+ Addressing Anti-Black RACISM

• Resources For Gender Justice Advocates To Challenge Anti-Black Racism
  The following is a community-curated list of resources about understanding and challenging anti-Black racism for gender justice advocates. Any liberation from gender-based violence (GBV) cannot take place without an end to white supremacy and anti-Black racism. We invite gender justice advocates both in community organizations and at Canadian post-secondary institutions to read, engage and implement action plans with the help of the resources below.
• Creating Black Survivor Spaces On Campus (aussi disponible en français)
  Creating Black-centred survivor spaces can be a great way to cater to the Black student population because it shows an understanding of the nuances of Black survivorship and a commitment to giving them the respect they deserve. Historically, people of colour have experienced hypersexualization and othering that resulted in innumerable instances of abuse and trauma, the aftershocks of which remain in our broader Western culture today.

• Black History Month Booklist
  Throughout February this year, we chose one book per week by Black thinkers that have shaped our understandings of gender justice in important ways. These four books are making Black history and forging Black futures by pushing conversations around feminism and gender-based violence forward, informing our understanding of relevant intersections in ways we may not have thought about before.
  
  

• A Conversation with Amal Elmi
  Amal Elmi is the Senior Advisor, Gender and Sexual Violence Prevention and Support at Carleton University. With her thoughtful and innovative approach to the work, she is a leader in the movement to support survivors on campus. Possibility Seeds was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with Amal for the blog this month.
  
  

• Une conversation avec Kharoll-Ann Souffrant
  Titulaire d’une maîtrise et d’un baccalauréat en travail social de l’Université McGill, Kharoll-Ann Souffrant est chercheuse invitée à l’Annenberg School for Communication de l’Université de Pennsylvanie et candidate au doctorat à l’Université d’Ottawa. Sa thèse porte sur le mouvement #MeToo/#MoiAussi du regard de victimes-survivantes afrodescendantes et de militantes afroféministes au Québec.

• A Conversation with Tarah Paul
  Tarah Paul is the project manager for Truth & Transformation: Advancing Gender Equity For Black Women, Girls And Gender Diverse Peoples In Canada Initiative. We were so thrilled to have the chance to interview her for the blog this month.

+ CAMPAIGNS

• 5 Ways To Implement The #ConsentIsNotCancelled Campaign On Your Campus
  The #ConsentIsNotCancelled campaign is an invitation to reflect on how consent ought to be prioritized as an ongoing practice in our daily lives, including when engaging in sexual activity. Courage to Act hopes that the #ConsentIsNotCancelled campaign can be used by other institutions this Fall to inspire conversations about consent, gender-based violence and bystander intervention, especially in a time of social distancing.
  
  

• #ConsentIsNotCancelled: National Skillshare On Online Gender-based Violence Prevention Education
  The global pandemic and subsequent shut down of many activities in March 2020 spurred messages like “love is not cancelled” and “connections are not cancelled.” While practices like shaking hands, hugging friends and attending concerts continue to shift in this new context, other practices such as asking first, respecting boundaries, and acknowledging the answer remain vital and should not be cancelled. Consent remains an ongoing practice within our relationships that needs to be practiced, honored, and celebrated at all times.
  
  

• Ensemble pour contrer la banalisation des violences à caractère sexuel
  Le 8 décembre 2017, la Loi visant à prévenir et à combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur a été adoptée au Québec. La Loi prévoit que tout établissement d’enseignement doit établir une politique qui a pour objectif de prévenir et de combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans le but d’assurer des lieux d’études et de travail sains, sécuritaires et respectueux. L’article 3 de cette loi précise que les établissements doivent, entre autres, mettre en place des formations obligatoires à l’ensemble de leur communauté.
  
  

• Students are Calling for Action to Address Sexual Violence in #HighSchoolToo
  Walkout4Consent, the national student-led walkout created by Calgary high school students Hayley Bryant and Eliza Kalinowski, successfully mobilized 17 demonstrations across Canada, including demonstrations at eight schools in Calgary, three in Ontario, four in British Columbia, and two in Manitoba (Fitzpatrick 2022). But this wasn't the first time Canadian secondary students protested sexual violence this year, nor will it be the last if we don't answer their call.
  
  

• High School Too Needs You! Implementing a National Consent Awareness Week
  High school and university students from across Canada are working hard to address sexual violence in our schools. The High School Too movement advocates for policy, protocol, and education change so that all high schools can be places where consent comes first. Our work has been highlighted and celebrated in the Toronto Star, CBC, and CTV. In April, we launched our 10-part platform to address and prevent sexual violence in high schools. Today, we are writing to you to ask for your support in declaring National Consent Awareness Week during the week of September 19th - 23rd.
  
  

• Affiche tes couleurs : Une campagne qui démystifie les agressions à caractère sexuel
  Le Réseau des femmes des Laurentides est une table de concertation en condition féminine qui représente une vingtaine de groupes et de comités de femmes. Parmi les enjeux abordés par ses membres il y a celui, incontournable, des agressions à caractère sexuel. Pour y faire face de façon proactive, le RFL a élaboré une campagne de sensibilisation à la fois ludique et instructive, intitulée Affiche tes couleurs !
  
  

• Join Us for Consent Awareness Week!
  Sexual violence is an epidemic in Canada. From reports about Hockey Canada to high-profile court cases to school walkouts across the country, there has been a heightened conversation recently about the need for consent education nationally. Unfortunately, only 28% of Canadians fully understand what it means to give consent (Canadian Women’s Foundation). Addressing this starts with awareness, action, and accountability.
  
  

• Proclamations 101: Advocating for Consent Awareness Week and Beyond
  What is a Proclamation? A proclamation can be broadly defined as an official announcement. In the context of this resource, it is referring to a declaration by any level of government in recognition of a date or occasion. Only some governments allow proclamations; and where they do, individuals requesting proclamations will usually have to submit a request form or letter, typically virtually.
  
  

+ CAMPUS ADVOCACY

• The Dos And Don'ts Of Meaningful Dialogue With College Administration To Increase The Impact Of Your Advocacy On Campus (aussi disponible en français)
  Building a meaningful dialogue with college administration is key to having a positive impact on your campus and creating win-win solutions that will ultimately benefit your student population and your school as a whole. If your administration involves you in their decisions on a regular basis, and vice versa, there is a greater opportunity for both parties to come to a constructive solution before issues escalate. COVID-19 has undoubtedly made meaningful discussions more difficult without the ability to have in-person meetings. We have compiled a list of dos and don’ts for meaningful dialogue with your college administration that can be used to help increase the impact of your sexual violence prevention advocacy on your campus!
  
  
• 5 Ways To Implement The #ConsentIsNotCancelled Campaign On Your Campus
  The #ConsentIsNotCancelled campaign is an invitation to reflect on how consent ought to be prioritized as an ongoing practice in our daily lives, including when engaging in sexual activity. Courage to Act hopes that the #ConsentIsNotCancelled campaign can be used by other institutions this Fall to inspire conversations about consent, gender-based violence and bystander intervention, especially in a time of social distancing.
  

• Toolkit Sneak Peak: How Student Levy Fees Fund GBV Support And Prevention At Canadian PSIs
  Campus student unions play an important role in creating student-funded and student-led gender-based violence (GBV) support and prevention initiatives on Canadian post-secondary campuses. Many of these initiatives are funded through student levy fees (collected by the student union), and maintained through campus referendum votes or democratic budget approvals. While the onus to create and fund GBV support and prevention initiatives on campus shouldn’t be the responsibility of students, student-levy funded initiatives do provide many benefits.
  
  

• #ConsentIsNotCancelled: National Skillshare On Online Gender-based Violence Prevention Education
  The global pandemic and subsequent shut down of many activities in March 2020 spurred messages like “love is not cancelled” and “connections are not cancelled.” While practices like shaking hands, hugging friends and attending concerts continue to shift in this new context, other practices such as asking first, respecting boundaries, and acknowledging the answer remain vital and should not be cancelled. Consent remains an ongoing practice within our relationships that needs to be practiced, honored, and celebrated at all times.
  
