Who: 5 youth groups in Toronto, ages 14-25; 10-20 participants in each group

*we can sign off on volunteer hours for focus group participants

Where: we will come to you! and we’ll bring snacks!

When: anytime in February, focus groups will be 2 hours long (we can work with your group’s existing schedule)

ReAct, Respect in Action, is METRAC’s youth violence prevention program. We offer workshops, trainings, and assemblies about gender-based violence for youth, and for those who work with young people (http://metrac.org/programs/outreach/outreach.htm#react).  ReAct is built on pillars of popular education and peer-to-peer learning; all of our workshops are interactive, dynamic, incorporate a variety of learning styles, and are facilitated by highly skilled Youth Peer Facilitators.  The goals of ReAct workshops are to raise awareness about the prevalence and impact of violence and to empower young people to take action to stop violence in their lives and communities. 

Building on ReAct’s 2011 project about self-care and healing, we are now exploring what it means for young people to obtain justice when they experience interpersonal and systemic violence. We know that most young people don’t go to the police and don’t see it as an authentic means of accessing justice.  We also know that “justice” can mean and look very different for each person and that there needs to be a variety of methods to get it.

These focus groups will be facilitated by ReAct’s Youth Peer Facilitators and will include participatory group activities, theatre and a written anonymous survey.  What we are hoping to find out is:

1.       What young people think about the concept of “justice”

2.       What a holistic approach and analysis of justice could include

3.       How youth want their community and peers to be involved in their process of seeking justice

4.       What community groups can do to best support young people in these processes

The information gathered from focus groups will guide us in creating new workshops and materials, to be launched in April 2012; at that time we can return to your groups to pilot the new workshops.

Contact Keli at 416-397-0258 or react@metrac.org for more information and to sign your group up for a session.   In your email please include:

-          - Name of youth group and your contact information

-          - Number and ages of participants (and any other relevant information you feel we should know)

-          - Location for the focus group

-          - 3 possible dates and times for the focus group (in February)