The “Communities Working Together to End Violence Against Women Conference” will be held in Kitchener from February 25 to 27, 2008 at Bingemans Conference Center. For more information, please visit www.communitiesworkingtogether.ca.

The program will include experts and advocates, including:

Naomi Judd – Keynote Speaker
Ms. Judd is a member of the Grammy-award winning country western music group, the Judds. A motivational speaker on domestic violence, she speaks candidly about her experience in an abusive relationship and about her struggles as a single mother with no medical insurance, her determination to earn a nursing degree while raising two daughters single-handedly and becoming a successful recording artist at 37.

Dr. Peter Jaffe

Dr. Jaffe is academic director, Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children and a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario. He is a member of the London Coordinating Committee to End Woman Abuse. He has co-authored nine books, 24 chapters and over 70 articles related to children, families and the justice system including Children of Battered Women and Working Together to End Domestic Violence.  

Dr. Michael Kaufman
Dr. Kaufman is an educator, writer and trainer on gender equality and ending violence against women. He has worked with organizations in over 30 countries including extensively with nations as well as numerous governments, corporations, universities, school boards and non-governmental organizations. Dr. Kaufman is also the co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign, the largest effort in the world of men working to end violence against women. His books on gender issues include Cracking the Armor: Power, Pain and the Lives of Men; Beyond Patriarchy: Essays By Men on Pleasure Power and Change; and Theorizing Masculinities.

Dr. Leslie Tutty, Academic Research Coordinator of RESOLVE Alberta.

Dr. Tutty is a full professor with the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary where she teaches courses in both clinical social work methods and conducts research that has focused on services for family violence. Since 1999, she has served as the Academic Research Coordinator of RESOLVE Alberta, a tri-provincial research institute on family violence.

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Contacts:
Stephanie Kupiec, Minister’s Office, (416) 212-3394
Michel Payen-Dumont, Communications Branch, (416) 314-7010

News Release: Engaging Communities To Prevent Violence Against Women