COURAGE

COURAGE (7-8) is a school-based violence prevention education program designed and offered by Le Centre ontarien de prévention des agressions (COPA), a non-profit provincial agency with a unique approach to fostering ‘safe, strong and free’ schools and communities.

COPA’s program COURAGE is designed for students at the intermediate level. The program is comprised of adult workshops and three sessions for students oriented to questions of fairness, belonging and acceptance.
(NB: During one of these sessions, students are divided into male and female groups).

The focal issues of the program are:

• assault by an adult, including: physical abuse, sexual abuse, stranger assault; and,
• peer assault, such as: psychological manipulation, sexual and gender-based harassment, gangs, physical assault and bullying (including cyber-bullying).
  

As with all of COPA’s programs, COURAGE focuses on an empowerment-based approach - building capacity by building students’ information base, strengthening decision-making capacity and skills. Self-development, peer support and seeking adult support are key components of each of COPA’s programs, including COURAGE.  COPA’s prevention education programs for students, parents and professionals are highly interactive, engaging students in a positive manner in reflection and change.

COPA and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) is able to offer COURAGE 7-8 in Ontario this Fall to a number of schools in Ontario, as part of the second phase of the Safe@School initiative (focusing on equity and inclusion), a project fully funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education. Funding to ensure program delivery has been made available through this project.
To inquire about offering COURAGE in your school, please contact Lisa Weintraub at COPA at 416-466-7490.

For more information about the Safe@School initiative, visit www.safeatschool.ca.