November is Family Violence Prevention month and Rowan House hosted the fourth iteration of their popular Breakfast with the Guys event to bring awareness to the cause and provide education on gender-based violence.
Angela Koenig, a preventative education facilitator with the organization, was the master of ceremonies for the event, which was held virtually on Nov. 5.
“Abuse thrives in secrecy, and we need everybody to come together to talk about these issues,” she said.
Breakfast with the Guys is an event designed to teach individuals about family and gender-based violence, and how they can be involved in prevention. This year, 47 people logged on to learn more about the cause, said Rowan House community relations co-ordinator Ally Cramm.
The early morning session began with information that highlighted the prevalence of domestic violence locally, and the impact this has on Rowan House. Participants were presented with digital question boxes that allowed them to send their answers to the moderator, which provided the base for discussion.
A few of the standout statistics provided by Koenig were that individuals aged 15 to 24 have the highest rate of domestic violence. She continued to explain that in one year, Canadians spend $7.4 billion to flee domestic violence and that every seven days, a Canadian woman is killed by her abuser.
Of the Zoom attendees, 76 per cent said they or someone they know had been affected by domestic violence.
“Stats are important. They just give us that reason to keep driving and keep doing the work that we’re doing and keep providing safe spaces for women – to make sure that shelters are accessible, to make sure that we are accessible for women to come to when they need that safe place,” said Koenig.
She added that in the last fiscal year, Rowan House served 56 women and 43 children in shelter.
The guest speaker for the fourth annual Breakfast with the Guys was Michael Hoyt – a municipal social worker from Edmonton who has worked extensively on developing allies’ ability to have conversations about domestic violence, as well as the role of men and boys in creating change.
Hoyt has received multiple awards for his work, including the Government of Alberta’s Inspiration Award in 2017, and the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) Men of Honour Award in 2015.
“Historically, we’ve been slow to rise to the work of preventing family violence,” Hoyt said. “I think that’s because we benefit from gender inequality – how we think, behave and relate to women and other men, play an essential part in keeping gender inequalities alive.
"With so much involved and at stake, men have a critical role in achieving gender equality.”
Some of the topics addressed by Hoyt included language, stereotypical gender roles, men’s mental health, healthy peer relationships, creating allies, positive masculinities and working with fathers to educate them to support themselves and their sons.
“I want to challenge men to become allies, advocates and activists,” he said. “The process doesn’t have to happen in strict order, and I can’t provide an exact recipe. The point here is that we walk with those dealing with abuse to hear from them where we can be helpful.”
Nov. 15 is Go Purple Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and starting the conversation about domestic violence. Rowan House is selling shirts for the occasion, with slogans such as ‘Break the Cycle,’ ‘Create Change’ and ‘Love Shouldn’t Hurt.’ To order a shirt and support the cause, visit rowanhouse.ca/fvpm
For more information about Family Violence Prevention Month and the work that Rowan House does to support women and children fleeing domestic violence in Foothills County, visit rowanhouse.ca
