Vancouver Hosts Powerful Event for Victims and Survivors of Crime Week
To mark Victims and Survivors of Crime Week (May 11–17, 2025), Vancouver hosted a heartfelt and impactful event titled “Honouring Voices, Empowering Survivors” on May 11, 2025. The seminar brought together survivors, mental health professionals, and advocates to explore the mental and emotional impact of crime and the need for coordinated community support.
The event was co-hosted by Sherry Soltani, LJI journalist with Skyrise Media Society and Parvaz TV, Poran Poregbal, Registered Clinical Counsellor and Doctorate Candidate, and Samira Gholami, Registered Therapeutic Counsellor. It was presented in collaboration with Middlepeace Clinical Counselling Society, Skyrise Media, and other civic partners.
Held in Vancouver, the gathering aligned with this year’s national theme: “The Power of Collaboration.” Through expert insights and lived experience, speakers emphasized how cross-sector partnerships—between clinicians, educators, and local media—are vital in helping survivors heal and access trauma-informed care.
Highlights included:
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Poran Poregbal emphasized the importance of survivor-centered platforms and culturally responsive care.
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Samira Gholami called for accessible, professional mental health support, especially in underserved communities.
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Ali Khodammi addressed misconceptions about trauma recovery and the dangers of unqualified advice circulating on social media.
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Dr. Asgari advocated for collaborative frameworks that expand both the reach and effectiveness of services.
Sherry Soltani reflected on the media’s role in healing: “When individuals share their truth publicly, they break taboos, reclaim power, and inspire others.”
Personal testimonies from community members added a deeply moving dimension to the event. Survivors shared stories of political trauma, immigration challenges, cultural stigma, and the struggle to find trustworthy mental health care.
The event concluded with a unified message: healing is possible—through safe spaces, professional guidance, and compassionate community support.
This gathering not only strengthened awareness during Victims and Survivors of Crime Week but also helped build local momentum toward more inclusive and effective responses to trauma.
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LJI Impact is the section of commediaportal.ca where the journalists and their organizations participating in CACTUS' Local Journalism Initiative can share their greatest successes.
Through the written stories, photos and videos you see in the LJI Impact section, you'll be able to read first hand accounts about how the presence of a community journalist is making a difference in communities across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Media Portal.
The Community Media Portal is a gateway to the audio-visual media created by community media centres across Canada. These include traditional community TV and radio stations, as well as online and new media production centres.
Community media are not-for-profit production hubs owned and operated by the communities they serve, established both to provide local content and reflection for their communities, as well as media training and access for ordinary citizens to the latest tools of media production, whether traditional TV and radio, social and online media, virtual reality, augmented reality or video games.
The Community Media Portal has been funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (the LJI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in association with the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération). Under the LJI, over 100 journalists have been placed in underserved communities and asked to produce civic content that underpins Canadian democratic life.
