Violence Prevention Avalon East is an alliance of community and government agencies dedicated to ending violence in our homes and communities.
VPAE originally began as the Interagency Committee on Violence Against Women in 1988. This committee consisted of representatives from government, community agencies and individuals in St. John’s involved in service delivery to women victims of violence. Over the years the mandate of the committee evolved to include a broader spectrum of violence issues, including youth violence, elder abuse, and violence in the media.
In 1996, the Interagency took on the additional role of the St. John’s Regional Coordinating Committee for the Provincial Strategy Against Violence. In 2000, we received funding from the Violence Prevention Initiative to hire a coordinator and open an office for the first time. Our membership has expanded to include representation from a wider geographical area and from new community and government representatives, however, our basic philosophy and goals have remained the same.
As an equality-seeking organization whose mandate is to address violence at its roots, we educate and advocate, increase awareness around the issues of violence, and lobby for enhanced services in the prevention and early intervention of violence. We focus particularly on marginalized groups in society.
Our agency spans the Eastern Avalon region of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is one of ten throughout the province working in partnership with the Violence Prevention Initiative, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Our Mission
Violence Prevention Avalon East is dedicated to creating a safe environment, where all people in Newfoundland and Labrador have the ability to live a life without fear of physical, sexual, emotional, or any other form of violence. We are also on a mission to ensure the voices of survivors are shown in the work we do, and that they feel heard.
Our Values
It is a basic human right to live without fear of physical, sexual, emotional or any other form of violence.
Violence is a complex social problem deeply rooted in inequality. Power and privilege are often used as tools of violence. This is particularly true as it relates to those more likely to experience violence, including women, children, indigenous people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people from other minority groups. People with intersecting minority identities face additional challenges.
The community has a right and a responsibility to get involved to recognize and respond to violence. As part of our community, Violence Prevention Avalon East commits to educating the public on the root causes of violence, having open conversations about privilege and working to help address barriers to support. We are working to challenge and change societal attitudes about violence, including recognizing the trauma history that many perpetrators of violence carry with them.
We commit to working with survivors and victims, as well as anybody affected by violence, to ensure that their voices are represented in our work.
