Interconnectedness Initiative year in review, 2025-2026
VCST did much work this year in expanding our reach to include more communities of survivors.
News
-
-
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…
-
VCST receives funding from Victoria Foundation for fifth year in a row
We are excited to announce that VCST’s Interconnectedness Initiative has received funding from the Victoria Foundation for the next phase! With this phase, we will continue to offer professional development…
-
Vicarious Trauma & Burnout Interviews Report
In March 2026, VCST conducted qualitative interviews with senior managers from five organizations that provide services to immigrants and refugees on Vancouver Island. These interviews are part of our long-term…
-
VCST Participates in VAST Dialogue “Building Resilience and Understanding Against Hate”
In April, VCST teamed up with the Vancouver Association of Survivors of Torture (VAST) to lead a Victoria-based session of their project Building Resilience and Understanding Against Hate. These thoughtful…
-
VCST launches “Voices Against Hate: Survivor-Led Circles for Change”
VCST is excited to announce that we have received funding from Canadian Heritage in the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program for a new 3-year project! Our “Voices Against Hate: Survivor-Led Circles…
-
RECAP: Making healthcare more accessible for immigrants & refugees
A review of gaps and best practices in referral systems between settlement and healthcare/counselling agencies.
-
Background paper: Drug trafficking, substance use, immigrants and refugees
Despite decades of global drug control efforts, primarily led by the US throughout the 20th century and more specifically in the 1970s (also known as the “War on Drugs”), illicit…
-
A conversation with Dr. Nancy Clark & Alejandro Argüelles Bullón, February 27th
Integrated Mental Health Care for Refugees: What works, for whom and why.
-
Decolonizing our language
A few months ago, we wrote an article sharing our learning about terminology we were using in our work to raise awareness about survivors of torture and systemic violence. Through…
-
Seminar: Making Healthcare More Accessible for Immigrants & Refugees
Thursday November 20, 2025, 10am to 12pm Where: Online, Zoom Who: Workers in settlement, counselling, mental health, healthcare, and any other sector that works with immigrants and refugees RSVP: info [at]…
-
Why is VCST no longer using the term “stakeholder”?
The term, “stakeholders”, not only refers to the act of land dispossession but also reflects a colonial mindset about ownership, entitlement, and division which marginalizes Indigenous Peoples.
-
VCST receives grant from the Victoria Foundation
It is thanks to the Victoria Foundation that we can launch Phase IV of our initiative.
-
Another successful year: Interconnectedness Initiative year in review
In July 2025, VCST wrapped up another successful funding year for our Interconnectedness Initiative. This was our third year of funding to develop and implement programs to support survivors of…
-
2024-2025 Interconnectedness Initiative Year in Review
Thanks to the ongoing support from the Victoria Foundation, Phase III of VCST’s Interconnectedness Initiative came to a successful conclusion in July 2025.
