The Diverse Voices History

1994

Following the Conference on Immigrant Women and Family Violence organized by Changing Together A Centre for Immigrant Women; a dedicated group of professionals formed the Action Committee of Immigrant Women Against Family Violence, which later became the Ethno-cultural Consultation Coalition. Later the coalition was instrumental in the creation of the Family Violence Prevention Centre and acted as an advisory board to their programs.

2001

Up to the year 2001, the coalition invited members of CIAFV to join the planning committee for the two-day conference. The dynamic individuals representing several organizations worked tirelessly with limited resources. That year’s conference was successful beyond anyone’s expectation with double the number of participants expected. The Ethno-cultural Family Violence Committee (EFVC-name change 2011) (formerly Ethno-cultural Consultation Coalition) is proud to see the conference grow to be of service to an ever-increasing audience and hopes that the original theme of diversity will be maintained for years to come.

2013

Since 2013 Diverse Voices has seen more than 4,300 registered delegates attend this conference. We remain the largest and most attended annual family violence conference in Western Canada.

Delegates come from the Western Canadian Provinces, Northern Territories, and Eastern Canada. The fields of practice of attendees include;

  • Social Workers
  • Advocates
  • Inner City and Shelter Staff and Volunteers
  • Perpetrator support and services
  • Victim Services
  • Criminal Justice staff
  • Alberta Health
  • RCMP
  • Local and Regional Police Services
  • City of Edmonton staff
  • Government of Alberta Children and Youth Services

Conference Objectives

  • Provide opportunities for increased understanding of family violence from a diverse perspective
  • Provide opportunities to reinforce a multidisciplinary approach to addressing family violence issues
  • Provide opportunities for increased knowledge and skill development for professionals working in the field
  • Highlight innovative research, best practices, programs and community partnerships
  • Provide networking opportunities
  • Provide opportunities to inspire and motivate professionals to work in the field

  • Help raise public awareness on the issue of family violence

    Our conference has been proud to host local, National and International speakers. Our goal is to bring current research, best practice and local perspective to the conference attendees each year. We want to ensure that each conference attendee is given the opportunity to network and increase connections, increase their practical knowledge and return to their agencies or line of work with increased capacity to serve both the spectrum of individuals involved with and impacted by family violence.

1994