RESOLVE Alberta
Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse (RESOLVE) is a tri-prairie research network that co-ordinates and supports research aimed at ending violence, especially violence involving girls and women.
The goal of RESOLVE is to reduce the incidence and impact of violence and abuse by:
- creating and evaluating strategies to address violence and abuse;
- communicating our research results to the public and policy makers;
- promoting education, awareness, and social change.
To accomplish this we:
- work with community groups to identify areas where additional research needs to be done;
- develop action-oriented research projects;
- work in interdisciplinary teams in partnership with community groups and other universities and centres in Canada;
- we train students and members of the community organization in research methods.
The RESOLVE network is affiliated with the University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan, University of Manitoba, University of Regina, University of Alberta, University of Winnipeg, and Brandon University.
Click here to learn more about the Research Centres
Alliance Against Violence and Adversity (AVA)
RESOLVE Alberta is affiliated with the Alliance Against Violence and Adversity (AVA), a national Health Research Training Platform that is creating the capacity to transform community health and social services to promote health and wellness of girls and women at risk or affected by violence and adversity over the life-cycle. AVA is also home to the AVA Women's and Girls' Health Hub and two Indigenous Women's and Girls' Health Hubs.
Updates
RESOLVE Alberta Steering Committee Member Professor Lana Wells and Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence
Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence, is a primary prevention hub for domestic and sexual violence created by RESOLVE Alberta Steering Committee Member Professor Lana Wells. Over 3 years, Shift worked with the Government of Alberta and IMPACT to develop a series of policy, practice, and system recommendations to prevent domestic and sexual violence.
Read more about this work in Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence develops a Government of Alberta Accountability Framework to Prevent Gender-Based Violence by: Jayna Lecuyer, RESOLVE Alberta Undergraduate Volunteer Student, available here.
“Winning Against Domestic and Sexual Violence: Alberta’s Primary Prevention Playbook” is an implementation plan for how the Government of Alberta and the IMPACT collective (a provincial network that represents 300+ anti-violence organizations) can eliminate drivers of violence including gender inequality, social exclusion and colonization, while also increasing protective factors for women, equity-deserving groups, and Indigenous Peoples.
Read a summary on Winning Against Domestic and Sexual Violence: Alberta’s Primary Prevention Playbook by by Jamie Lalor, RESOLVE Alberta undergraduate volunteer student here.
The recent work of RESOLVE Alberta Steering Committee member, Dr. Lana Whiskeyjack
Read about RESOLVE Alberta Steering Committee member Dr. Lana Whiskeyjack's recent work: The tapahtêyimôkamik Project (the Humble Lodge).
The tapahtêyimôkamik project is a community-led initiative focused on exploring various aspects within Indigenous communities. This includes themes such as gender and sexual diversity, rites of passage, rematriation, kinship systems (wahkohtowin), and health and wellness. Through collaboration with Indigenous organizations and knowledge keepers, the project engages in community-based research and develops programs to support urban Two-Spirit youth, revitalize Cree language and culture, and address Indigenous women's health issues.
Celebrating Diversity and Tradition: Exploring Indigenous Rites of Passage and Inclusivity By: Alexandra Francisque RESOLVE Alberta Undergraduate Volunteer Student is available to read here.
Walking Through the Fire: The Impacts of a Community Based Program on Intersecting Issues of Sex Work and Abuse
Read about a recent research study conducted by RESOLVE Alberta Steering Committee member, Carrie McManus, and the Sagesse Domestic Violence Prevention (Sagesse) team.
The research article “Walking Through the Fire” (Milaney et al., 2024), explores the resulting research data and its respective impacts in addressing the effects of coercive control among women with long histories of trauma resulting from sex work and abuse.
More information about this study is available here.
To read the full report of this research study and the respective programming in more detail, please visit: https://juniperpublishers.com/asm/ASM.MS.ID.555774.php or DOI: 10.19080/ASM.2024.09.555774
RESOLVE Alberta Update - ShelterLink Project
Families experiencing domestic violence in Calgary are frequently turned away from domestic violence shelters, due to lack of capacity, drastically increasing the risk for victims who seek to leave an abusive partner. The ShelterLink Project aims eliminate the practice of ‘turning away’ shelter seekers. Read the project summary here.
New Shelter for Men and Boys of Afro-Caribbean Descent Opens in Calgary
A transitional housing program, aimed specifically at men and boys of African or Caribbean background, has just opened in Calgary.
Read more here.
On July 4th, we were thrilled to welcome team members, Franciéle and Mayara, from Brazil. They spoke about their collaboration with the ATTACH Team at the U of C, their laboratory, their research, and the main results of their studies on violence against children and women in Brazil.
Thank you to everyone who attended the ATTACH Presentation in-person or online! If you missed the presentation and would like to watch it, the recording is now available so you can catch up on all the valuable insights and information shared.
Click here to view the recording!
About the Speakers:
Dr. Franciele Marabotti Costa Leite is a professor at the Federal University of Espfrito Santo in Brazil. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a Doctorate in Epidemiology. As the leader and founder of the Laboratory of Studies on Violence, Health, and Accidents (LAVISA), Dr. Leite has extensive experience in public health and epidemiology, focusing on women’s health, epidemiology,and violence. She’s the Lead Coordinator for the ATTACH™ Program in Brazil.