  

• Six Ways Post-Secondary Institutions Can Collaborate With Gender-Based Violence Organizations (aussi disponible en français)
  As post-secondary institutions (PSIs) look towards a school year where “campus” itself will likely be extended into online spaces, it’s important to consider how gender-based violence will manifest differently, and how prevention efforts will need to adapt. It is important to build relationships with community-based gender-based violence (GBV) organizations i.e. sexual assault centres, violence against women shelters, Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit groups and LGBTQIS2 organizations. Our shared goal of ending gender-based violence requires collaboration between community organizations and PSIs. Here are six ways that gender-based violence organizations and PSIs can work well together.
  
  

• 12 Policy Recommendations From Consultations To Inform Canada's National Action Plan To End GBV
  In 2021 the Federal Government made a commitment to creating a National Action Plan to Address Gender-Based Violence (NAP). As part of building the NAP, gender-based violence (GBV) organizations were tasked with leading consultations with garner recommendations from stakeholders. In February 2021, Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), and the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) led consultations with key stakeholders in the post-secondary sector to inform Canada’s National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Together, we convened eight national consultations and circulated nine online surveys reaching 84 individuals within 3 weeks. In these consultations, we heard several urgent concerns and collected rich data and insights from students, frontline workers, staff, faculty and senior administrators at post-secondary institutions across the country.
  
  

• How Student Unions Across Canada Are Preparing GBV Programming For Orientation Week
  While Orientation is often an extremely exciting time for everyone on campus, it also presents a heightened risk of gender-based violence (GBV). Additionally, 71% of students at Canadian post-secondary institutions (PSIs) either witness or experience unwanted sexualized behaviours in a postsecondary setting, and 41% of all sexual assault reports in Canada are by post-secondary students. Addressing gender-based violence on campuses has never been more urgent.
  
  

• Unsettled Questions: Personal Relationships Between Faculty and Students
  Over the past few years, there has been an unprecedented conversation on the issue of personal relationships between faculty and students and how post-secondary institutions (PSIs) should – or should not – respond. At present, while there are PSIs that don’t address this issue directly, the PSIs that do have either categorized these relationships as a conflict of interest or implemented an outright ban. This inconsistency creates ambiguity and raises some important questions about consent, power, and the role of PSIs in addressing or regulating relationships between students and faculty members.
  
  

• Le courage de fournir à toutes les personnes étudiantes issues de la diversité sexuelle et de genre des milieux de formation inclusifs et sécurisants
  À l’automne 2020, nous avons mené une enquête dont l’objectif était de documenter différents enjeux concernant la diversité sexuelle et de genre dans le réseau collégial québécois. L’enquête a été réalisée dans 7 collèges de la région de la Capitale-Nationale auprès de 2 876 étudiants et étudiantes. Les résultats obtenus et des réflexions provenant des écrits spécialisés permettent de formuler 7 recommandations destinées aux collèges québécois, mais aussi applicables à tout établissement d’enseignement postsecondaire canadien.
  
  

• Convaincre un gouvernement provincial d’agir concrètement contre la violence genrée : Réflexions sur l’expérience de mobilisation étudiante en contexte québécois
  Cela fait déjà près d’une décennie que les associations étudiantes québécoises sont au-devant de la vague afin de dénormaliser, prévenir ainsi que combattre les violences sexistes et sexuelles dans les milieux d’enseignement supérieur. Convaincues que tout changement de culture se doit de passer par l’éducation, celles-ci ont fait de l’application de la Loi visant à prévenir et combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur leur cheval de bataille des dernières années auprès du gouvernement québécois.
  
  

• La violence genrée en contexte de diversité culturelle - Faits saillants du webinaire d’Ihssane Fethi
  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.
  
  

• Our Campus, Our Safety: Student Leaders' Action Plan for Institutions and Governments to Address and Prevent Sexual Violence on Campus
  From coast to coast, students have been at the forefront of gender-based violence prevention and response efforts on Canadian post-secondary campuses. Our activism and advocacy have brought sexual violence on campus to the forefront of national conversations, and our voices remain vital to the project of dismantling the systems that produce gender-based violence.
  
  

• Our Right to Safety: A Response to the Recent Attack at the University of Waterloo
  The devastating news of the June 28th attack in a gender studies classroom at the University of Waterloo brings up many feelings, especially for those affected by patriarchal violence. Professors, staff and students in gender and queer studies, GBV, and anti-racism have been raising the alarm recently about rising hate, threats, and violence in educational spaces.
  
  

• An Open Letter on the Hate-Motivated Attack at the University of Waterloo
  The June 28th attack in a gender studies classroom at the University of Waterloo is an urgent reminder of the need for safer campus communities, free from violence and the threat of violence. Professors, staff, and students in gender, feminist and queer studies, social justice education, and equity and anti-racism courses have been raising the alarm about rising hate, threats, and violence like this in educational spaces for years.
  
  

• Alberta Must Act Now to Protect Students
  A Joint Statement from Possibility Seeds and the Council of Alberta University Students. Students don’t just deserve to be safe on campus – it is their right. The results of the recent province-wide campus climate survey, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Alberta Post-Secondary Education, are gut-wrenching.
  
  

• Strengthening Channels of Communication on Your Campus to Address and Prevent GBV
  Strong communication is so important in coordinating prevention and response efforts around gender-based violence (GBV). Possibility Seeds put this curated list of resources together to help you strengthen the channels of communication regarding GBV within your post-secondary institution amongst your staff, faculty, students, community and other stakeholders.
  
  

• Creating Global Connections: a Conversation with Anti-GBV Activists on Campuses Around the World
  Possibility Seeds is so proud to have led Courage to Act, Canada’s first national project to address and prevent gender-based violence on campus, for the past 5 years. As the project (at least in its current form!) sunsets, we wanted to speak with experts, advocates and thought leaders across the globe who are doing similar work in their countries, to spark connections that continue this work worldwide.
  
  

+ COMPLAINTS PROCESSES

• Workplace Sexual Harassment Laws By Province And Territory
  While conversations and interventions on gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions are often focused on students, we know that employee safety is also important to address. All employees - unionized workers, student staff, management, and faculty - deserve to have safe workplaces free of gender-based violence, and where they can access support if they experience harm (Courage to Act Report, 2019, pp. 62)
  
  

• Delivering Outcome Decisions With Care: Strategies For Trauma-informed Practice and Harm Reduction (aussi disponible en français)
  Scenario: There was an incident of sexual violence on your campus, and a finding of a breach of your post-secondary institution’s sexual violence policy has been made against the respondent. As an administrator making an outcome decision in this case, you are committed to delivering outcome decisions with care and want to know how to best balance procedural fairness with trauma-informed practice and a harm reduction lens.
  
  

• Re-imagining Evaluation: How To Get Excited About Evaluating Your Strategies
  At the Atwater Library and Computer Centre, we have worked with so many awesome collaborators who are deeply engaged with work that addresses rape culture on campus. Through opportunities provided by several initiatives funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada on themes such as Gender-based Cyberviolence and Campus-based Rape Culture, we have participated in developing all manner of strategies to address rape culture on campus. Over the past eight years, from grassroots, participant-led initiatives to strategies aimed at institutional change, the folks we have had the privilege of collaborating with do great work. We have seen so many effective, innovative and creative strategies addressing sexual violence and rape culture. However, rarely was there a plan to assess their impact on campus.
  
  

• Pourquoi j’ai porté plainte pour harcèlement et discrimination
  Mon histoire débute en 2015 ; je suis toute motivée à entamer des études universitaires de maîtrise au département de génie mécanique à l’École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS). Dès mon arrivée, je constate que c’est un univers à prédominance masculine, soit à plus de 80 %. Il n’est pas rare d’être deux ou trois filles dans une classe de 40 personnes.
  
