A new partnership between the Kelowna Women’s Shelter and BrainTrust Canada has formed.

For the month of November, the two organizations will run a four-week social media campaign on their websites to shed light on the prevalence of stigma in both traumatic brain injury and domestic abuse.

Allison McLauchlan, the executive director of the Kelowna Women's Shelter, says the partnership makes sense for both organizations, because it helps tackle large issues together.

“There's a lot of research going on right now through ‘The SOAR Project’ with regards to domestic abuse and traumatic brain injury, so we thought that with all the research going on, what a great way for two local organizations to raise awareness around both of their issues,” said McLauchlan.

McLauchlan said there are a lot of myths surrounding brain injuries and domestic abuse, so it's important for the community to stay educated and know when to speak up.

“This is what the campaign is about. It's about invisible labels and visible injuries, so we wanted to raise awareness around that, and say just because someone is behaving in a way that you don’t quite understand, they might actually be experiencing abuse or trauma or have a brain injury,” explains McLauchlan.

Amanda McFarlane, senior manager of programs with BrainTrust Canada, said she she's seen a high number of women being marginalized in their cases, so the partnership between the two feels like a no-brainer.

“I think in the world of acquired brain injuries and traumatic brain injuries, we typically support men who have sustained injury, but over my time at BrainTrust we’ve really seen a lot of women that go even more marginalized than men,” said McFarlane.

“They often end up in the court system, have to battle to keep their children in their custody simply because of the outcomes of brain injury, so when the opportunity came to partner, it was a natural fit for us, we figured how could we not?”

If you or someone you know in need of help, you can reach the Kelowna Women’s Shelter by clicking here.