Participant Reviews
I thought I knew quite a bit about our responsibilities relating to domestic violence already but the workshop last week proved otherwise! It was a very enlightening and informative time.
Andrea Klooster
Government Services Officer
University Students' Council, University of Western Ontario
EXCELLENT! I can’t compliment the organizing committee and the facilitators enough for such a great and thoughtful curriculum. I was extremely impressed with the content and the process of the 2-day workshop. It was evident that the presenters possess great understanding and expertise on domestic violence as a complex issue. Their knowledge and knowledge transfer of Bill 168 was presented skillfully and clearly. Their facilitation promoted openness and engaged discussion for all those who attended.
I especially want to commend the team building exercise (tarp) that promoted a positive tone for the two days. This exercise is the most effective tool that I have encountered. It demonstrated positive and supportive team functioning of co-operation and cohesiveness.
Personally I have many years’ experience and expertise on this subject and found the workshop entirely invigorating as there was much more for me to learn. I totally recommend it to all.
Kudos!
Aviva Werek Sokolsky, R.S.S.W
Mount Sinai Hospital
Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Health Complex
Department of Social Work
Women's and Infants' Ambulatory Health Programs
The training was very informative. We were given the opportunity to learn by engaging and making mistakes. The training taught us how to overcome misconceptions and gave us the tools to help if we are faced with a situation of domestic violence in the future. It was a hands on eventful training experience with a powerful message. We would definitely recommend the training to other organizations. By talking about domestic violence and helping all of us overcome our natural tendency to look the other way or treat it as "a private matter" due to our own discomfort, we take a step toward helping to provide safety for victims of domestic violence. Thank you for giving us the tools necessary to help us to make it our business.
Susan McBride, B.A., LLB
Highline Produce Ltd.
Leamington, ON
I want to rave about the experience our organization had with the organization - they offered two days of expert content training. The experience of bringing together Occupational Health, HR, Security, the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Program and Organizational Development together broke down silos to increase collaboration in meeting Bill 168 and in responding most effectively to DV situations in the future. Plus, the organization has excellent resources, all of which are free. If you're struggling with what to do for training and communication materials, check them out.
Sarah McVanel, BA, MSc
Manager, Organizational Development
Brant Community Healthcare System
Excellent training, very informative; an extremely compassionate approach. The networking was excellent!
Training participant
After taking this training I feel confident about going back to my organization and putting things into place so that we are prepared. I know what I need to do.
HR Manager - Training Participant
I went home (from Day 1) thinking about domestic violence. I looked at the news in a different way, thinking: What were the warning signs?
Training participant
I thought that I knew how to approach a woman [who is experiencing domestic violence]; however I learned about those small pieces that I was missing.
Training participant
The facilitators made the work seem fun even although there are challenges.
Training participant
This campaign reestablishes for me my deep down core beliefs that people don’t turn way from domestic violence because they don’t care but because they don’t know what to do. There are people in the community who do know how to help and support, so just to provide the link for that woman is life saving information for every person to have. I think it’s doing great things, and I think it will continue to do so.
Training participant
...Thank you Eric Magni, and the program for bringing awareness to this silent epidemic.
The Middlesex Hospital Alliance is a proud supporter of the program and fully endorses its adoption into other Strathroy-Caradoc workplaces. There is power in numbers and together through a common message and approach we can build a community culture where any form of abuse is not tolerated!
Written by Andrew King, Safety Officer and one of the Facilitators of the program for the Middlesex Hospital Alliance
We are a Tim Hortons Franchise located in Lucan Ontario; we maintain a staff of 40 to 45 employees. In November 2008 we were introduced to the Neighbours Friends and Families Program through a staff member who had utilized services from Women’s Rural Resource Centre and Victim Services of Middlesex County. We saw the merit of introducing this model to our employees to better their understanding of how Domestic Violence impacts the workplace. We began by presenting this program at a staff meeting, and have continued by incorporating it into the training of all new employees at orientation. We have participated in all levels of the Workplace Champions Program and found the information gained to be invaluable to our management and risk assessment of our workplace...
We have found incorporating the Neighbours Friends and Families Program in our workplace has made our work environment safer and our staff better educated. It strengthens our commitment of providing a safe work environment to our staff. Feedback that we have received from our employees has been very positive. They have found that they have learned many things that they were not aware of, and feel better equipped to support each other.
Richard Strong, Owner Operator
Kim Gibson, Manager
