The document summarizes a women's safety audit conducted in Camrose, Alberta by Canada World Youth participants. Over two evenings, 31 individuals participated in walks around downtown Camrose, noting issues like lighting, signage, and accessibility. Based on surveys afterward, recommendations were made to address specific safety concerns, such as improving snow removal, adding crosswalks and lighting in certain areas, and making sidewalks more walkable. The audit aimed to empower women to identify local safety issues and work with the community on solutions.

1. By: Nura Yunus
Apsari Rara Nastiti

2. Canada World Youth
 Canada World Youth (CWY) offers international educational
programs to young people aged 15 to 35. Since 1971, more than
37,000 youth from Canada and around the world have
completed a CWY program in 69 partner countries.
 As part of the Youth Leaders in Action program of CWY, groups
of 18 young people from different cultures leave their homes to
spend a total of six months together- three months in a
Canadian community and three months in a community in a
partner country.
 For the eleventh time, Camrose is hosting CWY and this winter
MENPORA (Ministry of Youth and Sports) participants from across
Canada and Indonesia.

3. Women’s Safety Audit
 A participatory tool created by METRAC, the Metropolitan Action
Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (www.metrac.ca), in
1989 as a gender-specific response to growing concerns about violence
against and women’s feelings of insecurity.
 Canada World Youth acknowledges that women and girls experience and
perceive protection and safety differently than men and boys
 Fear of violence limits women’s choices, quality of life, mobility and freedom of
movement, as they avoid certain places, routes and modes of transportation.
 It therefore limits their full participation in public life, access to essential
services such as health, water and sanitation including political and community
life.
 The key principles of the Women’s Safety Audit (WSA) are:
 Women are considered experts on their own environment and security
 WSAs encourage local and context-specific solutions to issues of insecurity
 WSAs promote partnerships between women and their local governments

4.  Meeting with groups and community
organizations that represent diverse women
 Camrose Association For Community Living
 Women’s Shelter
 Elder’s Care Committee
 Camrose Ministerial Association
 Augustana University Counselors, students,
President of Students Association, Aboriginal
Support Services
 Walkable Camrose
 Camrose Family Violence Response Council
 Camrose Walkers

5.  Based on the recommendations from the
organizations and women that we talked to,
we chose December 4th and December 6th as
the dates to do the walk.
 We wanted to include as many Augustana
students as possible before the examinations
 Scheduled the dates around the National Day
of Remembrance and Action on Violence
Against Women
 Chose path of downtown because it is most
widely used by the most members of the
community.

6.  We started from Augustana University,
headed around downtown, and then went
back to Augustana University

8.  We started from Camrose United Church and
travelled through downtown area; this night
we took two different paths through
downtown

10.  Sent email to all local contacts
 Distributed posters and pamphlets
 Created social media account to connect
with public : Facebook
 Contacted media
 Camrose Booster
 Camrose Canadian
 Camrose Morning News
 The Dagligtale
 Edmonton news outlets

11.  Between the two events, we had 31 in
attendance
 20 CWY participants
 11 community members
 Performed audit noting physical
characteristics along the routes (lighting,
maintenance, signage, etc.)
 Facilitated conversation following walks
 Completed surveys

12.  Snow shovelling
 Lighting : alleys and certain streets
 80% audit participants felt that there was
inadequate lighting in some areas of the city, or
identified areas where lighting was absent or
broken
 Crosswalks
 Visibility and signage
 Access to help or telephones
 Of the 22 women participating in the walk, 11
were unsure of where to go for help, and 6 had
no indication of where to go for help

16.  Record additional gender specific information on all
reported Crimes on Persons, not just domestic
violence
 Establish process for citizens to give suggestions on
pedestrian-unfriendly streets, such as website or
comment box
 Add crosswalks to: Intersection of 46 Ave. and 49th St,
44 Ave. and 50th St
 Add signage and lighting: Mirror Lake, Jubilee Park,
more lighting on 50th St. (south of 48 Ave.)
 Add sidewalks to 46 Ave. (from 50St to 48St, along
Augustana campus)
 Improve general walk-ability : snow removal, more
public telephones, buffer between sidewalks and
road (48 Ave.)

17.  We recognize that our perspective is that of
new residents to the community
 Most participants of the walk believe
Camrose is safe and a walk-able city, but
expressed that there are areas where they
feel unsafe at night
 The recommendations of this audit would
benefit the whole community, not just
women
 This tool is accessible to the community to
audit other areas