  

• Simple Questions With Complicated Answers Part I: Shouldn't GBV Investigations be Left to the Police? (aussi disponible en français)
  A recurring series written by Deb Eerkes of the Reporting, Investigation and Adjudication Working Group, Courage to Act. Welcome to the first part of our new “Simple Questions with Complicated Answers” series. Each part will take on a common and (seemingly) simple question about gender-based violence (GBV) complaints processes at Post-Secondary Institutions (PSIs).

• Simple Questions with Complicated Answers Part 2: How Does a Campus GBV Complaint Work? (aussi disponible en français)
  This is a common question, and one that has rarely been answered straightforwardly. What makes it complicated is that post-secondary institutions (PSIs) across the country have surprisingly varied structures, policies, and procedures for complaints processes.

• Simple Questions with Complicated Answers Part 3: Why do PSIs Say They Can't Proceed With an Anonymous or Third Party Report?
  There’s a lot to unpack in this question! We turned to Lara Hof from Hof and Associates to talk it through, starting with the anonymous report - that is, when an individual submits a report without their name attached to it. Lara pointed out that there are likely a variety of expectations about what a PSI can do with an anonymous report.
  
  

• La parfaite victime : Révéler le difficile parcours juridique des personnes victimes et survivantes de violence sexuelle
  Au Québec, Monic Néron et Émilie Perreault sont deux journalistes bien connues des organismes qui travaillent pour prévenir et contrer la violence sexuelle : ce sont notamment elles qui ont exposé les plaintes de nombreuses victimes et survivantes à l’endroit de Gilbert Rozon, en 2017. Elles ont d’ailleurs gagné le prix Judith-Jasmin pour leur reportage à ce sujet. Leur tout dernier projet, un documentaire intitulé La parfaite victime, a fait couler beaucoup d’encre depuis sa sortie au Québec, le 30 juin dernier. Et pour cause : l’affiche du film, qui montre un avocat en train de museler une femme ayant été victime d’une violence sexuelle, a de quoi faire réagir. Plusieurs lui ont reproché de « dépeindre le système judiciaire comme un allié des agresseurs » (Durocher, 2021a). L’une de nos coordonnatrices est allée voir le film pour y voir plus clair. Elle vous livre ses impressions dans le présent billet de blogue.
  
  

• Simple Questions with Complicated Answers Part 4: Shouldn't My Institution Require a Complaint in Order to Act When Someone Discloses?
  It is relatively common for Post-Secondary Institutions (PSIs) to rely on their complaints processes as their primary response to gender-based violence (GBV). Doing so, they have argued, allows them to track the number of “proven” incidents and to impose discipline on those who committed harm. Unfortunately, this approach is based on a number of assumptions that tend to create more barriers for survivors and cause more harm for everyone involved.
  
  

• Simple Questions with Complicated Answers Part 5: What Should a PSI Do When they Receive a Complaint?
  The first step in any intake process is to provide information about all options available to make sure the survivor actually wants to make a complaint, rather than just disclosing their experience in order to explore options for academic considerations, personal support, or safety measures.
  
  

• "Passing the Problem" of Sexual Misconduct: An Unsettled Question on Privacy and Information Sharing
  In 2017, a professor left the University of Manitoba amid sexual misconduct allegations and received $286,000 after information about the allegations was shared with their new employer, Berklee College of Music.In other instances, post-secondary institutions have staff disciplinary policies and collective agreements that allow for employees' records of sexual misconduct to be erased after a short time period.
  
  

• "Simple Questions with Complicated Answers Part 6: How can a PSI apply conditions or restrictions to someone they haven’t even investigated?
  A: Repeat after me: Reasonable concern calls for reasonable action. (A special thank you to Dr. André Costopoulos for making this our mantra in the Office of the Dean of Students at the University of Alberta.)
  
  

• "Simple Questions with Complicated Answers Part 7
  Q: How can an investigator proceed in a “complainant said / respondent said” type of case where there is no evidence?
  
  

• "Simple Questions with Complicated Answers Part 8
  Q: Why can’t we solve the problem of retaliation?
  
  

• "Simple Questions with Complicated Answers Part 9
  Q: We should have zero tolerance for sexual violence - why can’t we just automatically expel or fire those who do it?
  
  

+ COVID-19 RESPONSES

• Key Impacts Of COVID-19 Pandemic On Gender-Based Violence
  It is easy to assume that our work on campuses to address and prevent gender-based violence will lessen as students return home to self-isolate, however, the reality is that home is not always a safe place for everyone. We saw this tragically unfold in Nova Scotia where a mass murder of 22 people began with acts of intimate partner violence. The Courage to Act project team is deeply concerned about the ways in which many students, staff and faculty face increased risks of gender-based violence under the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  

• Strategies For Remote Work To Address Gender-Based Violence
  Covid-19 has shifted work for so many of us and our team at Possibility Seeds wants to be of support. We are currently leading Courage to Act, a national two-year project to address and prevent gender-based violence on post-secondary institutions built and led by our communities. In this spirit of collaboration, we have created the following resource for people working in post-secondary institutions about meeting the emerging needs of campus community members affected by gender-based violence. It is not an exhaustive list but a start of ideas, hopes and questions, not definitive answers. The was created with the support of the 100 members of the Courage to Act: Communities of Practice.
  
  

• 5 Ways To Implement The #ConsentIsNotCancelled Campaign On Your Campus
  The #ConsentIsNotCancelled campaign is an invitation to reflect on how consent ought to be prioritized as an ongoing practice in our daily lives, including when engaging in sexual activity. Courage to Act hopes that the #ConsentIsNotCancelled campaign can be used by other institutions this Fall to inspire conversations about consent, gender-based violence and bystander intervention, especially in a time of social distancing.
  
  

• #ConsentIsNotCancelled: National Skillshare On Online Gender-based Violence Prevention Education
  The global pandemic and subsequent shut down of many activities in March 2020 spurred messages like “love is not cancelled” and “connections are not cancelled.” While practices like shaking hands, hugging friends and attending concerts continue to shift in this new context, other practices such as asking first, respecting boundaries, and acknowledging the answer remain vital and should not be cancelled. Consent remains an ongoing practice within our relationships that needs to be practiced, honored, and celebrated at all times.
  
  

• 6 Ways To Engage With GBV Prevention Education Online + Resources
  As gender justice advocates, many if not all of you are in the midst of moving all or most of your programming and initiatives into the online world. This transition won’t be easy or seamless and we know that you are adaptable, creative, and innovative and, ultimately, you know what’s best for your campus's unique population of students, staff, and faculty. To help support you in this work, we are sharing some of the great tips and tools we’ve been drawing upon in our work.
  
  

• You Matter Too: Resources For Self-Care
  To sustain ourselves and our movements, remain open to possibilities, cultivate our creativity and have the greatest impact, we need to invest in a vital resource: ourselves. Self-care is both a radical practice and a necessary part of creating lasting social change. We hope this list inspires you to create and commit to some individual and collective self-care practices for the rest of the year.
  
  

• Covid 19 and Campus GBV: Measuring Impact to Move Forward
  Two years in, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt in so many ways across our communities. At Courage to Act, we’re particularly aware of the impact it has had on gender-based violence (GBV) intervention and prevention efforts at post-secondary institutions (PSIs) in Canada. We know from our work that it has worsened pre-existing challenges; while also inspiring adaptation to, and innovation in, service provision.
  
  

• Six Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Post-Secondary Institutions
  The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented time for post-secondary institutions across Canada. Campus closures, the pivot to virtual classrooms, and new health and safety measures have left a significant mark on campus life. The pandemic has deeply impacted gender-based violence intervention and prevention efforts in Canada.
  
  

• « Où étais-tu? » Une exposition basée sur des témoignages de survivant(e)s de violences sexuelles
  Les mythes et les tabous se multiplient lorsque l’on aborde le sujet des violences à caractère sexuel. L’habillement des victimes est souvent utilisé comme argument pour défendre les personnes qui agressent. Une étude faite en 2021 auprès de la population étudiante des Cégeps au Québec montre que 85 % des étudiantes et des étudiants adhèrent à au moins un mythe associé aux violences sexuelles. Les mythes qui blâment les victimes et qui excusent les personnes qui agressent sont les plus répandus. Par exemple, l’étude montre que plus de 50 % des personnes interrogées adhèrent au mythe suivant : « Si une fille agit comme une salope, éventuellement elle va avoir des ennuis ». Choquant, n’est-ce pas ?
  

