Huron-Perth Centre for Children and Youth

01/15/2026

All Huron-Perth Centre offices will be closed today (January 15th, 2026) due to the inclement weather. We can still be reached by phone at 1-888-260-3924

01/06/2026

Please consider attending this Free Community Learning Session!

Thank you for supporting our 16 Days of Activism to End GBV posts. If you're ready to learn more, we're coming to a school near you in 2026!

Join us and our community partners for a free evening of learning how to recognize the signs of intimate partner violence, provide support to someone you are concerned about, hear the experiences of survivors, and connect with local resources on the spot to get the help you and your loved ones need.

Dinner will be provided. Registration is required for food (names will not be checked at the door).

Visit our website: https://www.stopvaw.ca/news-events-1 or follow us on Eventbrite to learn more and register.

01/05/2026

Happy New Year! Our offices are back open after a holiday break, and we look forwarding to seeing you.

01/05/2026

On January 21, 2026 the Avon Maitland District School Board and Huron-Perth Catholic District School Boards are excited to welcome Western University to share their newly developed guide for caregivers: Supporting Knowledge & Skills in Managing Anxiety Using Storybooks. This guide blends evidence-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) strategies with storybooks to help empower caregivers to recognize and regulate symptoms of anxiety in children between the ages 3 to 12.

This presentation will offer a detailed exploration of the resource guide and provide caregivers with practical skills to address anxiety through sparking meaningful conversations, strengthening coping strategies, and cultivating emotional awareness. Both staff and caregivers are welcome and encouraged to register.

Register at https://forms.gle/F3QAofCrdvATgypk6

[Image: A smiling adult and child sit on a bed reading a book together.]

12/16/2025

Please note that our Stratford, Clinton and Listowel offices will be closed from December 24, 2025, to January 1, 2026. All offices will reopen January 2, 2026.

12/05/2025

Gender-Based Violence in the Workplace

Workplace harassment and violence includes any unwelcome conduct, comment, or action that causes harm, humiliation, or intimidation in the workplace.

It can include:

Sexual harassment – unwanted s*xual advances, comments, or requests for s*xual favours

Verbal abuse – yelling, insults, threats, or demeaning comments

Physical violence – hitting, pushing, or threatening physical harm

Psychological harassment – bullying, intimidation, or creating a hostile work environment

Discriminatory behaviour – targeting someone based on gender, race, s*xual orientation, or other characteristics

Know your rights: All workers have the right to a safe workplace free from harassment and violence. Employers are legally required to have policies and procedures in place to prevent and address workplace harassment.

💜 If you’re experiencing workplace harassment or violence, document incidents, report to your supervisor or HR, and seek support.

Resources: www.itsnotok.ca/be-a-workplace-champion

Need help? Optimism Place Women's Shelter and Support Services 519-271-5550 / 1-800-265-8598 (24/7)

12/05/2025

All Huron-Perth Centre offices will be closed on Tuesday December 9th, 2025 to support our staff in attending our Holiday Gathering!

We look forward to welcoming you back on Wednesday December 10th, 2025.

Thank you!

12/04/2025

Recognizing your own behavior? There’s help available.

If you’re struggling with anger, jealousy, or controlling behaviours in your relationships, you're not alone—and it’s not too late to change.

Signs you might need support:
- Yelling, name-calling, or putting down your partner
- Checking their phone, tracking their location, or controlling who they see
- Threatening or using physical force
- Pressuring them for s*x or ignoring their boundaries
- Controlling money or preventing them from working

Taking responsibility and seeking help is the first step toward healthier relationships.

Get confidential support:
Call 211 and ask for the Men’s Counselling Link to connect with professional counsellors who can help with anger, relationship issues, and parenting.
519-273-1020 / 1-800-268-0903

💜 Changing harmful behavior is possible. Reach out today.

12/03/2025

Learn the signs of abuse and how you can help.

💜 Understanding gender-based violence means learning to recognize the signs.

GBV isn’t just physical violence. It can include:
• Emotional and psychological abuse – name calling, threats, controlling who someone sees
• Financial control – preventing someone from accessing bank accounts or working
• Sexual violence and coercion – forcing s*x, secretly taking intimate images, sharing intimate images
• Technological abuse – tracking someone's location, online harassment, cyberstalking

Recognizing these forms of abuse is the first step to ending them.

💜 Learn more: www.itsnotok.ca

Need help?
Optimism Place Women's Shelter and Support Services 519-271-5550 / 1-800-265-8598 (24/7)
The Emily Murphy Centre 519-273-7350 / 1-888-826-8117
Victim Services Huron Perth 519-600-4108 / 1-866-863-4108
Family Services Perth-Huron 519-273-1020 / 1-800-268-0903

12/02/2025

GBV in Perth County

Every year, the StopVAW Coordinating Committee publishes a Snapshot of data from member organizations responding to GBV across our region.

Important to know: These numbers reflect only a fraction of individuals impacted by GBV. All forms of GBV are significantly underreported to police and social services. Two out of three women will seek support from family and friends first—this isn't captured in the data.

💜 Visit our website to see how rates have been steadily increasing year after year: www.stopvaw.ca/initiatives-project

Need help? 519-271-5550 / 1-800-265-8598 (24/7)

12/01/2025

GBV impacts everyone in our community.

More than 4 in 10 women have experienced some form of GBV in their lifetime. In the past year, more than 35 women were killed by their former or current partner in Ontario.

Over 100 municipalities, including Stratford and West Perth, have declared IPV an epidemic. In November, the Ontario government declared IPV endemic.

What does this mean? Declaring IPV endemic recognizes it as a chronic, systemic condition of society—not just individual incidents. It signals that IPV is predictable and preventable and requires ongoing coordinated prevention work across all systems, not just crisis responses.

Working together, we can raise awareness, recognize the signs, and intervene to end GBV in our communities.

💜 Join the movement: itsnotok.ca

Need help?
519-271-5550 / 1-800-265-8598 (24/7)
519-273-7350 / 1-888-826-8117
519-600-4108 / 1-866-863-4108
519-273-1020 / 1-800-268-0903

12/01/2025

Types of GBV: Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation

Human trafficking is the recruiting, transporting, sheltering, or receiving of people through threat, force, coercion, fraud, or deception and for the purpose of s*xual exploitation, forced labour, or organ removal.

66% of trafficking victims in Canada are under 25 and 58% of police-reported cases occur in Ontario.

What does human trafficking look like?
Recruitment through social media, blackmail, and established connections
Victims often know and trust their trafficker—he may be their “boyfriend”
You can be a victim and still go home every night
Traffickers take intimidating photos as leverage
Youth struggling with discrimination, poverty, abuse, isolation, or family issues are at highest risk
93% of victims are Canadian born

Learn more: www.victimserviceshuronperth.ca/human-trafficking/

Need help?
519-600-4108 / 1-866-863-4108
Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline 1-833-900-1010