ABOUT US
Mission Statement
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We are an intersectional feminist organization dedicated to providing leadership, education, advocacy and trauma-informed support to end sexual violence and harassment.
Gender-based violence, including sexual violence, is a global issue. We develop strong collaborative responses to shift longstanding societal beliefs and systems to create social change.
We honour all people who have experienced sexual violence and harassment. Their diverse voices are heard and reflected in the design and delivery of our programs to facilitate empowerment and healing.
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Contacting us for the first time?
Our Commitment to You
As a feminist based, anti racism and anti oppression, trauma-informed organization, it is our mission to provide you with the best support we can in navigating your journey in healing from sexual violence, and in working together to create a world of equality and non-violence.
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If something is troubling you about the service you are receiving, we invite you to use your voice and tell us. We promise to listen. Start by contacting your worker and speaking directly with them. If further support is needed or you do not feel comfortable approaching your worker, please reach out to our Executive Director, Lauren Power;
phone: (705) 646-2122 email: lauren@mpssas.com
Together, we can explore what challenges you are experiencing and how we can resolve them. We encourage and support survivors to advocate for themselves as that is often a part of the healing journey.
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Our Land Acknowledgement
We wish to acknowledge in all the work that we do that we are meeting on land that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning. Muskoka Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services wants to acknowledge the impact colonization, oppression, and violence of all forms has…aimed particularly at Indigenous peoples.
We are grateful for the opportunity to be here and thank all the generations of people who have taken care of this land and its waters – for thousands of years. Our staff are both settlers and Indigenous people and we are working together to bring the healing practices of both cultures together for decolonizing practice and healing the harms of sexual and colonial violence.
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Long before today, as we gather together from all our homes and offices, there have been Indigenous Peoples who have been the stewards of this place. In the colonial boundary of Ontario we acknowledge the Cree, Oji -Cree, Haudenosaunee, Huron Wendat, Anishinabeeg, Metis and Inuit peoples of this large region surrounded by huge bodies of fresh and salt water. Our office is in Williams Treaty lands of 1923 and this is the home of Anishinabeeg, - Ojibway, Chippewa and Odawa peoples, while to the north, the Algonquins. The Wahta territory of Haudenosaunee peoples nearby are Mohawk. Our agency also covers lands in the Robinson Huron treaty of 1850 area. We urge resolution of the annuity dispute and recognize the oppressive conditions at present with this treaty.
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We recognize and deeply appreciate the Indigenous peoples’ historic connection to this place. We recognize the contributions First Nations, Metis, Inuit and other Indigenous peoples have made, both in shaping and strengthening this community in particular, and all of the teachings we learn in their Nation to Nation relationship with Canada. As a community group, we are committed to practices of anti-violence, anti-oppression, decolonization, truth, conciliation and justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and 2S.
We also want to recognize the terrible impacts of colonization on Indigenous African peoples, many of whom were brought by colonizers to this territory, and while also settlers, arrived here as enslaved peoples. The historic legacy of racist white supremacy continues today and must inform our commitment to end oppression of all kinds and challenge the colonial power systems that create and maintain it.
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We are committed to reconciliation work and developing the capacity of other settlers to recognize the harms done by racism and colonization. We are also committed to providing culturally appropriate healing and advocacy to Indigenous clients of the agency and in the broader region of Turtle Island where we serve.
As a mainstream agency our work must also be clearly and overtly connected to our collective commitment to make the promise and challenge of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities. We must do this with our actions, not simply with words. At this time, we are incorporating Indigenous knowledge and healing practices throughout our work, and advocacy for truth and reconciliation and closing the gap on racist practices that prevent access to services for Indigenous people are our priorities.
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Miigwetch – nia-wen …
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