+ DISABILITY JUSTICE

• Building Consent Culture and Collective Care Through the Principles of Disability Justice (aussi disponible en français)
  Gender-based violence (GBV) and its relationship to disability is not often talked about in GBV prevention efforts. Though there has been a turn towards incorporating Kimberlé Crenshaw’s notion of intersectionality into anti-GBV organizing, even within conversations about how people can be multiply oppressed based on various aspects of their identity (e.g. race, gender), disability is often marginalized. This looks like, for example, not having accessible shelters and emergency services; or campus sex education/GBV prevention education that ignores neurodiverse youths’ experiences around sex and harm. Further marginalized in conversations about disability and sexual violence is the fact that having PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) or being traumatized can in itself be a disability. In my research at the University of Toronto, I’ve explored how youth trauma survivors struggle with what can be thought of as sexual access.
  
  

+ ENGAGING MEN ON CAMPUS

• Engaging Men To Address And Prevent Gender-based Violence On Campus (aussi disponible en français)
  Few post-secondary institutions (PSIs) in Canada currently have core anti-violence programming that focuses on men and masculinities. There is little acknowledgement in PSIs’ sexual violence policies of the gendered nature of perpetration and of the importance of engaging men in a variety of ways (e.g., preventative measures, tertiary interventions). There is a dearth of evidence-based approaches and rigorous evaluation of prevention programming on masculinities and the efficacy of sanctions and intervention measures.
  
  

• Engaging Athletes In Gender-Based Violence Prevention
  When you hear the words ‘locker room talk’ you probably have a distinct picture that comes to your mind. A lot of people will think of misogyny, toxic masculinity and negative cultures that can often be associated with competitive sports team cultures and in the case of some Post-Secondary Institutions, varsity athletics programs. It is important to recognize that these cultures do not necessarily exist within every institution or every team but it is certainly a prevalent issue that many Gender Based Violence Educators are looking to address within the athletics community.
  
  

• Reflections on “Blueprints for Change: a Healthy Masculinity Series”(aussi disponible en français)
  Engaging men on campus in our work to create cultures of consent can be challenging. Between some men feeling they aren’t the ones who need to be engaged in this work, some men not understanding the severity of the issues we are facing on our campuses, and other men feeling timid at having vulnerable and challenging conversations, it sometimes feels like there are just too many barriers. This year, I began hosting a webinar series called Blueprints for Change (BFC) for men at McMaster University.
  
  

+ FRANCOPHONE

• Prendre en compte les personnes survivantes : Un outil d’éducation au consentement qui tient compte des traumatismes (also available in English)
  La promotion de l’éducation au sujet du consentement sexuel enthousiasme est devenue l’un des moyens les plus populaires de contrer la violence fondée sur le genre au sein des campus collégiaux et universitaires. Malgré tout, plusieurs de ces initiatives sont relativement nouvelles et il est essentiel de s’intéresser aux personnes à qui elles s’adressent et aux enjeux liés au consentement qui sont considérés comme étant prioritaires. Au cours de mon doctorat, j’ai eu de nombreuses discussions avec des jeunes qui s’identifient comme survivants et comme survivantes à propos de leur compréhension et de leurs expériences face au consentement ainsi que des stratégies d’éducation à ce sujet.
  
  

• La parfaite victime : Révéler le difficile parcours juridique des personnes victimes et survivantes de violence sexuelle
  Au Québec, Monic Néron et Émilie Perreault sont deux journalistes bien connues des organismes qui travaillent pour prévenir et contrer la violence sexuelle : ce sont notamment elles qui ont exposé les plaintes de nombreuses victimes et survivantes à l’endroit de Gilbert Rozon, en 2017. Elles ont d’ailleurs gagné le prix Judith-Jasmin pour leur reportage à ce sujet. Leur tout dernier projet, un documentaire intitulé La parfaite victime, a fait couler beaucoup d’encre depuis sa sortie au Québec, le 30 juin dernier. Et pour cause : l’affiche du film, qui montre un avocat en train de museler une femme ayant été victime d’une violence sexuelle, a de quoi faire réagir. Plusieurs lui ont reproché de « dépeindre le système judiciaire comme un allié des agresseurs » (Durocher, 2021a). L’une de nos coordonnatrices est allée voir le film pour y voir plus clair. Elle vous livre ses impressions dans le présent billet de blogue.
  
  

• Quoi faire et ne pas faire pour établir un dialogue constructif avec la direction d’un établissement d’enseignement collégial (also available in English)
  L’établissement d’un dialogue constructif avec la direction de votre établissement d’enseignement collégial est essentiel pour en venir à des solutions gagnantes pour toutes les parties impliquées, et qui bénéficieront à toute la population étudiante. Le fait que l’administration vous invite régulièrement à participer à son processus décisionnel, et vice versa, favorisera autant d’occasions de parvenir à des solutions communes avant que les problèmes ne s’aggravent. Évidemment, la COVID-19 ayant largement réduit les rencontres en personnes, il est maintenant d’autant plus difficile de tenir ces conversations essentielles. C’est pourquoi nous avons compilé une liste de choses à faire et à ne pas faire afin d’établir un dialogue constructif avec la direction de votre campus, et ainsi augmenter l’impact de vos campagnes et activités de prévention et de lutte contre la violence sexuelle !
  
  

• La Consentante : Une bière pour sensibiliser la communauté collégiale au consentement Sexuel
  À l’automne 2020, le Collège d’Enseignement Général et Professionnel (CEGEP) de Jonquière, en collaboration avec la microbrasserie La Voie Maltée, a procédé au lancement de la bière La Consentante, afin de sensibiliser la communauté collégiale à la notion de consentement sexuel.Cette initiative de l'équipe du Service d'accueil psychosocial du collège soutient les objectifs de la Politique visant à prévenir et contrer les violences à caractère sexuel adoptée par le Cégep de Jonquière en 2018 en conformité avec la Loi visant à prévenir et combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur.
  
  

• Rendre justice aux femmes et aux filles autochtones disparues et assassinées au sein des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire (also available in English)
  Le 22 juillet 2020, la chercheuse et consultante Courtney Skye a animé un webinaire pour Le courage d’agir, qui portait sur les approches anticoloniales pour lutter contre la violence fondée sur le genre avec les communautés autochtones. L’atelier permettait d’explorer les racines de la violence coloniale canadienne. Courtney y invitait entre autres à se pencher sur l’Enquête nationale sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées et à discuter des approches culturellement adaptées pour répondre à la violence systémique basée sur le genre. Enfin, elle a fourni des exemples de pratiques anticoloniales et des considérations à intégrer pour les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire dans tout le pays. Vous pouvez accéder au webinaire ici.
  
  

• Agir avec courage : Recommandations aux établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire pour prévenir et contrer la violence fondée sur le genre sur les campus (Partie 1) (also available in English)
  Le rapport Le courage d’agir : élaborer un cadre national pour prévenir et contrer la violence fondée sur le genre dans les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire a été publié en octobre 2019. Ce rapport, qui a été alimenté par le vécu et l’expérience de personnes ayant subi de la violence genrée, de la communauté étudiante, des personnes qui oeuvrent en recherche et en première ligne de même que des personnes qui se spécialisent dans l’application des politiques institutionnelles à ce sujet, a permis de mettre en lumière ce qui pourrait constituer les bases d’un Cadre pancanadien pour prévenir et contrer la violence fondée sur le genre dans les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire.
  
