Vancouver Assn For The Survivors Of Torture

VAST was founded in 1986 by former members of Amnesty International, in response to the flood of refugees arriving in British Columbia as a result of the internal armed conflicts in Central America. Through their work with survivors of torture from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, the founders of VAST recognized that there were no community-based mental health supports for refugees in Vancouver. In October of 1986, this small group of human rights activists and mental health professionals gathered to form the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST), an organization that would work at the intersections of human rights and mental health. While the geo-politics of refugee resettlement have changed since VAST was founded, we remain committed to promoting the human rights and mental health of refugees. We promote mental health and healing through trauma-focused psychological counselling and community-based psychosocial support for refugees who experience trauma as a result of torture, political violence, and other forms of persecution. We promote human rights through public education on refugee rights and the prevention of torture, and through advocacy with the Canadian Council for Refugees, the Multi-Agency Partnership, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. VAST is the second largest centre for survivors of torture and political violence in Canada, and a member centre of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims.