Family Service Saskatoon will be taking a step outside the city on Thursday, bringing a free day of education and awareness to the residents of Warman. 

Director of Programs Myrna Kanigan says community members, service providers, local leaders, and educators will be gathering at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex for the first ever Building Safer Communities: Family Violence Awareness Day. 

The free event will focus on spotting and preventing violence in the community, specifically gender-based and intimate partner violence. 

“We continue to have the highest rates of intimate partner violence in Canada, in fact, double the national average. In talking with our community partners, the Saskatoon City Police and the RCMP, we know that much of the violence and abuse remains unreported, unfortunately.” 

The three adult sessions will teach participants about prevention strategies, how to support a survivor, and mobilizing community organizations to respond. Youth programs will focus on the digital world of relationships and exploring the building of boundaries. 

Kanigan underlines the importance of keeping events like these free.

“We really want to ensure that we can blanket the community with awareness and education, and often times there could be barriers for people who can’t afford to take part in awareness days such as this or take training. So, we want to make sure that everyone is able to come.”

The event is taking place from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.