As an undergraduate student at the University of Western Ontario, I worked at the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children. There, I met Barb MacQuarrie, the remarkable Community Director of the Centre. Currently, she works behind-the-scenes to develop and implement the Neighbours, Friends, and Families (NFF) campaign.
Last fall, I interviewed Barb and her colleague, Margaret MacPherson as a Book and Magazine Publishing Post-Graduate student. I decided to publish my interview with Margaret to help raise awareness about this amazing campaign, and hopefully help abused women in need.
According to the NFF website, Neighbours, Friends, and Families "is fast becoming the most highly sought after, innovative, community-based woman abuse prevention campaign."
- What is your background and qualifications?
I have a Masters degree in Theory and Criticism (I know, it’s rather obtuse as far as degrees go). Until a year ago, I worked in the provincial government in areas of social and victim services since I graduated in 2003. I have had a focus on children and violence against women issues and have supervised projects and programs for the province.
- What is your current job in the Neighbours, Friends, and Families campaign?
I am a developer for the workplace program.
- What makes the program work—what makes it effective?
NFF is effective because it recognizes the tragic and widespread impact of woman abuse and the vital role that neighbours, friends, families, and coworkers can play when people they care about are in trouble. It supports ordinary people by giving them information and concrete tools to take safe and effective action when they suspect woman abuse. It assumes that people do care about the issue and that they will "do something" if they know what to do.
NFF also teaches that small actions can make a big difference – an act of kindness or just telling someone about the campaign counts. Large social change is made up of an infinite number of small, everyday, ordinary actions that move in the same direction. In the case of NFF – that is early intervention and prevention.
- What are you most proud of in the Families, Friends and Neighbours program?
I am proud that there is an Aboriginal campaign – Kanawayhitowin, and also a francophone campaign and that NFF materials are available in a growing number of languages. I am proud of the fact that we have the courage to call it what it is -"woman abuse" - and that we want to find ways to engage men who are abusive so that they will get help much earlier. We are creating a disability strategy.
I am very proud of the workplace program. Last year, in our first year and while we were still just developing the program, we celebrated over 200 organizations from the public, private and non-profit sectors who became NFF Workplace Champions in 5 communities.
- What are your future prospects for the program? Are there any changes your would like to implement in the future?
We will continue to support employers in becoming prepared to address woman abuse in their workplace. We will train and certify a group of trainers this year. We offer the training for free at this time so we want to be accessible and able to respond to workplaces in a timely way. We want to do more work at the community level – connecting employers with the local experts that are in every community in Ontario in small and large anti-violence social service organizations. We want to begin to market the program.
We want to develop a presence on social media.
- Would you please give me a brief description of a specific (training) program within the campaign?
There are several training options in the NFF Workplace Program.
The 2 day training program teaches people how to recognize the warning signs of abuse so that they can take safe effective action as individuals and as employees. The OHSA legislation and workplace specific roles and responsibilities are discussed and the participants unpack some of the challenges of dealing with domestic violence such as the tension between confidentiality and safety. Woman abuse is set into the larger context of domestic violence since it is the most lethal form of domestic violence. This allows employers to feel prepared in meeting their obligations under the new legislation. We spend time learning the actual skills of ‘safe and effective’ interventions.
The one hour ‘core content’ presentation teaches the warning signs and provides tools and resources for people to take action.
The one day training focuses on intervention skills and includes the one hour core content presentation.
Other options are available, we work with leadership teams to design training programs that are appropriate for their workplace.
- How do you get the word out about the program?
As far as I know, most of the activity is coming through the website. We want to begin to market the program now that the workplace program development is completed.
A few communities have hired coordinators who are contacting organizations in their local areas. There hasn’t been any sustained funding for implementation since the beginning of the campaign so it is testimony to the commitment of everyone involved and the strength of the campaign that it is flourishing in the way that it is. The province does supply crucial dollars for resources, development and training.
Sources:
- Margaret MacPherson (workplace program developer in the Neighbours, Friends, and Families campaign), interview by Daniela Smith. Email interview. Toronto. October, 2010.
- Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children. Neighbours, Friends & Families.
