Welcome to STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE - the English-language section of COPA!

We are glad you found us! We hope that you find the information that you need. Feel free to contact us at any time for more information.

Child Abuse Prevention Programs

Our mission is child abuse prevention through education and skill-building.

We offer five different school-based programs that share a coherent and unique approach to abuse prevention education. Our educational programs are comprehensive — and include adult (staff and parent) and children’s components to facilitate community-wide change. We also offer a special program called 'Let's Talk About It' to adults in the education sector, to help reducing workplace bullying.

Click here to read success stories from School Principals about what happens after class sessions!

Strategies for Change - part of COPA -a provincial Francophone Organization

Strategies for Change (COPA) is the English-language section of our provincial Francophone non-profit organization whose main office is in Toronto. 

Two Co-Directors work closely with a volunteer board of directors, a rich array of local groups and partners (called “projets-partenaires”) and a team of qualified and experienced provincial Trainers and Consultants located in different parts of the province.

Building Local Autonomy

COPA’s goal is to help local groups establish their own projects in their own communities,whenever possible in collaboration with other interested groups — so that programs can be offered by local certified teams. COPA provides training, support and consultation to further facilitate local capacity. 

Typically, COPA does not offer programs in local communities nor does it manage local projects. We work to support their development and growth.

SOS Team

Under special circumstances, COPA will ensure the direct delivery of programming in order to help galvanize interest or respond to emergency situations. In those cases, our SOS Team can offer programs as requested by the community. Our goal is to help mobilize community interest, build local capacity and foster sustainability.

COPA’s Partners — Local and Provincial

COPA offers curriculum, resources, training and support to local projects focusing on our particular approach to prevention (Empowerment-based), along with general advocacy for a global commitment to violence prevention.

COPA’s local partners include women’s centres and women’s shelters, community health centres, schoolboards, schools and community agencies. These form our provincial network that collaborates on curriculum, training and networking.

COPA works closely with a number of provincial groups to further our common goals including the provincial Francophone teachers’ association (AEFO), the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), the provincial Francophone women’s immigrant organization (MOFIF) and the provincial Francophone parents association (PPE).

New: Youth views on inclusion and exclusion!


COPA’s Approach

COPA strives for the creation of “safe, strong and free” communities. We advocate for:

• The recognition of the minority status of children (and youth) — and therefore the inclusion of a children's analysis in programs and services, and policy and practices.
  
• The recognition of systemic inequality and discrimination based on gender, race, age, sexual orientation, physical and intellectual ability, education, religion, class, language, and other social factors — and therefore the inclusion of a feminist and anti-oppression analysis and model in programs and services, and policy and practices.
  
• The recognition of Francophone’s minority status in Ontario — and therefore broad systemic support for French-language services in Ontario and parity with English-language services. We provide local support to foster the development of high quality French-language programs and services.
  
• The recognition of the reality of geographically isolated communities in Ontario. Whenever possible, COPA will ensure that regions that are typically under-serviced and geographically isolated have access to training, programming and support.
  

COPA works to expand the scope of this resource network, in particular to support the establishment of high quality assault prevention education programming in French in Ontario (for information about COPA's work in the English sector, go to Violence Prevention Programs), as well as the creation of new tools and resources for assault prevention. This is carried out by:

• ensuring the transfer of resources to new communities throughout Ontario
  
• helping facilitate access to programs and resources and support for under-serviced and highly isolated Francophone communities
  
• ensuring that new curricula resources and tools are created, evaluated and disseminated in a timely and appropriate fashion
  
• fostering the development and consolidation of potential/actual partnerships whose mandate is distinct yet linked
  
• supporting the expansion of COPA’s capacity to provide essential project support for the development and sustainability of local projects and of the organization

For more information, please read more about us on this web site, or contact us directly.

• About our organization
• Contact information
• COPA is unique
• COPA’s mandate
• COPA’s Violence Prevention Programs
• The Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Project (ESPACE)
• Adults and Children Together (ACT)
  NEW!! See a short video of ACT's success as an anti-bullying program.
• The COPA network
• COPA’s Programs in English