Facing Our Messy Lives

The CoSA Ottawa Documentary

Building Safer Communities Through Support & Accountability

 

In 2024, we premiered our powerful documentary sharing the work of CoSA Ottawa — and the impact continues.

This film offers a rare and thoughtful look at how community-based reintegration works for people returning to society after serving sentences for sexual offences. It challenges assumptions, reduces stigma, and highlights what truly makes communities safer.

Whether you joined us for the launch or are discovering it for the first time, we invite you to watch, share, and start the conversation.

About the Film

This documentary explores the Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) model — an evidence-informed approach that combines community volunteers with professional guidance to support individuals at high risk of reoffending.

Through interviews, real stories, and community perspectives, the film demonstrates:

  • How isolation and stigma increase risk

  • How structured support and accountability reduce harm

  • The courage of volunteers who step forward to build safer communities

  • Why prevention is everyone’s responsibility

CoSA has been shown to reduce reoffending by up to 88%, making it one of the most effective community-based reintegration models available.

Why This Matters

Individuals convicted of sexual offences are among the most stigmatized and isolated people returning to the community. Isolation increases risk. Connection reduces it.

CoSA offers both:

  • Support — practical assistance, pro-social relationships, and community connection

  • Accountability — clear boundaries, transparency, and collaboration with community partners

The documentary helps audiences understand that prevention is possible — and that safer communities are built through engagement, not exclusion.

Host a Screening

We are currently booking community, campus, faith group, and organizational screenings.

Hosting a screening is a powerful way to:

  • Spark informed conversation

  • Reduce misinformation

  • Highlight effective prevention strategies

  • Engage new volunteers and supporters

Interested in hosting a screening?
Contact us at director@cosa-ottawa.ca. 

Watch the Trailer

Experience a preview of the film and hear directly from those involved in this life-changing work.

▶ Watch the Trailer 

Support the Work

The documentary is more than a film — it’s a tool for awareness, prevention, and community engagement.

You can help by:

  • Sharing the film

  • Hosting a screening

  • Becoming a volunteer

  • Making a donation

Together, we can build safer communities through support and accountability.

Donate
Volunteer
Back To Top

Unlike other platforms which typically charge a user fee in addition to transaction fees on every single transaction, Zeffy is 100% for the organisations that use our platform. Zeffy covers all credit card fees and does not charge a platform use fee. In return, Zeffy includes a suggested voluntary contribution to donors at the payment step. As it is a voluntary contribution, donors can choose a different amount from the suggested one by clicking "Other" and entering the amount of their choice, or they can enter "$0" if they do not wish to support our platform.

 Zeffy’s model is driven by the belief that all nonprofits should have access to 100% of the donations intended for their mission, therefore these contributions are Zeffy’s only source of revenue. They help to cover transaction fees, platform development and service costs. On a large scale, the voluntary contribution gives thousands of organizations access, for the first time, to a high-quality fundraising technology completely free of charge (normally the charge is a minimum of 4% per donation received). For the more than 10,000 organizations that work with Zeffy, this means a bigger budget and greater efficiency in fulfilling their mission to society.