Voices Against Hate

Empowering Communities from Within

In partnership with the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST) and the Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees (VICCIR), VCST is running a three-year project called Voices Against Hate: Survivor-Led Circles for Change to develop leadership skills among survivors to lead community circles and conversations against hate.

Voices Against Hate will empower survivors of torture and systemic violence, an equity-deserving and often silenced population, to take leadership in shaping community-driven responses to hate. A survivor-led approach places individuals with lived experience of torture, persecution, or systemic violence at the centre of decision-making, facilitation, and knowledge creation. Survivors act as educators, leaders, and co-designers of solutions.