WELCOME TO THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE SECTION OF THE COPA WEBSITE!

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We are glad you found us and we hope that you find the information that you need.

Feel free to contact us at any time for more information.

COPA has released an original resource - animated film vignettes and corresponding discussion guides, to help jumpstart parent engagement and home and school engagement:

THE CAPSULE FAMILY GETS INVOLVED.

This resource was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education. It is also available in French along with the guides with French-langauge resources.

THE CAPSULE FAMILY GETS INVOLVED IS NOW AVAILABLE IN DVD FORMAT. CONTACT COPA FOR A COPY.

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COPA - a provincial Francophone organization providing skills, tools and resources to foster safe, strong and free schools and communities in Ontario

COPA is a non-profit organization that has existed since 1995. COPA is an agency with a long-standing and recognized commitment to supporting the public school sector in Ontario in creating safe, strong and free milieux.

COPA's wide variety of practical and innovative and inspiring programs and and multi-media resources are designed to reach out to all members of the school community: students, school staff, associated professionals and caregivers, and parents and guardians. These programs and resources are based on a coherent analysis and approach, recognizing that the principles of social justice, equity and inclusion are fundamental to real and positive change. COPA works for recognition of human rights - and in particular those who are vulnerable to violence and aggression.

COPA is the recipient of three important awards, the Greer Prize (Ontario Teachers' Federation), and the Canadian Teachers' Federation national prize- both for outstanding contributions to the quality of public education in Ontario and Canada. COPA also received Clé de Voute (FESFO) for its contribution to positive social change for girls and women.

COPA has two Executive Co-Directors that work closely with a volunteer Board of Directors from all over Ontario, a rich array of local groups and partners (called “projets-partenaires”) from all over Ontario, a number of provincial partners, including the Ontario Teachers' Federation, the Francophone Ontario Teachers' Association (AEFO).

COPA's seasoned team of provincial Trainers and Consultants are located in different parts of the province. They offer a wide variety of programs, presentations and information sessions for school staff, youth leaders and parents and guardians in all corners of the province.

COPA is also the designated provincial coordinator of Francophone SWIS (TÉÉ) teams in Ontario, working with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to provide leadership, resources and training to these teams.

COPA's main office is in Toronto, with representatives in satellite sites in the east and the north.

For more information about programs and resources, presentations and materials, please contact: Lisa Weintraub, Communications Director- 416 466 7490 or copa@rogers.com

Important educational and inspirational websites created by COPA and partners:

www.safeatschool.ca

www.changeourworld.ca

www.cacommenceavectoi.ca (english version, produced by White Ribbon Campaign: www.itstartswithyou.ca)

www.teeontario.ca (english version, produced by SWIS provincial coordinator: www.swisontario.ca)


Click here to read success stories from School Principals about what happens after school-based programs!
Click here to read a letter from a Principal who commends our programs!
Click here to read about how our film Hear Me Out has been circulated by a Schoolboard Equity and Inclusion officer!

Building Local Autonomy

COPA’s goal is to help local groups establish their own projects in their own communities (with local Trainers), whenever possible and 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 school-based programs in local communities nor does it manage local projects; instead we work to support their development and growth.

COPA's Provincial Trainers offer adult-only programming in all reaches of the province, upon request by local communities.

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, school boards, schools and community agencies. These form our provincial network that collaborates on curriculum, training, promotion, evaluation and networking.

COPA also works closely with a number of provincial groups to further our common goals including the provincial Francophone Ontario Teachers’ Association (AEFO), the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), the provincial Francophone women’s immigrant organization (MOFIF) and the provincial Francophone youth organization (FESFO). Recently, COPA has also been working closely with METRAC and White Ribbon Campaign on the development of violence prevention resources.

COPA’s Approach

COPA strives for the creation of Safe, Strong and Free communities, with a focus on the following components:

  • The recognition of the social minority status of children (and youth) — and therefore COPA is committed to the inclusion of a children's rights 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 COPA is committed to the inclusion of a feminist and anti-oppression analysis and model in programs and services, and policy and practices.
  • The recognition of Francophone social minority status in Ontario — and therefore COPA is committed to broad systemic support for French-language services in Ontario and parity with English-language services.
  • The recognition of the reality of geographically and socially isolated communities in Ontario -and therefore COPA is committed to active outreach and service provision in regions that are typically under-serviced.

COPA works to expand the scope of its 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 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 linked to COPA's;
  • supporting the expansion of COPA’s capacity to provide essential project support for the development and sustainability of local projects in the province and of the organization itself.

    IMPORTANT BULLYING PREVENTION RESOURCE - Safe@School

    BULLYING PREVENTION WEBSITE: Safe@School (in partnership with Ontario Teachers' Federation and funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education).

    Our unique Website: www.safeatschool.ca. was created and distributed in partnership with the Ontario Teachers Federation, and is part of the Safe@School initiative, Phases 1 (Bullying Prevention) and 2 (Equity and Inclusive Education).

    CONTENTS:

    - eModule training for educators (Phases 1 and NEW:2)

    - Film: Taking Bullying Seriously

    - NEW (February 2010): Hear Me Out- Stories for Schools about Equity and Inclusive Education

    - Resources for the classroom and professional use (Phases 1 and 2)

    This resource was developed as part of a larger collaborative provincial initiative that included the delivery of COPA's whole-school programs and teacher bullying prevention training days, along with other components.

    PHOTO EXHIBIT: YOUTH PROJECT

Welcome to My Life, an anti-bullying video created by the staff and students of Our Lady of Fatima EL Catholic School (Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board).




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