VANCOUVER ASSOCIATION FOR THE SURVIVORS OF TORTURE — Quick View

Reporting period views

Reporting period ending: 2022-12-31

Programs and activities:

Ongoing programs:
Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture (VAST) conducts individual therapy sessions for Refugee, Refugee Claimant, Temporary Foreign Worker, and Youth clients who are survivors of torture and trauma (in line with the definitions of the UN Convention Against Torture). VAST also runs ongoing weekly groups, including: 'Getting Through It', to provide information and support for refugee claimants during their claim process; ‘Spanish Speaking Group for Families’, that focuses on stress management and community-building for the Latino community, ‘Arts Making in Community’ that helps clients to heal in community by making arts.; ‘Welcome to VAST’, that provides psychosocial support orientation for Arabic speaking clients. VAST implements mental health support activities for clients such as: ‘Move & Relax’, a trauma-informed group yoga practice; ‘VAST Outdoors’, a program that facilitates short local hiking or walking trips in nature, connecting clients with the trails of BC and the healing benefits they offer The ‘Survivors Advocates’ program, which was initiated in partnership with the UN, and which is a capacity building program for emerging leaders and those clients who wish to become advocates; The ‘Women’s Survivors Resource Network’ program, which is for women coming from situations of armed conflict and violence, who wish to support women who have been in similar situations. The 3rd and 4th editions of VAST’s international, peer-reviewed human rights journal, ‘Voices Against Torture’, was also published in 2022 with the support of our Editorial Board members. The journal provides a platform for discussion of torture prevention, improves awareness of and support for refugee and immigrant mental health, and highlights global human rights concerns. The Research and Knowledge Center is another participatory program that promotes research, documentation, and publication in the field of torture and violence and is a platform for discussion of torture prevention, awareness, and global human rights concerns. All VAST programs and activities except the VAST Outdoors program have been conducted virtually since the pandemic.

New programs:
Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST) has launched Cultural Brokers Certification Program: Focused on Afghanistan, a capacity building program for people from Afghanistan who wish to support their compatriots during the process of getting settled in Canada. We will be publishing more editions of ‘Voices Against Torture’ journal. We are also planning to use virtually accessible promotion tools that will be targeting a wider range of population engagement.

Compensation

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