  

• Agir avec courage : Recommandations aux établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire pour prévenir et contrer la violence fondée sur le genre sur les campus (Partie 2) (also available in English)
  Ce rapport, qui a été alimenté par le vécu et l’expérience de personnes ayant subi de la violence genrée, de la communauté étudiante, des personnes qui œuvrent en recherche et en première ligne de même que des personnes qui se spécialisent dans l’application des politiques institutionnelles à ce sujet, a permis de mettre en lumière ce qui pourrait constituer les bases d’un Cadre pancanadien pour prévenir et contrer la violence fondée sur le genre dans les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire. Il comporte également bon nombre d’idées novatrices, de pratiques prometteuses et d’appels à l'action à l’intention des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaires pour lutter contre la violence fondée sur le genre.
  
  

• Ensemble pour contrer la banalisation des violences à caractère sexuel
  Le 8 décembre 2017, la Loi visant à prévenir et à combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur a été adoptée au Québec. La Loi prévoit que tout établissement d’enseignement doit établir une politique qui a pour objectif de prévenir et de combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans le but d’assurer des lieux d’études et de travail sains, sécuritaires et respectueux. L’article 3 de cette loi précise que les établissements doivent, entre autres, mettre en place des formations obligatoires à l’ensemble de leur communauté.
  
  

• Rendre des décisions avec soin : Stratégies pour une pratique qui tient compte des traumatismes et qui réduit les préjudices (also available in English)
  Scénario: Une manifestation de violence sexuelle s’est déroulée sur votre campus et l’enquête menée a permis de conclure que la politique relative aux violences sexuelles de votre établissement d’enseignement postsecondaire a été enfreinte par la personne mise en cause. Vous êtes responsable de prendre les décisions relatives à ces cas et vous voulez donc vous assurer de rendre des décisions avec soin. À cet effet, vous vous questionnez sur les meilleures façons d’atteindre un équilibre entre l’équité procédurale, la prise en compte des traumatismes et la réduction des préjudices subis.
  
  

• Convaincre un gouvernement provincial d’agir concrètement contre la violence genrée : Réflexions sur l’expérience de mobilisation étudiante en contexte québécois
  Cela fait déjà près d’une décennie que les associations étudiantes québécoises sont au-devant de la vague afin de dénormaliser, prévenir ainsi que combattre les violences sexistes et sexuelles dans les milieux d’enseignement supérieur. Convaincues que tout changement de culture se doit de passer par l’éducation, celles-ci ont fait de l’application de la Loi visant à prévenir et combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur leur cheval de bataille des dernières années auprès du gouvernement québécois.
  
  

• « Le problème avec les filles au labo » : Le coût inacceptable de la violence genrée en sciences (also available in English)
  En 2015, les propos du Dr. Tim Hunt, un biochimiste britannique lauréat d’un prix Nobel ont soulevé l’ire populaire lorsque celui-ci a affirmé que : « Le problème avec les filles au labo, c’est que vous tombez amoureux d’elles et elles de vous et après, quand vous les critiquez, elles pleurent ». Il ne s’agit pas de propos rapportés, tenus à huis clos ou immédiatement démentis. Le Dr. Hunt a librement admis avoir fait ce commentaire. De surcroît, il s’est ensuite défendu en affirmant qu’il s’agissait d’une simple blague qui avait mal été comprise et qu’il était injustement traité dans l’opinion publique.
  
  

• La violence genrée en contexte de diversité culturelle - Faits saillants du webinaire d’Ihssane Fethi
  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.
  
  

• L’importance d’une approche intersectionnelle en matière de violence fondée sur le genre (also available in English)
  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. Mes recherches se concentrent sur les universités publiques de l’Ontario, où de nouvelles politiques en matière de violence sexuelle ont été émises par le gouvernement provincial en 2016. 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.
  
  

• 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 (also available in English)
  Alors que la présente année académique est marquée par le fait que nos « campus » se déploient dans l’espace numérique, il est important de considérer les différences qui surviennent dans les manifestations associées à la violence fondée sur le genre et d’adopter nos efforts de prévention en conséquence. Pour y arriver, il nous semble essentiel de bâtir des relations de collaboration avec les organisations communautaires qui œuvrent en matière de prévention et d’intervention en lien avec la violence fondée sur le genre.
  
  

• Loi P-22.1 : Une histoire de résistance face aux violences sexuelles
  Ce texte a été rédigé par l’une des membres de notre communauté de pratique francophone dans le cadre du 3e anniversaire marquant l’adoption de la Loi québécoise visant à prévenir et à combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur. Le processus ayant mené à l’adoption de la Loi P-22.1 - Loi visant à prévenir et à combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur - fut complexe, mais nous avions rendez-vous avec l’histoire. En moins d’un an, notre idée a percée l’espace public et fut reprise avec succès par le gouvernement du Québec, avec du financement à la clé.
  
  

• Vous ne voudrez pas rater notre Congrès pancanadien de partage des compétences : Voici pourquoi (also available in English)
  Le courage d’agir est une initiative d’une durée de deux ans qui a pour but de prévenir et contrer la violence fondée sur le genre dans les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire au Canada. Elle donne suite aux recommandations essentielles de l’important rapport de Possibility Seeds intitulé Le courage d’agir : élaborer un cadre national pour prévenir et contrer la violence fondée sur le sexe dans les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire.
  
  

• Un aperçu des travaux de la communauté de pratique francophone
  Le mois dernier, l’équipe du projet Le courage d’agir était heureuse d’annoncer la mise en ligne d’un tout nouveau pan de notre projet : notre blogue francophone ! Celui-ci permettra la publication, sur une base mensuelle, d’articles, de comptes rendus, de billets et de textes d’opinions d’experts et d’expertes qui œuvrent à la prévention des violences fondées sur le genre. Vous y retrouverez des textes portant sur différentes initiatives novatrices de même que sur des thématiques d’actualité liées à la lutte et à la prévention des violences fondées sur le genre au sein des établissements d’enseignement supérieur canadiens.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : 10 ressources pour un temps des fêtes plus doux
  L’année qui vient de s’écouler fut difficile à bien des égards. En ces temps qui riment habituellement avec rapprochements et festivités, il semble encore plus important qu’à l’habitude de s’accorder du temps pour prendre soin de soi. Pour vous aider à y arriver, nous avons préparé une liste de 10 ressources gratuites et accessibles en ligne que vous pourrez consulter à votre guise ou lorsque vous en ressentirez le besoin. Nous espérons que celle-ci vous aidera à traverser la période des fêtes en douceur.
  
  

• La violence sexuelle en milieu collégial au Québec
  Face à l’absence de données récentes pour les milieux collégiaux au Québec, nous avons développé le projet de recherche intitulé PIECES-Projet intercollégial d’étude sur le consentement, l’égalité et la sexualité. Cette recherche est le fruit d’un partenariat entre la Chaire de recherche sur les violences sexistes et sexuelles en milieu d’enseignement supérieur, l’organisme Boscoville, la Fédération des cégeps, le Collège Montmorency, le Cégep de Sainte-Foy, le Cégep de Jonquière, le Collège Ahuntsic et le Cégep de l’Outaouais.
  
  

• Communauté de pratique francophone - Faits saillants du Congrès de partage des compétences
  Le projet de la communauté de pratique francophone comprend deux outils qui visent à identifier des stratégies pour susciter la mobilisation du personnel des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire en matière de prévention des violences sexuelles et genrées. Le premier outil propose des recommandations spécifiques pour chacun des groupes qui composent le personnel des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire. Ces recommandations sont basées sur une revue approfondie de la littérature scientifique existante sur le sujet de même que des réponses obtenues par sondage auprès de plus de 700 personnes qui travaillent dans les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire au Canada.
  
