PENTICTON – More people throughout B.C. will receive free training on how to help defuse racist incidents through a new Anti-Racism Community (ARC) Stewards pilot program.
Applications are being accepted for the “train the trainer” program, which will educate people with a passion for leading anti-racism work in as many as 15 small communities. Successful applicants will learn the skills needed to offer training on how bystanders can address racist incidents and facilitate community dialogues on racism and discrimination in their communities.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen an alarming increase in racist incidents in large and small communities throughout our province. We can’t stand by and allow this kind of hate to proliferate. We all have a role to play in confronting racism in our families and communities,” said Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives. “This training will give people the skills and confidence they need to carry out anti-racism work and train others in their communities as we push forward to dismantle the systemic barriers that have held Indigenous, Black and people of colour back for generations.”
The pilot project is the first anti-racism training of its kind. It is developed and delivered by the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society (VIRCS), a non-profit organization that assists people new to Canada and advances anti-racism initiatives as part of the Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network.
Resilience BC is a network of more than 34 organizations that connects local leaders with the information, support and training they need to respond to and prevent incidents of racism and hate in their communities.
“You can’t ignore racism and hope it goes away. This program will give people the tools they need to train community members on how to address racism incidents and make positive changes in their communities,” said Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Monashee. “By providing more people with the skills and knowledge to dismantle systemic racism in their communities, we can build a better, anti-racist B.C. for everyone.”
Online applications will be accepted until Aug. 11, 2022. Twenty spaces are available in the program. Successful applicants will begin their training in October 2022. Participants will receive an honourarium and travel expenses will be covered.
For more information about the program and to apply, visit: https://www.vircs.bc.ca/lcrcprogram
Latest data by Statistics Canada shows that the number of police-reported hate crimes in Canada increased by 27% in 2021, rising from 2,646 incidents to 3,360.
Singh in a statement said, “It is very upsetting to see the number of hate crimes reported to police increase again in 2021. Across Canada, police-reported hate crimes have increased by 27%. It’s even more distressing to know that many racially motivated crimes go unreported.”
While the impacts of the pandemic, the war in the Ukraine and other factors have led to a high level of anxiety and anger in people across province, “this misplaced vitriol is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated,” she said.
“In 2021, hate crimes based on religion increased by 67%, based on sexual orientation by 64%, and based on race or ethnicity by 6%. Here in B.C., we continue to see people of Asian descent unfairly targeted and scapegoated, leading to increased attacks against them and their businesses.”
