Until recently, the term “UBAKA” was as meaningless to Tony McKee as it still is to most people in Canada. But then he saw a Youtube video laying out everything that it stands for and he instantly knew UBAKA was something he wanted to bring to Vancouver Island.
“It just clicked,” McKee said. “This is really important. It’s a really big thing to me.”
The Urban Bulldogs Against Kids Abuse is an international non-profit biker organization advocating against child abuse. The group, which was first started in France in 2003, aims to provide comfort, safety and support to children who have been sexually, physically or psychologically abused. In 2012, UBAKA was brought to Canada by Ed “Big Dog” Stacey, the Canadian national president, who is based in Penticton and has helped chapters form across the country.
The Youtube video McKee saw was produced by a group of filmmakers out of Kelowna who approached UBAKA about shooting a promotional video for them, explaining what the organization is all about.
“We’re a child protection advocacy organization,” said Stacey. “We provide life counselling for victim services. We provide care and support for victims of abuse, and/or bullying… We have a social program which is going out into the public and providing assistance where needed with home care or social care.”
UBAKA chapters have a variety of programs they bring to schools to share information about sexual abuse, bullying and other issues facing children and young people. They also host concerts, swap meets and other community-based fundraising events, with proceeds going to local charities or organizations like food banks.
Stacey said he chose to bring UBAKA to Canada four years ago for reasons “on a personal level” and because he believes existing social services and government programs are not enough to keep all children safe.
Victims frequently fall through the cracks, he said, and his hope is that UBAKA chapters like the one McKee is starting in Lake Cowichan will be there to catch them.
“I don’t believe [existing services] are as strong without additional assistance. Everybody needs a helping hand, it doesn’t matter if you figure you’ve got the best system,” he said.
The kind of counselling UBAKA provides requires all members complete an online training program within their first six months of joining.
“All of our counselling programs are registered programs,” said Stacey, noting that certification for counselling does not mean members are then licensed to go out and open their own counselling businesses, but they are qualified “internal counsellors,” which allows them to work with victims who come to UBAKA for assistance.
Stacey said prospective members just need to have a bike that’s 500 CCs or more. However, the organization also has a stringent application process involving a criminal record check and a vulnerable sector check because of the populations UBAKA works with.
On Aug. 20, McKee hosted a barbecue and invited bikers from around the Lake and the Valley to learn more from Stacey about UBAKA and what their involvement would entail.
McKee said as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse himself, he wants to do everything he can to make sure there are sufficient resources in this area for any children or families impacted in this way.
“Anyone who’s interested in becoming a member, please get in touch with me,” he said. “Starting next year we’ll be in the parade here in Lake Cowichan.”
Stacey said McKee is not alone.
“The majority of our members — about 90 per cent of our member base are survivors,” he said. “So we all have the personal background and personal experience to take a step forward with life counselling for everybody that we come across in one form or another.”
Stacey said anyone in need of UBAKA’s support services can reach out and contact one of their chapters through their Facebook page or the group’s website at www.ubaka.ca.
