Survivor-Led Peer Advocacy
MISSION
The Survivor-Led Peer Advocacy Program at Restorations (PAAR) is a space that has been designed by survivors for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation. The program compliments non-peer related services at Restorations as it exists to promote collaborative relationships that empower survivors.
Please note that Restorations is not a crisis response centre. If you are in crisis, here are some resources that might be helpful.
CURRENT PROJECTS
At this time, our Peer Advocacy services do not include direct peer support to survivors. While our Peer Advocates are individuals with lived experience of human trafficking and/or commercial sexual exploitation, their current focus is on providing consultation, training, and advocacy services.
Our Peer Advocates leverage both their professional expertise and lived experiences to support organizations, professionals, and community initiatives working with survivors. This work promotes survivor-centered approaches and fosters collaborative relationships that empower survivors.
Educational toolkit to assist caregivers and care providers better identify, prevent, and intervene in human trafficking of youth.
Restorations has received funding from WAGE Canada for a project to develop and put in place a Survivor-Led Peer Advocacy approach to increase identification, prevention, and intervention of human trafficking of youth.
This work is ongoing - stay tuned for updates!
Amplifying voices
At Restorations, we are committed to amplifying survivors' voices when possible and appropriate. We actively seek opportunities for survivors to share their stories, perspectives, and expertise.
In alignment with this commitment, we launched a blog category called “Survivor Voices” in Spring 2020. These posts feature reflections on emerging topics, issues, and more. New content is added as survivors have the capacity to contribute meaningful and relevant insights.
We recognize the importance of financially compensating survivors for their time, energy, and expertise and, as such, we financially compensate all survivors who contribute written pieces for the blog. We strongly believe in the necessity of financial compensation for this work, and we urge other organizations who request survivors to speak, write, or consult for their organization to do likewise for the following reasons:
to demonstrate a commitment to honour and respect survivors’ time, energy, and expertise;
to demonstrate an appreciation for the emotional, mental, and physical energy necessary to share their experiences with us in order to benefit others;
and to demonstrate a commitment to developing the economic independence of survivors.
Connect
Contact us to learn more.