  

• Faits saillants de la discussion tenue avec Melissa Mollen Dupuis dans le cadre du Congrès pancanadien de partage des compétences
  « C’était pour démontrer qu’il y avait un enjeu avec la police, avec le système de justice, avec l’ignorance volontaire des gens par rapport aux enjeux des femmes autochtones », nous dit Melissa Mollen Dupuis lorsqu’elle fait référence aux messages clés portés par le court-métrage intitulé « Femmes autochtones disparues et assassinées », qu’elle a réalisé en 2012 avec le Wapikoni mobile. Alors que l’on sait que les femmes et les filles autochtones courent un risque 3,5 plus élevé d’être victimes ou de mourir d’une violence physique ou sexuelle (AFAC, 2015), le Canada ne fait que commencer à lever le voile sur cette question, et ce, malgré la tenue de l’Enquête nationale sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées.
  
  

• Commande un Angelot
  Le lien entre la consommation d’alcool et la perpétration de la violence sexuelle et bien connu et démontré dans plusieurs études. Une étude menée en Ontario a d’ailleurs révélé qu’environ 50 % des femmes ont rapporté avoir été victimes d’une forme de violence sexuelle lors de la dernière soirée festive dans un bar ou un club à laquelle elles ont participé. En contexte postsecondaire, une enquête menée par Statistique Canada permet de réaliser que plus de 50 % des agressions sexuelles rapportées par les femmes et environ 40 % de celles rapportées par les hommes sont commises dans un restaurant ou un bar situé hors campus.
  
  

• Le courage d'agir vous présente son centre de connaissances (also available in English)
  Le mois dernier, nous lancions notre tout nouveau Centre de connaissances, un référentiel de ressources, d’outils et d’exemples de politiques, de procédures et de protocoles créés dans le cadre du projet Le courage d’agir. Les outils qui y sont présentés ont été développés en collaboration avec plus de 150 personnes de partout au Canada qui œuvrent à prévenir et contrer la violence genrée ! Le Centre de connaissances héberge donc un nombre impressionnant d’outils novateurs créés par notre réseau de spécialistes pancanadien pour soutenir vos efforts en matière de prévention et de lutte contre la violence fondée sur le genre au sein des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire du Canada.
  
  

• Affiche tes couleurs : Une campagne qui démystifie les agressions à caractère sexuel
  Le Réseau des femmes des Laurentides est une table de concertation en condition féminine qui représente une vingtaine de groupes et de comités de femmes. Parmi les enjeux abordés par ses membres il y a celui, incontournable, des agressions à caractère sexuel. Pour y faire face de façon proactive, le RFL a élaboré une campagne de sensibilisation à la fois ludique et instructive, intitulée Affiche tes couleurs !
  
  

• Un aperçu du nouvel outil de notre groupe de travail sur l’éducation (also available in English)
  Au cours des deux dernières années, notre groupe de travail sur l’éducation a mené des recherches et a colligé une multitude de ressources, de témoignages et de pratiques prometteuses pour créer un outil qui vise à renforcer les compétences et les capacités des campus en matière de prévention et d’éducation face la violence fondée sur le genre. C’est avec beaucoup de fébrilité que nous vous présentons un aperçu du nouvel outil de notre groupe de travail sur l’éducation. Celui-ci s’intitule « Trousse d’outils en matière d’éducation et de formation : Prévenir et contrer la violence fondée sur le genre au sein des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire ».
  
  

• Le courage de prendre de soin de soi : renouer avec l’aspect radical et politique du soin de soi
  Prendre soin de soi. Ces mots, mieux connus sous la locution de “self-care”, en anglais, ont pris une tournure plutôt galvaudée au cours des dernières années. Dénués de leur dimension féministe initiale, ils semblent désormais être synonymes de soins corporels, de détente et de slogans qui se veulent inspirants. Les livres de croissance personnelle, les soins de la peau, les cours de yoga, les applications d’exercices de relaxation ou de suivi du sommeil : il existe un véritable marché du soin de soi, principalement orienté vers une clientèle que l’on perçoit comme féminine.
  
  

• L’équité procédurale et la prise en compte des traumatismes : Des concepts qui se combinent pour réduire les préjudices (also available in English)
  C’est avec grand plaisir que nous vous présentons la trousse à outils de notre groupe de travail sur les processus de plainte, intitulée Le traitement des plaintes de violence fondée sur le genre : guide synoptique pour l’équité procédurale, la prise en compte des traumatismes et la réduction des dommages. La trousse est déjà disponible en anglais dans notre Centre de connaissances et elle sera rendue disponible en français sous peu ! Poursuivez votre lecture pour en découvrir davantage sur cet outil novateur qui prouve hors de tout doute que l’équité procédurale et la prise en compte des traumatismes sont des principes qui peuvent se combiner plutôt que d’être constamment opposées l’un à l’autre.
  
  

• Le courage de fournir à toutes les personnes étudiantes issues de la diversité sexuelle et de genre des milieux de formation inclusifs et sécurisants
  À l’automne 2020, nous avons mené une enquête dont l’objectif était de documenter différents enjeux concernant la diversité sexuelle et de genre dans le réseau collégial québécois. L’enquête a été réalisée dans 7 collèges de la région de la Capitale-Nationale auprès de 2 876 étudiants et étudiantes. Les résultats obtenus et des réflexions provenant des écrits spécialisés permettent de formuler 7 recommandations destinées aux collèges québécois, mais aussi applicables à tout établissement d’enseignement postsecondaire canadien.
  
  

• Une conversation avec Kharoll-Ann Souffrant
  Titulaire d’une maîtrise et d’un baccalauréat en travail social de l’Université McGill, Kharoll-Ann Souffrant est chercheuse invitée à l’Annenberg School for Communication de l’Université de Pennsylvanie et candidate au doctorat à l’Université d’Ottawa. Sa thèse porte sur le mouvement #MeToo/#MoiAussi du regard de victimes-survivantes afrodescendantes et de militantes afroféministes au Québec.
  
  

• Recommandations pour le corps professoral et le personnel en matière de prévention de la violence fondée sur le genre (also available in English)
  Au cours des dernières années, les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire à travers le Canada ont adopté des politiques visant à prévenir et contrer la violence sexuelle et ont alloué des ressources pour développer des programmes de prévention et d’éducation à ce sujet. Cependant, la priorité est souvent accordée aux publics étudiants plutôt qu’au corps professoral et aux membres du personnel, comme si la violence sexuelle était avant toute chose un problème étudiant.
  
  

• Pourquoi j’ai porté plainte pour harcèlement et discrimination
  Mon histoire débute en 2015 ; je suis toute motivée à entamer des études universitaires de maîtrise au département de génie mécanique à l’École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS). Dès mon arrivée, je constate que c’est un univers à prédominance masculine, soit à plus de 80 %. Il n’est pas rare d’être deux ou trois filles dans une classe de 40 personnes.
  

• L’évaluation de l’engagement du personnel dans les initiatives pour contrer la violence fondée sur le genre
  La fin de l’année académique frappe déjà à nos portes ! Pour ceux et celles qui œuvrent en matière de prévention de la violence fondée sur le genre sur les campus, viendra bientôt le moment de faire le bilan des activités réalisées au cours de la dernière année et de prévoir les mesures qui seront déployées pour l’année à venir. Trop souvent, dans le tumulte des (trop) nombreuses tâches à réaliser en cours d’année, l’évaluation des activités de prévention et d’intervention mises en œuvre sur les campus est escamotée. La période de relatif repos qui s'amorce bientôt constitue donc un moment privilégié pour entamer une réflexion à ce sujet et veiller à ce que l’ensemble de la planification prévue pour la prochaine année soit évaluée en bonne et due forme.
  

• Des questions simples aux réponses complexes – Partie 1 : Les enquêtes sur les violences basées sur le genre ne devraient-elles pas être confiées à la police ? (also available in English)
  Vous êtes en train de consulter la première partie d’une série d’articles intitulés « Des questions simples aux réponses complexes ». Chaque article de cette série portera sur une question commune et (apparemment) simple concernant les processus de plainte en matière de violence fondée sur le genre dans les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire. Débutons : La violence sexuelle est un acte criminel – Pourquoi les établissements d’enseignement post-secondaire sont-ils mêmes impliqués dans ces questions ?
  