Mayara Luis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and a Master’s Degree in Public Health, both from the Federal University of Espfrito Santo in Brazil. She is a member of the Laboratory of Studies on Violence, Health, and Accidents and has experience in epidemiology, domestic violence, and public health surveillance. In 2021-2022, Mayara was an international visiting student to the University of Calgary. Currently, she works as a technical adviser for the General Coordination of Epidemiological Surveillance and Violence Prevention of the Brazilian Ministry of Health.
If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, there is help available. You can contact the Family Violence Info Line anonymously and confidentially 24/7 at 310-1818 to get information and referrals to support.
(403)-310-1818 Call, Text or Chat
Minister of Children and Family Services, Searle Turton, wrote a blog reminding us all that Albertans can call the Family Violence Info Line at 310-1818, any day or time, for confidential help if they are experiencing violence, worried about a loved one, or using abusive behaviours.
The blog features a link to an audio testimonial in which an Albertan humbly recounts the impacts of his abusive behaviours and his struggle to be his best version of himself. Realizing his behaviour was impacting his ability to keep a partner, job or friendships, he took the first step towards change by reaching out for help. After being connected to resources and counselling, he was better able to learn new coping skills and healthier behaviours, which enabled him to take a new direction in his life.
You can read the Minister’s blog and hear the full testimonial at Preventing family violence | Alberta.ca
When Other Doors Were Closed, Ours Were Open
New Research From the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters’ newest report shines a light on the impact of COVID’s “shadow pandemic” on Alberta’s domestic abuse survivors and the shelters that support them. Featuring the voices of survivors and service providers from across Alberta, it is one of the most comprehensive reports to date of how the unique conditions created by the pandemic, declared four years ago, impacted survivors, their work, their children, their families, and their communities.
Read the full report here.
How can the Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) programme provide support to individuals experiencing domestic violence and abuse?
In a recently published article, Stefan Kurbatfinski and Dr. Nicole Letourneau of RESOLVE Alberta explore how supporting individuals facing domestic violence through DART in emergency departments is crucial for prompt care and intervention.
Click here to read the full article.
Dr. Nicole Letourneau discusses the rise in intimate partner violence rates across Canada
In an interview with CTV News, Dr. Nicole Letourneau, Scientific Director of AVA (Alliance Against Violence & Adversity) and Director of RESOLVE Alberta, discusses the concerning rise in intimate partner violence rates in Canada, particularly in the Prairie provinces, and the RESOLVE Network's call to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Click here to watch the interview
RESOLVing Violence Podcast - New Episode!
From Research to Action: Transforming Sexual Violence Education in Saskatchewan
About this episode:
AVA’s Women’s and Girls’ Health Hub has partnered with RESOLVE Saskatchewan to deliver their next episode. In their latest episode, members of the Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan (SASS) discuss their work on the Saskatchewan Sexual Violence Education Initiative (SSVE).
Stream the RESOLVing Violence podcast on your favourite podcast platform or listen here.
About the podcast:
The province of Saskatchewan is home to a vibrant research community and hundreds of organizations and service providers working to prevent, respond to, and assist with recovery from violence and abuse. Through our podcast episodes, we hope to facilitate that transfer of knowledge from the research community to these applied stakeholders and people with lived experience, to make staying up to date on current research more accessible and efficient. Learn more here
The RESOLVE Network's Call To Prairie Provinces to Declare Intimate Partner Violence and Epidemic
On average, one woman or girl is killed every other day, somewhere in our country, mostly by men. Every week, one woman is killed by her male partner.
The Prairie provinces have the highest domestic violence and domestic homicide rates across Canada.
The RESOLVE Network underscores the urgency of addressing domestic violence as a provincial emergency and public health crisis in the Prairie Provinces. We call on the provincial governments of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to declare domestic violence an epidemic and to act immediately to mitigate its devastating consequences.
Read more here
Current Recruitment
We are currently not recruiting for any studies. Please check back at a later time.
Other research you may be interested in:
HeLTI Canada was developed in partnership with the World Health Organization and is one of four separate but harmonized studies focused on developing evidence-based interventions that span from preconception across pregnancy and into the postpartum period and early childhood. Their purpose is to evaluate whether technology-based care can improve the health of families before pregnancy (preconception), during pregnancy, and into early childhood and promote child development while preventing obesity and chronic diseases.
They are recruiting women and their partners who are planning to have a baby in the next 3 years and live in the provinces of Ontario (cities of Toronto, Ottawa, and Hamilton and the health regions of Durham, York, Peel, Halton, and Niagara) and Alberta (Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary and surrounding area)
Click here to see if you are eligible and for more information about the study
Support for Ukraine
Contact Us
There are many ways for individuals, groups and social agencies to get involved, contact us if you:
- Are interested in one of the research areas or a new field of study involving violence and abuse;
- Have identified a research need and would like to develop a project in collaboration with us;
- Would like to receive news about seminars, conferences, and public addresses we will be sponsoring;
- Would like RESOLVE publications and research reports or
- Would like to volunteer at RESOLVE.
The RESOLVE Alberta is located at the University of Calgary, on the traditional territory of the Treaty 7 peoples who include the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Piikani and Kainai First Nations), Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Stoney Nakoda (Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations). The land is also the traditional home to Metis Nation Region 3. We are grateful to be able work, live and recreate in these beautiful lands.