Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) has received almost $168,000 in federal funding from the Public Safety Canada Policy Development Contribution Program for its project titled See the Signs: A Red Flag Awareness Project for Safer Campuses. These funds will be distributed over two years to support the development and implementation of new tools and educational initiatives aimed at strengthening campus safety.
"Our project will equip RDP students, faculty and staff with the knowledge and tools to better recognize mental health risks among students, the early warning signs of violence, understand the legal system better and respond appropriately," says Dr. Tonya Wolfe, Associate Vice President, Applied Research, Red Deer Polytechnic. "In conjunction with the robust student services offered at RDP, the See the Signs project will continue to enhance the wellbeing of the campus community."
The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, recent Minister of Public Safety for the Government of Canada, highlighted the importance of increasing awareness of Red Flag laws which are legal tools that allow individuals to request emergency measures to temporarily remove firearm access in situations of imminent risk.
Although the risk of firearm-related harm is low at Red Deer Polytechnic, this trauma-informed, multilingual initiative includes awareness campaigns, workshops, online learning, peer leader training and a Campus Toolkit. By integrating community input, legal expertise and mental health best practices, the project will help create safer, more resilient campuses that can serve as a model across Alberta's post- secondary sector and beyond.
This project, which focuses on equity-deserving students such as Indigenous, LGBTQ2S+, victims of gender-based violence and marginalized groups, aims to accomplish several measurable outcomes. In addition to building legal literacy, informing decision making and growing confidence in national public safety systems, the See the Signs project will also enhance industry partnerships, such as between the Polytechnic, RCMP and Sendero Centre within the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence on RDP's main campus. These collaborations will help to form innovative approaches and best practices while increasing access to safety information through a variety of outreach initiatives.
RDP is among 23 organizations that received a portion of federal funding worth more than $3.7 million through the Red Flag Awareness Initiative.
Red Deer Polytechnic continues to offer a variety of campus safety measures and student services that include counselling services, security and health and wellbeing services.