  

• « Où étais-tu? » Une exposition basée sur des témoignages de survivant(e)s de violences sexuelles
  Les mythes et les tabous se multiplient lorsque l’on aborde le sujet des violences à caractère sexuel. L’habillement des victimes est souvent utilisé comme argument pour défendre les personnes qui agressent. Une étude faite en 2021 auprès de la population étudiante des Cégeps au Québec montre que 85 % des étudiantes et des étudiants adhèrent à au moins un mythe associé aux violences sexuelles. Les mythes qui blâment les victimes et qui excusent les personnes qui agressent sont les plus répandus. Par exemple, l’étude montre que plus de 50 % des personnes interrogées adhèrent au mythe suivant : « Si une fille agit comme une salope, éventuellement elle va avoir des ennuis ». Choquant, n’est-ce pas ?
  
  

• Des questions simples aux réponses complexes – Partie 2 : Comment fonctionne le processus de plainte en matière de violence fondée sur le genre sur les campus ? (also available in English)
  Toutes les plaintes effectuées sur les campus suivent un chemin similaire, mais les détails relatifs aux procédures sont déterminés par chaque établissement en fonction des politiques et/ou des conventions collectives en vigueur. Le processus général de toutes les plaintes sur les campus comprend une forme de réception de la plainte, une évaluation des mesures de sécurité et des mesures intérimaires à mettre en place, la détermination de la recevabilité de la plainte, une enquête et une manière de rendre la décision. La plupart des processus, mais pas tous, comprennent également un mécanisme d’appel.
  
  

• Le problème avec les sous-verres qui détectent le GHB
  Vous en avez certainement entendu parler dans les médias ou sur les réseaux sociaux. Vous avez possiblement reçu un appel ou un courriel de l’une ou l’autre des entreprises établies au Canada qui assurent leur distribution. On vous a peut-être même vanté les mérites de ces « nouveaux » produits qui permettraient de détecter la « drogue du viol » dans des consommations alcoolisées ou non.
  
  

• Des questions simples aux réponses complexes – Partie 2 : Comment fonctionne le processus de plainte en matière de violence fondée sur le genre sur les campus ?
  Il s’agit d’une question courante, à laquelle on a rarement répondu de manière claire et directe. Ce qui complique le tout, c’est que les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire à travers le pays ont des structures, des politiques et des procédures de traitement des plaintes qui varient grandement de l’un à l’autre.
  
  

• Des questions simples aux réponses complexes – Partie 3 : Pourquoi les établissements d’enseignement supérieur disent ne pas pouvoir agir lorsque la plainte est anonyme ou provient d’un tiers ?
  Il y a beaucoup de choses à décortiquer dans cette question ! J'ai demandé à Lara Hof de Hof & associé.es d'en parler, en commençant par la dénonciation anonyme, c'est-à-dire lorsqu'une personne soumet un rapport sans que son nom y soit attaché. Lara a souligné qu'il existe vraisemblablement une variété de possibilités quant à ce qu'un établissement d’enseignement post-secondaire peut faire avec un rapport anonyme.
  
  

• Prévenir les violences sexuelles dans les activités festives et sociales
  Je ne crois pas vous apprendre quoi que ce soit en affirmant que les violences sexuelles sont fréquentes dans les activités festives et sociales, surtout en contexte d’études postsecondaires. Chaque année au Canada, 1 femme sur 2 et 1 homme sur 3 sont la cible de comportements sexualisés non désirés dans un contexte lié aux études postsecondaires (Burczycka, 2020). Plus spécifiquement, dans les activités sociales qui sont organisées par les associations étudiantes, c’est près de 50 % des étudiant·e·s qui rapportent avoir vécu de la violence sexuelle (Burczycka, 2020).
  
  

• Le harcèlement et la violence genrèe en contexte d'apprentissage expérientiel: un project de recherche du Corage d'agir
  Nous en sommes à vous présenter un tout nouveau projet de recherche-action qui s’inscrit à même les activités du Courage d’agir . Intitulé Le harcèlement sexuel en contexte d’apprentissage expérientiel, il s’agit de l’une des premières recherches pancanadiennes sur cet enjeu.
  
  

• Des questions simples aux réponses complexes: Mon institution ne devrait-elle pas exiger une plaunte pour aigr lorsqu'une personne effectue un dévoilement de violence sexuelle?
  Il est relativement courant pour les établissements d'enseignement postsecondaire de s'appuyer sur leur procédure de plainte comme principale réponse à la violence genrée. Selon eux, cela leur permet de suivre le nombre d'incidents « avérés » et d'imposer des mesures disciplinaires à celleux qui ont commis un préjudice. Malheureusement, cette approche repose sur un certain nombre d'hypothèses qui tendent à créer davantage d'obstacles pour les personnes survivantes et à causer plus de tort à toutes les personnes concernées.
  
  

• La Concertation: Une Force et une Richesse Institutionnelle, mais Aussi de Société!
  En 2017, c’est avec bonheur que je joins les rangs du Collège de Rosemont à titre de travailleuse sociale dédiée aux violences à caractère sexuel. Ce poste est aussi en lien avec l’implantation du plan d’action gouvernemental pour contrer et prévenir les violences sexuelles en enseignement supérieur. Un collègue à moi, à l’époque, me met au défi de créer une table de concertation pour mieux collaborer entre cégeps, entre universités. Je décide de prendre la balle au bond et lance l’idée, un peu informellement, lors d’un colloque interculturel organisé par ce même collègue. De cette initiative, un peu naïve, naîtra la Table intersectorielle sur les violences à caractère sexuel en milieu collégial (TIVCSC).
  
  

• Questions indécises: les relations personnelles entre le corps enseignant et la population étudiante
  Au fil des dernières années, la société entretient une conversation sans précédent sur la question des relations personnelles entre le corps enseignant et la population étudiante et sur la manière dont les établissements d'enseignement supérieur ("établissements”) devraient - ou ne devraient pas - réagir.
  
  

• Faire éclater la puberté
  On se souvient presque toustes du moment où on nous a enseigné la puberté. La nervosité était palpable, autant du côté des élèves que des adultes. Les enseignements se faisaient sur la base de deux planches anatomiques.
  
  

• Violence sexuelle au postsecondaire : quel rôle les employé.es peuvent jouer?
  Vous êtes employé.e d’une université ou d’un cégep et vous entendez de plus en plus parler de lutte contre les violences sexuelles dans votre milieu de travail ? Vous ne savez pas par où commencer pour vous familiariser avec le sujet et vous souhaitez mieux comprendre votre rôle ?
  
  

• Mise à jour sur le premier projet national de recherche-action sur le harcèlement sexuel en contexte d’apprentissage expérientiel
  En 2022, le projet Courage d'agir de Possibility Seeds a lancé le premier projet national de recherche-action sur le harcèlement sexuel auquel sont confronté·e·s les étudiant·e·s postsecondaires dans des contextes d'apprentissage pratiques (tels que les stages, les practicums, les placements et les coopératives).
  
  

• Violences sexuelles à l'université : est-ce que les étudiant.e.s-athlètes sont plus à risque ?
  Dans les dernières années, autant les études scientifiques que les médias ont rapporté des témoignages d’athlètes qui ont vécu de la violence sexuelle en contexte sportif. Plus spécifiquement dans le milieu universitaire, plusieurs études ont rapporté que le fait d’appartenir à une équipe sportive augmentait le risque de commettre des actes de violence sexuelle.
  
  

• Questions simples aux réponses compliquées – Partie 7
  Q: Comment la personne chargée d’une enquête devrait-elle procéder dans un cas sans preuves tangibles où l’on n’a que les témoignages de la personne plaignante et la personne mise en cause ?
  
  

• Équité des genres : les opportunités de formation continue à ne pas manquer
  Vous trouverez dans cet article différents événements, colloques et conférences vous permettant de vous perfectionner en tant que professionnel.le qui travaille dans le milieu des violences genrées et sexuelles. Ces événements sont tous offerts en français !
  
