The third in a four part series by region, this guide lists all the campus sexual violence support and prevention offices at post-secondary institutions in Ontario and Québec. We hope this list will help increase awareness of the resources and supports available, facilitate knowledge-sharing, and create a connected national network of experts working to end gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions in Canada. Click here to read more!

Racialized misogyny led to the recent murders of six Asian American women in Atlanta, and in Canada, we have witnessed a disturbing increase in the number of hate crimes against Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic. Courage to Act has created a list of resources for gender-justice advocates to challenge Anti-Asian racism. We invite gender justice advocates at Canadian PSIs to read, engage and implement action plans with the help of the resources linked.

En décembre dernier, Ihssane Fethi nous présentait un webinaire intitulé « Les violences fondées sur le genre dans un contexte de diversité culturelle ». Vous avez été nombreux et nombreuses à nous écrire pour nous faire part de votre appréciation toute particulière de ce webinaire. Si jamais vous n’avez pas encore eu la chance de visionner le tout, vous trouverez ici un court résumé des faits saillants abordés lors de la présentation.

The third in a four part series by region, this guide lists all the campus sexual violence support and prevention offices at post-secondary institutions in Ontario and Québec. We hope this list will help increase awareness of the resources and supports available, facilitate knowledge-sharing, and create a connected national network of experts working to end gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions in Canada. Click here to read more!

The Atwater Library and Computer Centre in Québec just launched an evaluation toolkit for projects that address rape culture on Canadian campuses. This toolkit includes ideas and strategies on making evaluation more trauma-informed, and includes sections on the potential of arts-based evaluation, and the importance of participant-led evaluation. This toolkit will also be available in French in the coming weeks. We invite you to read more, and access the toolkit here.

Essential Elements for Non-Punitive Accountability: a Workbook for Understanding Alternative Responses to Campus Gender-Based Violence was created by Courage to Act's Towards a Justice That Heals Community of Practice. The workbook provides a framework for non-punitive (restorative, transformative, and community) accountability practices. Applying a principles-based approach adaptable to any size or type of PSI, it lays out the essentials for ethical use of non-punitive accountability options, and provides resources, cases and reflection exercises to help PSIs move towards its use.

Pathways for Engagement: Institutional and Program-level Considerations to Engage Men and Prevent Sexualized and Gender-Based Violence on Post Secondary Campuses was created by Courage to Act's Engaging Men on Campus Community of Practice. This toolkit offers key considerations, and emerging and promising practices to engage men. It asks questions like, "How do we get men to offer leadership in these issues while acknowledging that men in leadership positions can also be part of the problem? What does recruitment look like? How can these strategies be trauma-informed?"

Alors que les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire subissent une pression sans précédent pour réviser leur approche à la violence sexuelle sur les campus, il est important de s’attarder à leur conception de la violence. Des 22 universités ontariennes, 10 comportent des politiques qui ne reconnaissent pas l’aspect genré de la violence sexuelle ni ses impacts intersectionnels sur les divers systèmes d’oppression. En revanche, les politiques des 12 autres universités mentionnent l’intersectionnalité, et 9 d’entre elles s’engagent à intégrer cette analyse dans leur effort de lutte contre la violence.

The Educators Community of Practice has developed a peer-facilitated workshop that will help graduate students develop practical skills around navigating power dynamics in academia and setting boundaries for healthy relationships. Our tool is designed to reflect the lived realities of diverse graduate student populations including those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, and others that may be at an elevated risk of sexual and gender-based violence.

The Complaints Processes Community of Practice has created a Learning Hub—a repository of resources that can help anyone from students to administrators develop an appreciation for the tension between trauma-informed practice and procedural fairness, and the need to apply both in cases of sexual violence, particularly where a formal complaint is to be investigated and adjudicated.

Varsity athletes have a lot of power, visibility and influence on our campuses. GBV education and prevention programs that leverage the leadership of varsity athletes can help change campus culture, strengthen peer education and ensure that our campuses are built upon cultures of consent. Read more about Carleton's Champions for Change program, and Bailey and Daniel's tips on how to build and sustain this type of programming on your own campus!

Une toute nouvelle capsule de formation obligatoire, intitulée « Ensemble pour contrer la banalisation des violences à caractère sexuel », a récemment été déployée à grande échelle dans plusieurs universités francophones du Québec. Apprenez-en plus sur le sujet et découvrez les raisons qui ont poussé l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) à développer une capsule sur cette thématique bien particulière.

Once a finding has been made in a student judicial affairs process, the respondent is now considered to be a person who has been found to cause harm. Such a person is then subject to a number of measures or sanctions. Such sanctions can range from reviews and reprimands to suspensions and expulsions. Amongst this range and encoded in some Canadian post-secondary institutions (PSI) policy on gender-based violence is the provision of counselling. However, a cursory check within communities of practice affiliated with the Courage to Act project suggest that this form of sanction might be fairly underutilized in the Canadian PSI context. Three factors may help explain why this is the case.

Dr. Tavcer asks what can be done differently to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence on campus, especially in the face of dwindling budgets and lack of access to programs and services. She shares details on her new study on sexual consent education and the online education consent module she's developing for Mount Royal University.

6 manières de collaborer avec les organisations communautaires qui travaillent sur la question de la violence fondée sur le genre pour les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire

In 2020, the Courage to Act team, which includes staff, Working Group and Community of Practice members, worked collaboratively to develop key tools, toolkits and opportunities to collaborate, learn and grow. The Annual Report is meant to provide you with an easy view of the tremendous work taking place within the project and across the country.

We also recognize that those affected by sexual violence may not be sure if they’re ready to seek support right away. For this reason, we hope that this short resource will help you gain familiarity with each Campus Sexual Violence Prevention Office’s (CSVSPO) objectives and approach, as these factors may assist those requiring support in deciding whether the consultation of a CSVSPO is right for them.

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted gender-based violence (GBV) intervention and prevention efforts at post-secondary institutions (PSIs) in Canada. It has exacerbated pre-existing challenges, while also inspiring adaptation to, and innovation in, service provision. One year later, Courage to Act is curious to know more about this impact on your work and campus community.

Courage to Act, the Canadian Federation of Students and the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance invite you to participate in an upcoming listening and learning session to provide valuable input to the federal government on the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

Il y a trois ans, le Québec adoptait la loi P-22.1, mieux connue sous le nom de Loi visant à prévenir et à combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur. Qu’est-il advenu de cette question sur le terrain depuis? Quels sont les résultats observables au sein de nos campus? Voici un témoignage de l’une des membres de notre communauté de pratique francophone.