The SOAR Project

The SOAR Project Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The SOAR Project, Nonprofit Organization, Kelowna, BC.

SOAR explores intimate partner violence-caused brain injury, educates members of the public and frontline workers, and empowers survivors to live healthy lives free of abuse.

This June, we're raising awareness and calling for greater recognition of intimate partner violence-caused brain injury ...
06/01/2026

This June, we're raising awareness and calling for greater recognition of intimate partner violence-caused brain injury (IPV-BI) across healthcare, legal, and social systems.

Every year, tens of thousands of Canadian women sustain brain injuries from blows to the head, face, or neck, or from strangulation. These injuries are frequently invisible, underdiagnosed, and misunderstood, leaving survivors to navigate serious physical, cognitive, and emotional impacts without the support they need.

Connect with Brain Injury Canada for national resources and information on brain injury: braininjurycanada.ca

Most physical intimate partner violence involves blows to the face, head, and neck, and strangulation. These are also am...
05/29/2026

Most physical intimate partner violence involves blows to the face, head, and neck, and strangulation. These are also among the leading causes of brain injury in survivors.

Brain injury can result from being punched or struck in the head, violently shaken, pushed, or strangled. Nearly half of survivors have experienced strangulation. It is one of the most lethal forms of IPV and a top indicator of future fatality that can cause brain injury and death within minutes.

Despite this, IPV-BI often goes unnoticed, mislabelled, or misunderstood. Knowing the signs can help frontline workers provide better, more informed support.

Learn more about IPV-BI through SOAR's Moving Ahead guides, available on the resources page of our website.

05/27/2026

Did you know "choking" and "strangulation" are not the same thing? Choking occurs when something becomes lodged in the airway, for example food, blocking the ability to breathe. Strangulation occurs when external pressure is applied to the neck from the outside, cutting off blood and oxygen to the brain, and it is one of the most dangerous forms of violence a survivor can experience.

Recognizing the signs is critical. Symptoms can also include a raspy voice, trouble swallowing or breathing, ringing in the ears, red spots in the eyes or on the skin, scratches or bruising on the neck, loss of memory, nausea, trouble sleeping or concentrating, and in some cases, loss of consciousness. Importantly, survivors may also present with no visible signs or symptoms at all.

Knowing what to look for can make a real difference in how we identify and support survivors. Watch to learn more.

05/27/2026

New StoryMap Brief Released!

The new storymap brief presents findings from the storymap component of the Improving Shelter Experience For Indigenous Women study, highlighting how geospatial barriers shape Indigenous women's help-seeking experiences, with the goals of informing more responsive IPV services, policies, and research, and advancing the use of geographic tools in IPV research.

Download the brief here:https://umanitoba.ca/sites/resolve/files/2026-04/improving-shelter-experience-storymap-brief.pdf

Help us change the narrative!At Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury Through Research (SOAR), we’re looking fo...
05/25/2026

Help us change the narrative!

At Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury Through Research (SOAR), we’re looking for committed and compassionate professionals to join us as we work to change the narrative around intimate partner violence-caused brain injury (IPV-BI).

We’re currently hiring for two roles: Knowledge Brokers and Facilitators. Swipe through to learn more.

📅 Apply by June 19
🔗Full job description
📩 [email protected]
Learn more 🔗 soarproject.ca/team

About SOAR: We are a registered charity and the only organization in Canada dedicated to IPV-BI. We explore the intersection of brain injury and intimate partner violence, educate members of the public and frontline workers to recognize and respond, and empower survivors to get the support and services they need to thrive.

These new roles will help us:
● Build capacity among service providers and survivors (in order to accelerate impact when it comes to recognizing and responding to the hidden public health crisis of IPV-BI)
● Connect with professionals, advocates, and survivors across the country.

This spotlight is highlighting Catherine Wiseman-Hakes, Assistant Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Science at McMast...
05/25/2026

This spotlight is highlighting Catherine Wiseman-Hakes, Assistant Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University and one of SOAR's incredible research collaborators!

🧠 Where are you from? I'm third generation Canadian, born in Montreal and based in Toronto. I have a love-hate relationship with Toronto, but given that it's a (sort of) midpoint in our beautiful country, it allows me to get to both the west and east coasts and Quebec pretty easily. These are all places I love and which I travel to as often as I can.

🧠 What is your area of study/expertise? I'm a speech language pathologist by training and my doctoral work was in rehabilitation neuroscience. My area of study is cognition, communication, cognitive communication and social cognition and how these are impacted by brain injury as well as by trauma.

🧠 What do you do in your research/work? Broadly, I look at the intersection of brain injury, trauma and cognitive-communication, in youth (age 15 -25) and adults. I work with communities and individuals where the prevalence of brain injury and experience of trauma is disproportionately high and who are typically underserved and often marginalized. These include survivors of IPV and GBV, people who have intersected with the criminal legal system and who may have experienced precarious housing and mental health challenges. As often as I can, I try to use co-creation methods in my work where I include people with lived experience. I am also an educator/(assistant) professor and I am passionate about training the next generation of SLPs/health care providers about trauma and underserved communities and helping to create a paradigm shift in the neurorehabilitation and SLP space.

🧠 Why does it matter? This matters deeply as communication is a human right, and the basis of all human relationships. Many of the people I work with have felt they have 'no voice' and we all need to be seen and heard and to be able to advocate for ourselves and others and create deep and meaningful connections.

🧠 What is one thing you think everyone needs to know about BI in IPV? Brain injury and IPV(and GBV, broadly) is a global public health issue and a human rights issue and we all need to keep working together until this is no longer the case.

Today Rechie Valdez announced $77.5 million in federal funding to extend projects for 395 organizations across the count...
05/25/2026

Today
Rechie Valdez announced $77.5 million in federal funding to extend projects for 395 organizations across the country. This is more than a budget line. It recognizes the work we do supporting survivors of gender-based violence is essential, urgent, and ongoing.

At SOAR, we know the effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) don’t end when the violence does. Brain injuries caused by IPV can affect memory, concentration, emotional regulation, employment, parenting, housing stability, and long-term health — often without ever being recognized or treated.

Sustained investment helps organizations like ours:

💜 Ensure survivors are seen, heard, and believed
🧠 Train frontline workers to recognize IPV-caused brain injury
🤝 Connect survivors to informed supports
📚️ Advance research and public awareness

When funding continues, support continues.
And when support continues, lives change.

SOAR offers expert-led, evidence-based training to help frontline workers recognize, respond to, and better support surv...
05/22/2026

SOAR offers expert-led, evidence-based training to help frontline workers recognize, respond to, and better support survivors living with intimate partner violence-caused brain injury (IPV-BI).

Whether you're a healthcare provider, shelter staff, social worker, legal professional, police officer, or community organization, this training is designed for you.

Sessions range from one-hour webinars to full-day workshops, available online and in-person, and are tailored to your team's needs.

The training covers practical tools for identifying IPV-BI, trauma-informed and survivor-centred approaches, and strategies to strengthen your response and care.

Follow the link in our bio or visit our website to learn more and get in touch!

Address

Kelowna, BC

Website

https://linktr.ee/soarprojectcanada

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The SOAR Project posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to The SOAR Project:

Shortcuts

Share

Category