About our organization and Strategies for Change
The Centre ontarien de prévention des agressions (COPA), Ontario’s francophone provincial assault prevention education training organization, has existed since 1995 to provide training and consultation throughout the province. It was created in response to various requests from Francophone communities wishing to bring our assault prevention programs for children in French schools to their regions.
COPA’s activities include training, consultation, curriculum development and evaluation and network-building. Our network spans the province, and is comprised of women’s centres, schoolboards, community agencies and health centres. These groups oversee the delivery of COPA’s educational programs in their local communities. COPA helps support these activities through consultation, resource development, training, and whenever possible, funding.
COPA works closely with a number of provincial groups, including the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (the Francophone Ontario teachers’ union), the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, Parents partenaires en éducation (the Francophone parents-education group) and Mouvement ontarien pour les femmes immigrantes francophones (the Francophone immigrant women’s group).
Financial support for COPA’s activities has been provided by a number of government sources. The Ministry of Education and Training has provided funding for 13 consecutive years, Northern Development and Mines has funded the organization for 11.
In addition, COPA has received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Office for Francophone Affairs, Heritage Canada, the Ontario Women’s Directorate, Human Resources and Social Development Canada, Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
Since requests have increased from the Anglophone sector in Ontario, COPA has formed a subsection to manage work in English - called Strategies for Change. All programs and services offered by COPA in English, are managed by Strategies for Change.