As a result of the success of this program, MMC received numerous requests from other First Nations to deliver the program on reserve. On line protocols will increase our capacity to do so by developing the materials for service delivery by First Nations personnel given MMC’s limited financial resources. Our 3 year experience with Turtle Talk can now be shared by documenting its protocols and training for online distribution to BC reserves for implementation in their communities supporting aboriginal self sufficiency and development.

Annually, MMC delivers accredited services to more than 200 children and non-offending family members every year. MMC staff works with families, schools, police and professionals in family services to ensure a coordinated, holistic approach to supporting children and families. MMC’s clinical team consists of child and family therapists and art therapists with Master’s level credentials. We provide care for children and youth at every stage of healing from crisis management, hospital accompaniment and counseling, court preparation sessions and post-court follow up. We also provide resources and information to Victims Assistance Programs (VAP) throughout Vancouver Island and Sexual Abuse Intervention Programs (SAIP) throughout BC.

Some of our initiatives which may be of interest include:

• Initiated and developed the original ORCA project which MMC devolved in 2011
• Art and somatic therapies with clients form part of MMC’s therapy repertoire
• Supported the development of a YOU tube clip about abuse created by youth from MMC. The design, development of this presentation engaged youth in the message and articulated their feelings about abuse in a meaningful, engaged way.

I hope that I have provided sufficient information for our request to address the needs of our community.

Thank you for taking the time to consider funding our organization, and we again thank you sincerely for the committee’s work fostering the development of a healthy society and environment for children and youth.

Sincerely,

Sandra Bryce Executive Director Mary Manning Centre

Mary Manning Centre 210 - 1175 Cook St Victoria, BC V8V 4A1 P: 250.385.6111 F: 250.386.8111