Amelia Rising Sexual Violence Support Centre provides free, confidential support for people 16 years of age and older who have experienced sexual or gender-based violence.
The three main pillars of the not-for-profit organization are counselling, education, and advocacy.
The centre offers group and individual counselling in addition to support visits.
After experiencing two floods in its basement offices on Worthington Street, Amelia Rising was able to move up in the building into a larger space with more room to expand its services.
Brigitte Lebel executive director of Amelia Rising outlined the organization’s plans during the official opening of its new location.
“We’re working towards having more counsellors and we’re growing programs right now. We’re about to initiate in the next two months, something called the Youth Resilience Program,” shared Lebel.
“We will be serving kids from 12 to 19 of all genders. Currently, we are only serving women 16 and up, so we need more counsellors.”
The centre is also working on an Indigenous program.
“We would have an Indigenous counsellor so that our survivors have access to either traditional healing or just so they can be among their peers when they are telling their story.”
Out of the Youth Resilience Program, an idea was born to offer support to parents.
“What happens is they unwittingly retraumatize people by asking certain questions that may be blaming of a victim without realizing it. Something like ‘Why did you go to that party? I told you not to go there.’ Or ‘Why did you wear that? How much did you say you had to drink?’ Which aren’t the actual questions parents should be asking” explained Lebel.
“So, we’re really going to support and help parents find the right words that will actually help with the healing rather than make things worse.”
In the last year, Amelia Rising served over 3,000 individuals.
“I know that sounds like a really big number, but that also includes people we were providing consent education to. So as far as direct contact or direct services with survivors, we are at about 18-hundred.”
Lebel says although that number continues to rise, it does not necessarily mean an increase in sexual violence.
“I think it has to do with the MeToo and Time’s Up movements. People feel like they can talk about it because it has certainly been kept a secret for most generations and cultures for a long time.”
As a survivor of sexual violence, board chair Meg Ramore calls the work being done by Amelia Rising “remarkable.”
“I honestly would not be where I am if it wasn’t for Amelia and the volunteers and the staff there,” said Ramore.
“A big job of Amelia, especially around public education is having these conversations over dinner. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic conversation, but having conservations about consent, having conversations about sexual violence and what impacts that and why is it happening so that nobody has to feel like they have to hide it.”
The centre used the open house to unveil its new logo.
“Through our strategic planning sessions, we realized that part of our major goal is to serve all genders of all ages. We felt the logo was very feminine and it may not convey that to people, especially with the name Amelia Rising,” said Lebel.
“So, we felt the phoenix was more gender-neutral and it would maybe speak to more people.”
Amelia Rising is located at 101 Worthington Street East. Suite 215.
