The Crisis Centre is the leader in Central Alberta when it comes to educating and providing information to people (regardless of age or gender) concerning Sexual Assault. As a dedicated non-profit agency, our staff believes strongly that offering proactive programs is one way we are making a difference in helping our communities remain safe.

Our education programs are tailored to meet the needs of the people in our communities. Our in-school education programs cover all age groups, beginning with children in kindergarten and encompassing all students up to and including people attending college level courses.

We also offer programs focused towards professional development for teachers, school administers and school board members as well as businesses who wish to educate and empower their employees. Community and volunteer groups have also benefited from our wide range of topics, including hands-on programs such as the Common Sense Approach to Self-Defense.

Through years of experience helping victims of sexual abuse, we believe the following statement to be true:

Empowering an individual inspires them with confidence and/or self-esteem. By teaching people what constitutes sexual abuse, what predators look for in a victim and what to do in the event a person is being sexually abused, we empower them to make healthy and safe choices in their life.

For more information regarding our education programs, printed material or to book a program for your school, group or business please call the Crisis Centre at (403) 340-1124 and speak with our Education Program Manager.

Our education program provides information on a wide variety of topics. Our goal is to inform and educate, with a focus on prevention. A key objective of our education program is to raise public awareness while encouraging a sense of community responsibility. Literature, resources and presentations are available to community groups, human service organizations, schools and individuals.

The following are some of the education programs the Crisis Centre offers:

Grade Level: 1 to 4

The Red Cross RespectEd Program: delivered to children aged 5-9 in schools and other learning environments. It teaches body ownership, inappropriate vs. Appropriate contact, personal safety and how to get help, through kid-friendly activities with Trusty the puppet and the Talk Walk Squalk ("say No, get away, tell someone") motto. Concepts such as privacy, bribery, and secrecy are explored through stories and activities.

Grade Level: 7 to 12

Harassment: Our focus in this program is on the prevalence of harassment in the middle school grade environment and how to deal with that stress. We cover topics such as what is harassment, the 5 types of harassment (verbal, non-verbal, physical, emotional and sexual), and setting personal boundaries.

Grade 8 Students

Relationships - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: This 3 part program illustrates the different types of relationships they will encounter and it shows that each type is unique in its own way. The primary focus of this program is making safe choices based on self-respect. Low self-esteem and a general lack of self-respect is a major issue for many middle school students. This can be a difficult time in their lives, with major changes occurring with their bodies as well as their views on family, friends and that frightening three letter word...sex.

This program has three main components:


• Rate Your Relationships
• Safe and Caring Relationships
• Respect and Relationships

Each class will be visited on three separate occasions throughout the school year. Each presentation will then be followed up with a short assignment.

Grade Level: 9 to 12

Healthy Relationships: This program covers topics such as what to look for in a love relationship, danger signs within a relationship and how to deal with them.

Sexual Assault: In this presentation we discuss what a sexual assault is, what to do if this ever occurs to you or a friend and who you can turn to for assistance. We also discuss setting personal boundaries regarding sex and safety tips while out at parties or bars.

High Risk Youth

Street Gangs, Prostitution and Drugs: This topic is designed for youth who are exhibiting High Risk behaviours. In this program we discuss why young people are attracted to gangs and the dangers involved in joining a gang. We also explore prostitution, myths surrounding this sex trade and the dangers that go with this type of work. The last subject covered in this presentation is street drugs and the dangers and effects of those substances on a person’s body as well as on one’s psychological heath.

Education Programs for Adult Groups

• Youth Identity Issues (Street Gangs and Prostitution)
• Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
• How to talk to Your Children About Sexual Assault
• Nonviolent Crisis Intervention - This program, developed by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), teaches people to respond effectively to the warning signs that someone is beginning to lose control and addresses how these responders can deal with their own stress, anxieties, and emotions when confronted with these challenging situations.
• The Common Sense Approach to Self Defence (female participants only) - a three hour program designed to teach participants the basics on how to defend themselves in the event they are attacked and fear for their safety. All participants must be in good health and must be prepared to participate in the lecture and physical training aspect of this course.

Date rape drugs are substances like Rohypnol (pill form) or GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate, liquid form).  They are usually slipped unnoticed into drinks at bars, clubs, raves and other parties. Sexual predators use them to incapacitate you, leaving you weakened, helpless or unconscious -- unable to escape or resist an assault or even to call out for help. When the drug wears off, your memory may be impaired, especially if the drink the drug was slipped into contained alcohol. In fact, mixing these drugs with alcohol can be deadly. 

Ketamine is a new rave drug, known at raves as "Super K Ecstasy" or “Special K.” In overdose, it causes the victim to experience difficulty breathing. It can be fatal if mixed with alcohol or other drugs. The onset action is rapid; it has dissociative or psychedelic effects in low doses.  

Ketamine is used as a veterinary and medical anesthetic. It comes as a clear liquid (like water) and it has been reported that it can also come in a white crystalline powder form.

During recovery, the individual may go through a phase of emergence reaction characterized by vivid dreams, confusion, excitement, irrational behavior and occasionally hallucinations.

Rohypnol is the brand name for flunitrazepam, a benzodiazepine drug -- the same family of medications as Valium, Halcion and Xanax. Benzodiazepines have been used for the treatment of anxiety and sleep disturbances and in anesthesia. It is illegal to make or sell Rohypnol in Canada or the United States.

Ruffies, Roofies, Rophies, Roches, Roaches, La Rochas, Rope, Rib, Forget Pill, Poor Man's Quaalude, R-2s, Circles, Dulcitas, Whiteys, Trip-and-Fall, Mind-Erasers, Mexican Valium and many others.

GHB is gamma-hydroxybutyrate.  It is a powerful drug that acts as a depressant on the central nervous system. It is rapidly metabolized by the body, the effects can be felt within 15 minutes.

GHB can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, seizures, respiratory depression, intense drowsiness, unconsciousness, and coma. In some cases, GHB can also cause amnesia, making you unable to recall what happened while you were under the influence of the drug.

When GHB is taken with alcohol or other drugs, the consequences may be life-threatening.

Most of the GHB used today is "home-brewed",  meaning there can be significant differences in the purity, concentration and potency of various batches. Separate batches may have very different effects. There is also a narrow margin between the dose that will produce intoxication and the amount that will produce more serious effects. 

How to protect yourself

• Only drink beverages that you personally opened.
• Only drink from your own glass or bottle. Do not exchange or share drinks with anyone.
• Avoid taking a drink from a punch bowl.
• Avoid drinking from a container that is being passed around.
• Only consume drinks which you have mixed yourself, or have watched someone else mix.
• Avoid going out by yourself. Use the "buddy" system if you are in any place where alcohol is being consumed.
• Never leave your drink unattended. If you need to leave your drink for any reason, have a trusted person watch it for you.
• Watch the drinks of your friends when they are absent or distracted.
• If a drink tastes, looks or smells in any way unusual, stop drinking and report it to the host or responsible person. Do not accept a replacement drink, do not drink anything further, and seek medical assistance. If you suspect a friend may have been drugged, contact the police.
• If you feel disoriented or in any way "strange" after having consumed only a small or moderate amount of alcohol, seek the aid of a trusted person and get immediate medical assistance. Similarly, if a friend's behaviour is abnormal in relation to the amount of alcohol consumed, make sure he or she stops drinking immediately and seeks medical assistance.