The Elizabeth Fry Society of Saint John NB Inc. PO Box 23012 Saint John NB E2J 4M1 Phone/Fax: (506) 635-8851 www.efrysj.com www.facebook.com/elizabethfry She Believed She Could So She Did Mission Statement: The Elizabeth Fry Society of Saint John is to address underlying systemic or individual issues for women who are marginalized, at risk, or in the criminal justice system. This objective is viewed in the context of the need to create a supportive community, and to ensure that the women we serve are given the opportunity to participate fully in their communities. To this end our primary work is to advocate for the provision of programs and services, and to develop such programs and services where they do not exist; to advocate for change and reform in the criminal justice system and to ensure that individual rights of women are protected.
Programs & Services Nova Institution for Women Mother/Child Read Aloud Program: This program is conducted on five weekends per year by four volunteers. An average of thirty women read to seventy-five children and two hundred and twenty-five books plus tapes and walkmans are sent across Canada and USA. A bilingual volunteer is available upon request to provide services in French. Books are available for aboriginal children and children of color. This Program receives some financial assistance from Correctional Services Canada through Nova Institution, yet we must constantly seek additional funding in order to sustain and continue our Program. We received a very generous donation from First Books Canada. Once per year, the Society provides each woman at Nova Institution with a book of her choice, and remaining books are donated to the library at Nova. Monthly Visits: Volunteers spend two days at Nova once a month to conduct individual interviews with women to assist them in reintegrating into the community and support them in dealing with issues affecting their confinement. Women at Nova have access at all times to our toll free number and frequently use this. Christmas & Summer Socials: Members attend these events to show our support for the women. Atlantic Advocacy Committee [AAC]: A volunteer from our Society plays an active role on this committee, which meets for a day and a half, monthly at Nova.
Direct Services Federally Sentenced Women living in the Saint John Community & at the Half-Way House: The women have access to one-on-one mentoring, outreach, transportation assistance, and referrals to other community services and programs. The women can also pick up hygiene items at the Office, should they need some. Court Support: Volunteers are available on a daily basis to provide information and ongoing support to women who come before the courts. Women, who are appearing before the court for the first time, will often contact our office so that they can be better prepared for their appearance. We also maintain an ongoing relationship with these women and their families. We have compiled a volunteer court work training manual that has been used for training and educational purposes. Anti-Shoplifting Program for Youth: During the past nine years, a volunteer has conducted this program in two school districts in our immediate vicinity reaching many students at schools. For the period from 2003-2012 our volunteer visited 133 schools and reached 5830 kids. She travelled a total of 6991 kms. The program helps children see the negative effects of shoplifting via a video and workbook, written and designed by E. Fry Saint John. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Saint John NB Inc. owns the copyright to the video and booklet. Funding for this program has been received from The New Brunswick Crime Prevention. Cross Roads to Success: This teen intervention program is designed to facilitate insight and transition of past coping strategies with youth. This project will assist them in dealing with stress, peer pressure, feelings of depression, etc. and will provide an opportunity for our youth to practice and prepare responses to various situations so that they will make better decisions in the future. We are currently partnering with the John Howard Society of Saint John to facilitate this program. E. Fry has developed a relationship with the participants that will last long after the closing of the Program. Currently, this is the only gender specific, female lead program in Saint John and
surrounding area. Funding for this program has been received from The New Brunswick Crime Prevention. Street Outreach and Drop In Centre: As of May 17, 2012 we opened a safe Drop In location for women. This is open every Friday evening from 7-11pm. A hot meal is provided and the women can get involved in conversation. The volunteers provide services and information that the women request. This is a safe women's only program where women can be free to express themselves. Scholarship Program: The Elizabeth Fry Society of Saint John NB Inc. has been granted $25 000 over a period of five years to grant clients financial assistance should they be enrolling in an educational institution in the fall. $5000 will be awarded annually, and it is open to any woman who has utilized an Elizabeth Fry service. Two $2,500.00 scholarships were awarded this fall. One scholarship was awarded to a single mom with four children to attend community college to work in Health Care. Due to the success she experienced in this program she has decided to continue on towards a nursing degree. The other was awarded to a woman, who was recently released from Nova Institution and residing in the local half way house, to attend University. Advocacy: Our volunteers write letters on the women s behalf to judges, lawyers, social workers, parole officers, rehabilitation centers, Ombudsman, etc. We will call family members if requested. We also do speaking engagements and media interviews to inform the public, and we write to the Premier and the Legislative Assembly to provide rehabilitative services to criminalized and marginalized women. We meet on a regular basis with a representative from the Office of the New Brunswick Ombudsman and provide him with updates on the current situations. During 2012 our major advocacy has involved the housing of adult prisoners in a youth facility in New Brunswick. We are not in favor of this as it is against the Youth Criminal Justice Act and is in violation of the United Nations Geneva Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 37C. We have vigorously protested this to The New Brunswick Department of Public Safety, New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, Office of the Ombudsman, The Acting Youth Advocate, The Federal Government and the Media. The retired former
Ombudsman, Bernard Richard, in his Ashley Smith Report June 2008 recommended to The New Brunswick Government and Department of Public Safety the following recommendation #23. Youths in Adult Provincial correctional facilities - It is recommended that the Minister of Public Safety take the necessary steps to ensure that youths (under the age of 19) incarcerated in a provincial correctional facility be confined independently from adult inmates. It has been five years and this practice is still going on. The Department of Public Safety had every opportunity to rectify this when male inmates were transferred from The New Brunswick Youth Facility to other institutions, however women were transferred from an adult facility to The New Brunswick Youth Facility in January 2012 therefore continuing this practice of housing youth and adults together. It should be noted that Ashley Smith begin her harsh journey in this very institution along with male adults. Our Society will continue to bring this matter to public attention. Family Contacts: This is an important part of our work as on any given day, there are 25 000 children in Canada who have a mother in the criminal justice system. These hidden victims and their care-givers need our support. We are in contact with many of the families and are able to provide information about resources that can be accessed and give them much needed moral support as they experience a loved one undergoing this tragic event. Phone Line: Women can contact a volunteer via cell phone daily, from 6 am to 9 pm; they can also leave a message at our office or use our toll-free number. Our office is open Mon-Fri from 8:30 am-4:30pm. Memorial for Ashley Smith: In October we held our fifth annual candle light vigil as a memorial to Ashley Smith and other women who have died in custody. The attendance continues to grow yearly. This past year we were able to have coffee and conversation after. We will be holding another vigil again this October.
Fundraising A great deal of time and effort is required to complete proposals for funding and other activities involving expenses. An appeal letter was sent in November. We acknowledge the receipt of grants and funding from the Greater Saint John Community Foundation, New Brunswick Crime Prevention, Literacy Newfound Land, St. Paul`s Anglican Church, First Books Canada and our many generous personal donors. Workshops We hold ongoing training sessions for new volunteers and to update our present volunteers. This happens frequently as we have had numerous contacts from the public who wish to volunteer with our Society. The Changing face of The Elizabeth Fry Society in Saint John Two of our volunteers attended an extensive five month program to enable Elizabeth Fry Saint John to move forward with the establishment of a social enterprise. This is a very exciting time for our society as our focus is expanding to provide more programs and services that in the future will see women previously unemployed or underemployed finding opportunities for success.