Nanaimo Men’s Resource Centre seeks support

Here’s a note I received from  James Latour, Program Developer at NMRC.   In my opinion they are offering innovative and valuable services to both men and women.

Two weeks ago Nanaimo Men’s Resource Centre made the decision to cut staffing by 60%.  This means a much lower standard of assistance to our clients and community, and we will have to cut some programs and services.   This has come about due to a lack of funding. 

You will be interested to know that last year the BC Ministry of Community Services funded women’s services $49.2 million.  Men’s services received nothing.  Here are some interesting statistics you might not be aware of:

A recent Statistics Canada report says:

1.      “an estimated 7% of women and 6% of men in a current or previous spousal relationship encountered spousal violence during the five years up to and including 2004, according to a comprehensive new report on family violence…This means that an estimated 653,000 women and 546,000 men encountered some form of violence by a current or previous spouse or common-law partner.” 

2.      “11% of women and 7% of men aged 15 and older stated that they were stalked in a way that caused them to fear for their safety or the safety of someone close to them. This was the equivalent of 1.4 million women & just under one million men.”

3.      “In cases of current relationships in which emotional abuse existed, 25% of women and 19% of men experienced violence.”

On Friday, April 6th at 10 am, Theo Boere, the Executive Director, and Anne Leavitt, one of our Board members, will be on the Bill Good Show (CKNW 980 AM [New Westminster/Vancouver]) to talk about this issue and the impact on Nanaimo Men’s Resource Centre.  WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.  We need you to call into the show while it’s in progress.  You don’t necessarily need to speak on air, just tell the operator why you are calling and that you are in support of Nanaimo Men’s Resource Centre or funding for men’s services in general. This is an opportunity to make a significant difference with just one phone call!

These are the numbers for you to call:

604-280-9898    or    877-399-9898

Thank you for your ongoing support.

James Latour, Program Developer

Nanaimo Men’s Resource Centre

Support for men on Vancouver Island

Working with the ManKind Project we are often approached by men looking for support, and although we can usually help to some degree, we sometimes refer men and women to other resources.  For men (males 16 or older) in Victoria, Canada, who have experienced emotional, physical or sexual trauma the Men’s Trauma Centre offers Victim Support Services & Group and Individual Counselling.  Clients may have suffered from abuse as a child, be a victim of crime, have been abused in relationship, or experienced some other traumatic event or events.  Support staff have many years of experience in this field.  They can contacted at (250) 381-6367 (general info or counselling) or (250) 381-0493 (Victim Services), or via email.

A little further up the Island, the Nanaimo Men’s Resource Centre offers a variety of services for men and women, to:

• provide support and referrals for men 
• promote connections with partners and families
• promote community awareness regarding men and men’s issues
• help men with family court/divorce, seperation, custody and access issues
• support men in learning to communicate and enrich existing relationships.

The Nanaimo Men’s Resource Centre, as I posted about earlier, is also starting up the Dad’s Make a Difference program, working with families immediately after the birth of the children to instill connection and responsibility in both partners.  This program is inspired by Gardner Wiseheart’s very successful program at Healthy Families San Angelo, begun about 12 years ago, which is now in many areas. 

For men in the Cowichan Valley, the Cowichan Men’s Resource Centre in Duncan provides a place where men can connect with each other, find assistance in crisis, and access community resources.  They can be reached at (250) 732-1471 or emailed for support or to volunteer.

I support these initiatives because they emphasize personal responsibility, healing, and fostering relationships rather than confrontation and blame.