About a week and a half ago, a challenge was issued to Southern Manitoba.
Ang Braun, executive director of Genesis House, asked the members of each community to voice their opinions about domestic abuse services in the region — without the courtesy of sugarcoating.
Uncovering the gaps
Since then, the community’s input has been collected through a short survey that acts as both a passion project and a call to action for Braun as she maps out the future of domestic abuse services in Southern Manitoba.
As the executive director of an agency established four decades ago, Braun suspects some things may need to change in how the services operate.
“What we did 40 years ago might not be relevant today."
“What we did 40 years ago might not be relevant today,” she says. “We need to figure out if we’re meeting the needs of the whole group of people that we should be serving.”
Since Braun’s survey has been published, the community has responded heartily, but there are still some invaluable voices from which Braun would appreciate insight, including the following:
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Men
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Indigenous, First Nations, Métis, or Inuit peoples
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People under the age of 24
In order to identify how well domestic abuse agencies in Southern Manitoba connect with every age, gender, sex, ancestry, and identity in the region, Braun needs to hear from everyone, regardless of what one’s ties to domestic abuse or its services look like.
Even those who do not have a personal connection are welcome to participate in the survey as conscientious community members.
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Braun also invites participants who have already filled out the survey to share its importance with their colleagues, friends, and family. She stresses that for any and every participant, the survey (which takes about three minutes to complete) is entirely confidential and anonymous.
There is also the option of skipping sections.
“We need to figure out if we’re meeting the needs of the whole group of people that we should be serving.”
The action to follow
Braun is eager for the results of her project. She intends to share the findings with agencies across Southern Manitoba so that they have the opportunity to understand what the community already understands.
“It will inform how we direct our policy, and that may shift some of our practices. We want to make sure that we are relevant and meet the needs of people,” she says. “The survey will provide that direction. We really just need to know the truth about people’s experience.”
Ultimately, in Braun’s view, each voice counts in the conversation about domestic abuse agencies and the communities they serve in Southern Manitoba. She is grateful for everyone’s input.
To fill out Braun’s survey, click here.