Bella Coola Community Support Society

04/07/2026

Building Supported Communities

Sexual violence impacts everyone, not just survivors but their communities as a whole. In BC, programs all across the province support survivors to find and access resources, as well as planning for their safety and healing. At the Bella Coola Community Support Society we work to support survivors of gender-based violence through programs such as: Victim Services, Sexual Assault Services and Stopping the Violence Program. We are located in at # 1028 Elcho St. in the little yellow house across from the hospital.

Our work, and the work of many organizations throughout BC is to build supported communities. We work alongside many providers in healthcare, childcare, and justice to ensure that survivors have the supports they need to heal.

04/07/2026

Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault/Responding to disclosures.

One of the most impactful supports that a survivor can have is the trust and care of their loved ones and friends around. Sexual assault can be an extremely isolating experience. We know that survivors of sexual assault are of the least likely to report.

Low reporting rates are often connected to shame, fear of retaliation, fear of being blamed, and distrust of law enforcement and other authorities. Showing up in support of a survivor can mean: •listening to their experience

•helping them find and access support

•letting them choose their own timeline to find support

•keeping them connected to community

Healing is an ongoing journey, everyone has their own timeline.
During , we want to bring awareness to the role that we all must play when someone we know has experienced sexual assault, and how we can show up for each other.

04/07/2026

Every day, our words and actions send a message to those around us about what we value and believe. At the same time, our words and actions are shaped by what we see and learn in our communities. It is important for us to understand how powerful and necessary our actions are when it comes to changing attitudes and educating each other about sexual assault.

gives us the space to speak up about the change that we want to see in our communities and how we can strengthen our prevention practices. Here are a few ways you can work towards change:

· Challenge jokes that degrade others and encourage healthy relationship building

· Improve skills around asking for consent and respecting the answer

· Educate children to respect others’ boundaries and bodies, and to treat each other with respect

GBV

04/07/2026

Sexual assault can happen to anyone in your community. The impacts of this experience can be extremely difficult to heal from. While it is important to highlight that survivors show incredible resilience in the face of a very difficult situation, it is important to also validate the emotions that can arise after this experience.

An important step in dealing with the effects of sexual assault is to talk about it with someone you can trust and who can help you find strategies to manage intense or overwhelming emotions, and who can validate your experience and feelings.

For information on how the Bella Coola Community Support Society can help support you, call # 250-799-5588. You can also call or text at 1-800-563-0808.

04/07/2026

Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) is Ana annual campaign held in April to raise awareness about sexual assault. The campaign emphasizes consent, healthy boundaries, and bystander intervention.

04/03/2026

04/02/2026