Join VCST in Voices Against Hate
You are Invited!
The Victoria Coalition for Survivors of Torture (VCST) is excited to welcome community members with lived or intergenerational experience of hate, systemic violence or torture to be facilitators in our new program: Voices Against Hate: Survivor-Led Circles for Change.
Together with VCST and a circle of advocates representing many different communities on Vancouver Island, facilitator participants will join a supportive group of peers to learn and share community-building and leadership skills.
Taking these skills out into their communities, you will lead discussion circles against hate to develop community resilience to hate and violence.
Voices Against Hate focuses on resilience, growth, advocacy and skill building. Together, we prioritize collective strength, focusing on shared experiences and systemic patterns rather than reliving trauma.
As one of the Project Facilitators, you will help guide VCST in co-creating a guide for future participants who want to implement the circles within their own communities.
This part of the project runs from September 2026 to December 2028, continuing until March 2029.
Project Facilitator Profile:
- Lived or intergenerational experience of hate, racism, systemic violence, state-based conflict, intimate partner violence or gender-based violence
- Motivated to gain skills such as group facilitation, community building, trauma-informed coalition building
- Excited to meet and work with cross-cultural peers
- Able to communicate in English
- Able to commit to the full program
- Able to attend events online or in person in the Greater Victoria area
- Age 19 and over
→ Sharing personal stories about trauma is not a requirement and is not expected. ←
No facilitation experience necessary!
Training Session Topics will include:
- Personal and community empowerment
- Community building
- Confidence building
- Conflict transformation
- Community leadership skill building
- Applied trauma-informed practices
- Facilitation skill building
- Skills to hold trauma-informed dialogue
- Peer leadership skills
- Anti-racism
- Anti-hate community engagement
Time commitment:
September – December 2026: bi-weekly online discussion and training meetings with co-participants and co-creators
January 2027 – June 2027: Self-paced community event organizing and launch
June 2027 – January 2028: Project wrap-up with exit interviews and final meetings, including knowledge-sharing events
Compensation:
- $1,000 honorarium
- Budget for community events
Interested in joining Voices Against Hate?
Please send an email answering the following 3 questions:
- What attracts you to this project?
- What do you think is the root of hate?
- What do you hope to learn from this project and why?
Please also include your general availability for a 30-minute Zoom or phone call in August 2026 to discuss the project.
Not sure if this project is right for you or someone you know? We encourage everyone interested to email us with questions – we’re happy to see how everyone can fit in!
We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Melinda & Álvaro
VCST Project Managers
This project is funded by the Government of Canada.
