Blueprint Projects was SWC's first targeted call for proposals, launched in February of 2011. It was designed to test innovative and promising models and to demonstrate how approaches could best be applied to various population groups and settings across Canada.
It was a success, as more than 330 applications were received and a total of 65 projects were approved. There were seven thematic areas, including a specific theme for youth—girls and boys—to address the issue of violence against girls and women, specifically prevention. This theme was the most popular, with the largest number of applications received. Some 15 projects involving girls were approved and are now under way in communities across Canada.
The youth theme had specific features. All projects had to be youth-led, meaning youth identified the issues of concern to them, and youth also determined activities to be carried out within their communities in support of violence prevention.
To engage in violence prevention activities, projects will work to develop and strengthen the leadership skills of youth. This is a good example of how projects tackle multiple SWC priority areas—namely violence, in this case, and leadership.
I will give you two examples of the types of youth projects being funded. The first is targeting rural youth, to develop web-based resources, to engage young people online to assist them in becoming leaders in working to end violence against girls and women. Because it is web-based, the tools are being accessed by a large number of youth, not only in the targeted area but also across Canada. It is creating a safe forum for rural youth to explore issues of violence against girls and women in ways that appeal to young people.
Another project is targeting youth from immigrant communities. The project is developing a resource guide and tool kit for organizing and facilitating workshops on the issue of violence against girls, teens, and young women. Some topics it is planning on addressing are family violence, silence and shaming in communities, and forced marriages. Youth are identifying strategies and organizing and delivering workshops to other youth, families, places of worship, community organizations, and service providers. This is a good example of a culturally specific approach.