The women's program funds many projects for aboriginal girls on reserve, off reserve, in the north, or in urban centres. The projects serve the Inuit, first nations, and Métis populations as well. The projects are being implemented on a national, regional, or community scale. They are being implemented by aboriginal organizations and also by non-aboriginal organizations.
Here is an example of the variety of projects we fund. The Women's Program funded a project in Winnipeg, an urban centre, for girls aged 12 to 17. That project had two main objectives. It aimed to help develop the girls' ability to identify the obstacles that stood in their way and the strategies they could use to get fully involved in the community—be it at their school or in their neighbourhood, in their family or in their community in general. Once they were able to identify the obstacles and strategies, we also provided them with tools and leadership training so that they could assert themselves and take a step forward by participating fully in the community.
To be able to do that, the girls participated in various violence prevention and leadership training workshops adapted to the aboriginal culture.
Afterwards, the girls could also participate in monthly open dialogue forums with aboriginal women who shared their concerns. Representatives of social service agencies also took part in those dialogue forums. So the women could speak with those representatives to determine what was truly feasible, what kinds of resources were available in the communities and how they could become fully involved in the community.
Aboriginal women and girls also had discussions in talking circles. That way, the skills acquired during the training could remain in the community because the young girls did have some support.
Here is another example of how varied our projects are. We also funded a project in remote regions. There are eight communities in remote regions of Quebec, ranging from Abitibi to the North Shore and Mauricie. The project used a three-pronged approach. It was an awareness-raising project for girls on the issue of violence, but it also focused on the fact that violence is often trivialized in the communities. It was an opportunity to discuss that. Once again, those awareness-raising sessions were attended by representatives of social service agencies who could talk about the available resources.