Association of Communities Against Abuse
4704-55 St. Stettler, AB, Canada

The folks at Stettler Society for Prevention if Family Violence, and Big Country Anti-violence Association are making the rounds with roses, in Drumheller and Stettler areas. These will remain in public for the month of November, in honour of those children, women and men who’ve been harmed or lost their lives due to violence. #GoPurpleAB #WhereToTurn

We have a winner! Our Facebook/Instagram contest for 2 tickets to the Celeigh Cardinal concert was drawn for today, and the lucky winner was Brenda Barritt/earthworksfarm! Congrats, see you at the show!

We've taken over Augustana Students' Association's Instagram for the day! Join ACAA's Program Manager, Jenny, for great information and thought provoking questions about sexual violence as part of Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

CONTEST! ACAA is thrilled to be a co-host for this wonderful event at the Bailey Theatre in Camrose, in partnership with Rose City Roots Music Society this Saturday. Recent JUNO winning artist, Celeigh Cardinal will perform live. We would like to provide 2 TICKETS for one lucky winner to attend with a friend. To enter: Step 1-Tag the person you'd bring along, LIKE & SHARE this original post. Step 2- Head over to Instagram and FOLLOW our new ACAA account: ACAA_ALBERTA The lucky winner will be drawn at 4pm(MST) on Friday October 16th! You can also purchase tickets from the Bailey Theatre site: www.tickets.baileytheatre.com

This service is so important to survivors and their families. Imagine how overwhelming it can be following an abuse or assault, our workers can provide support, information and advocacy before reporting, during and after criminal justice proceedings. You are not alone, we are here to help.

Tune into Youtube TODAY to see the launch of Celeigh's new video. This song is incredible, and no doubt the video will be as well...

May is Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The issue of sexual violence affects everyone, we are here to help. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse or assault, whether it has happened recently or in the past, we can provide information, support and treatment. Call 1-866-807-3558, email [email protected] or message us here. #SVAM #ibelieveyou #supportsurvivors

Attention parents & caregivers: We have had a number of reports of school aged children accessing inappropriate sites or activities online, while working from home. Although many school divisions have safety measures in place to prevent access, this is only effective when connected to school wifi. Once a device leaves school premises, those safeguards no longer exist. To reduce risks, please monitor your child's online access, have them work in a common space at home, review device history and talk to them about staying safe online. If you need help or resources, please contact us: [email protected] or 1-866-807-3558

Happy Administrative Professional’s Day to our AMAZING Lydia Fraser! She is most likely the friendly, gentle voice you hear when you call our central office. She is the glue that keeps our agency together. She is a wonderful, caring human who goes the extra mile for staff and clients. Smart, organized, kind, funny, caring, professional and an absolute joy to work with. On behalf of the ACAA Board, Staff and Clients...THANK YOU SO MUCH for all you bring to our organization!

Remember, this amazing help line is available to all Albertans. If you need support during these challenging times, or anytime....call, text or chat with someone who is trained to provide help.

Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) Statement Regarding COVID-19 First, we would like to extend our warmest and most positive thoughts to eve...ryone. During these unprecedented times please know that we are thinking of survivors, our member agencies who serve them and our colleagues and partners. We plan to do our part in maintaining the health of the community, and hopefully this will help with the burden our health system is bearing right now and will continue to bear over the coming months. The AASAS team is working remotely. Everyone is connected to email, however there may be a bit of a delayed response to phone calls as we call in to retrieve messages. AASAS has cancelled all upcoming in-person First Responder Training sessions for March and April. We are contacting all participants to let them know their options of a full refund or transferring their payment to a future workshop. Anyone who has registered for March/April First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse training, and has further questions, can visit our website at https://aasas.ca/initiatives/first-responders-training/ for more information. Our member agencies, who provide such important services to individuals who have experienced sexual violence, have been implementing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and these are available through their individual websites and social media listed on our website https://aasas.ca/get-help/ Sexual Assault Services are working very hard to maintain support services while keeping their staff, clients and communities as safe as possible. Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence is still available seven days a week from 9am until 9pm. Text or talk 1-866-403-8000, chat https://aasas.ca. As an organization, we know this is a very challenging time emotionally and we will be staying in touch with our staff and member agencies. We will get through this by working together, and supporting each other and our community.

We have several social workers on the ACAA team-therapists, support workers, educators and board member-cheers to all of you, and your amazing work with our agency, clients, families, and communities!

We are so grateful to be the recipient of the funds raised in this event, and appreciate our friends in Drumheller helping to raise awareness about the importance of Mental Health and our services. If you need support or have questions, please contact us today: 1-866-807-3558 or [email protected] #mentalhealthmatters

Our friends at Augustana are hosting this event, the link to grab tickets is below.

We are proud to be a part of this very special event. Tickets available at the door!

Today, ACAA staff was in attendance for the public launch of the recent prevalence study on sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse. Watch for more information about this informative study, and how the issue of sexual violence affects Albertans. Approximately 1.8 million Albertans have been personally impacted by sexual assault or childhood sexual abuse, nearly 1 in 2 Albertans. This issue affects all of us, and we all need to work towards eliminating sexual violence.

We are happy to announce our new satellite office in Drumheller! This space will provide meeting space for support workers, therapists and staff, while serving clients. By appointment only at this time, please contact the central office for services and information: 1-866-807-3558 or [email protected]

With Red Deer being the closest location for individuals living within our service area, this is great news! In times of crisis following an assault, it can be very difficult to make decisions, the third options provides an opportunity to still have evidence collected and then take time to make an informed and thoughtful decision.

This will be a big change for rural communities in Alberta.

Would you like to learn more about supporting survivors when they disclose? Or learn about impacts of sexual assault and abuse? Or how attitudes and beliefs contribute to sexual violence? The AASAS First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training will be offered in Stettler on December 5/6. This in-depth training is valuable to anyone, as it prepares you to respond effectively to both adults and children when they disclose abuse or assault and to develop a greater understanding of the issue. Educators, front line workers, parents, coaches, health care professionals...this training is for you! Space is limited, please contact AASAS to register: https://aasas.ca//first-responders-/register-for-training/

We have been busy! Survivors are accessing the specialized support offered by sexual assault centres in Alberta in increasing numbers. This service is critical to ensuring that survivors feel safe and empowered throughout their journey.