Circles of Support and Accountability Peterborough
PO Box 235 K9J 6Y8 Peterborough, ON, Canada

Ontario’s plan for justice centres builds on past conversations with communities, including community needs assessments conducted in Toronto-downtown East, Kenora, and London in 2017 and 2018.

Is the severity of a sexual assault minimized when the perpetrator is a woman? Are we stigmatizing or criminalizing women in the same way we do men who are convicted of a sexual crime? I found a couple of interesting videos that, I believe, fall on either side of this argument: NBC Interview with Debra Lefave, a middle school teacher who was accused of sexual assaulting a 14 student: http://www.nbcnews.com///ns/dateline_nbc/t/crossing-line/... And this video, which chronicles difficulties that men face when speaking up about sexual assault.

Here is an interesting Tedx video about employment and former offenders. One of the largest issues that many ex-offenders face is gaining meaningful employment after being incarcerated. This video helps to explain why it may be a benefit to employ former offenders. Pointedly, the topics of public safety and fear were of particular interest to me.

Hey all! Are you looking for a way to build trust and safety within your community? If so, look no further! Circles of Support and Accountability Peterborough is looking for volunteers to help build support networks around former offenders within the Peterborough community, with the goal of enhancing public safety. For more information please attend or Information and Orientation Session on Wednesday, Nov. 24th from 1:00-3:00 at St. Paul's Church (120 Murray St, door on Water St, ring bell for entrance). Not sure? Feel free to email me at [email protected] for more information!!!

This advert is a bit older, but became a popular topic of conversation owing to a program called The Pedophile Next Door, which was added to Netflix a while back. I think the best part of this particular YouTube link are the comments written below the video- definitely a dialog worth encouraging.

This documentary does a wonderful job at demonstrating the power that Circles bring to communities and Core Members including building healthy relationships within the community, understanding victim impact and empathy, and reducing the likelihood of further offences. It's really worth a watch- part 2 of the documentary follows part 1 on YouTube.

Circles of Support and Accountability Peterborough is holding an Orientation and Training Session for potential volunteers on Thursday, November 24 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. We are looking for mature, enthusiastic community members to get involved. Volunteers must be over the age of 21 and willing to commit for 12 months (minimum). During the first hour of the session, potential volunteers or interested community members can expect to learn about the history of Circles of Suppor...t and Accountability, and get an overview of the current program. The second hour of training is designed to further prepare volunteers for their role as a Circle Member. Volunteers must go through a screening process prior to becoming a circle member. Attending the orientation does not automatically qualify a community member to join in a circle. Interested parties should forward a current resume or CV to [email protected] A current (obtained within the last 6 months) police record check and vulnerable sector check is required. Please check out our website at ptbochaplaincy.org for more information. For questions, please contact [email protected] or post on our page!!

CoSA Peterborough is looking for new volunteers! We are currently seeking out mature, compassionate, open minded people to help share in this community organization. We depend on our volunteers to give 1-2 hours/week for a minimum of 12 months. Please email [email protected] for details, and keep watch for our upcoming orientation and training session, to be announced soon.