  

• Genèse de l’écriture de l’essai « Le privilège de dénoncer »
  En 2022, j’ai publié Le privilège de dénoncer – Justice pour toutes les victimes de violences sexuelles, aux Éditions du remue-ménage ayant été préfacé par la journaliste franco-sénégalaise Rokhaya Diallo. Dans cette publication, je vais vous raconter ce qui m’a emmené à vouloir écrire, le processus d’écriture derrière cet ouvrage ainsi que les retombées de la publication de cet essai.
  
  

• Questions simples aux réponses compliquées – Partie 8
  Question : Pourquoi ne pouvons-nous pas résoudre le problème des représailles? Réponse : Un étudiant de troisième cycle avec lequel je travaille a récemment qualifié notre projet d'« hydre », la bête mythique à qui il pousse dix nouvelles têtes chaque fois qu'on en coupe une. Nous solutionnons un problème épineux et dix autres surgissent. Les représailles me font un peu penser à cela, dans la mesure où il s'agit d'un problème complexe qui dépend entièrement de la dynamique entre les différentes parties. Aucune solution unique ne résoudra le problème.
  
  

• Répondre efficacement aux incidents de violence genrée et sexuelle sur les campus : une série d’outils visant à consolider ses protocoles institutionnels
  Cet article est le premier d’une série visant à mettre en lumière les différents outils francophones publiés au cours du projet Courage d’agir mené par Possibility Seeds. Nous entamons ainsi la diffusion de ces ressources par les différents outils du Dr. Jesmen Mendoza, outils destinés aux praticien·ne·s sur le campus.
  
  

• Questions simples aux réponses compliquées – Partie 9
  Q : Nous devrions avoir une tolérance zéro pour les violences sexuelles - pourquoi ne pas expulser ou congédier systématiquement les personnes mises en cause ?
  
  

+ INDIGENOUS-LED SUPPORT

• Answering Calls For Justice Within PSIs (From The National Inquiry On Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls) (aussi disponible en français)
  On July 22nd, 2020, researcher and policy consultant Courtney Skye led a webinar for Courage to Act on “Anti-Colonial Approaches to Addressing Gender-Based Violence with Indigenous Communities.” The webinar explored the roots of colonial violence in Canada, delved into the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (NIMMIWG), discussed culturally responsive approaches to responding to GBV on a systemic level, and provided anti-colonial practices and consideration for PSIs across the country. You can access the webinar here.
  
  

• Faits saillants de la discussion tenue avec Melissa Mollen Dupuis dans le cadre du Congrès pancanadien de partage des compétences
  « C’était pour démontrer qu’il y avait un enjeu avec la police, avec le système de justice, avec l’ignorance volontaire des gens par rapport aux enjeux des femmes autochtones », nous dit Melissa Mollen Dupuis lorsqu’elle fait référence aux messages clés portés par le court-métrage intitulé « Femmes autochtones disparues et assassinées », qu’elle a réalisé en 2012 avec le Wapikoni mobile. Alors que l’on sait que les femmes et les filles autochtones courent un risque 3,5 plus élevé d’être victimes ou de mourir d’une violence physique ou sexuelle (AFAC, 2015), le Canada ne fait que commencer à lever le voile sur cette question, et ce, malgré la tenue de l’Enquête nationale sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées.
  
  

• A mind toward consent will bring us closer to the reconciliation we seek
  Comprehensive sex education is a human right and yet there is much to be desired in Canadian curriculums. Growing up in Alberta during the mid-2000’s, the sex education I received in both the public and Catholic schools I attended was spotty at best. It only covered reproduction, STI prevention, and abstinence. I didn’t learn what consent was until my first year of university, as an adult. Most Canadians don’t properly learn it at all.
  
  

• Building the Systems We Want to See: Reflecting on Imagine Empowerment
  Centering self-care and consent in advocacy is a powerful means of resistance. Self-care, consent, and their intersections are aspects of advocacy that often get forgotten about. This can be especially true for Indigenous and other marginalized activists and advocates.
  
  

• Anti-Colonial Resources for Gender Justice Advocates
  The following is a community-curated list of free resources - books, articles, blog posts, podcasts, webinars, and more - that recognize gender-based violence as a tool of the colonial project, and aim to decolonize the gender justice movement. While it may not be possible to decolonize all institutions; we invite gender justice advocates at community organizations and post-secondary institutions to read and engage with these resources, and strengthen/implement action plans that challenge colonial ideologies and address violence against Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, queer, and trans people.
  
  

+ NATIONAL SKILLSHARE HIGHLIGHTS

• Why You Can’t Miss Courage To Act’s National Skillshare Series (aussi disponible en français)
  We are excited to announce the launch of our National Skillshare Series! We invite administrators, staff, faculty, students, frontline workers and community members from across the country to attend Canada’s first national conference to address and prevent gender-based violence on campuses. The National Skillshare Series will take place between January 2021 and August 2021.
  
  

• Courageous Conversations
  In her book They Said This Would Be Fun, Eternity Martis writes, "Our voices can join a legacy of stories that have changed the world, that create quiet revolutions and roaring revelations." She adds that “we did not put ourselves in this current cultural climate, but we are responsible for getting each other out." Her words are a powerful call to action and a thoughtful reflection on what it means to have the courage to act.
  
  

• Educators Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  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. Most existing programs are tailored to more traditional undergraduate student populations and may not be as applicable to the lived reality of graduate students and the multiple roles they often hold on campus.
  
  

• Complaints Processes Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  The Complaints Processes CP believes firmly in the need for post-secondary institutions to reconcile procedural fairness (“PF”), a tenet of administrative law, with trauma-informed practice (“TIP”) in responding to disclosures of sexual violence, particularly where a formal complaint is to be investigated and adjudicated. The culmination of the team’s discussions is 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.
  
  

• Towards A Justice That Heals Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  Despite significant interest in restorative justice practices across the country, there is simultaneously a lack of awareness around appropriate use of these practices in campus gender-based violence, and insufficient data to support formalized best practices. Essential Elements for Non-Punitive Accountability: a Workbook for Understanding Alternative Responses to Campus Gender-Based Violence 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, the workbook 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.
  
  

• Engaging Men On Campus Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  We hope this resource helps support your work engaging male-identified people on campus. Including men in these conversations is crucial and there is a lot to consider. We hope we have provided you with a place to start. This work is emerging and we have tried to offer key considerations and emerging and promising practices. Through this process, we have tried to address many of the complexities of this work. For example, 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? We hope that this resource will help you to ask the right questions as you design programming, implement services, and design ways to evaluate your work.
  
  

• Working With People Who Have Caused Harm Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  The tool includes guidelines and recommended practices for working with PWCH/respondents; a roadmap of a typical GBV process with a focus on the respondent; key terms, values and principles for working with PWCH/ respondents; reflective questions, considerations and calls to action.
  
  

• Work Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  The Work Community of Practice guide identifies the structural principles of knowledge for campus workplace GBV investigations. It is intended for use by post-secondary institutions to help them identify and evaluate qualified investigators, PSI workplace investigators of GBV cases, and decision-makers receiving and interpreting investigation reports. It forms part of a suite of Courage to Act resources, including the Comprehensive Guide to Campus Gender-Based Violence Complaints (Reporting, Investigation and Adjudication Working Group) and the Complaints Processes Community of Practice Knowledge Hub.
  
  

• Communauté de pratique francophone - Faits saillants du Congrès de partage des compétences
  Le projet de la communauté de pratique francophone comprend deux outils qui visent à identifier des stratégies pour susciter la mobilisation du personnel des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire en matière de prévention des violences sexuelles et genrées. Le premier outil propose des recommandations spécifiques pour chacun des groupes qui composent le personnel des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire. Ces recommandations sont basées sur une revue approfondie de la littérature scientifique existante sur le sujet de même que des réponses obtenues par sondage auprès de plus de 700 personnes qui travaillent dans les établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire au Canada.
  
  

• Faits saillants de la discussion tenue avec Melissa Mollen Dupuis dans le cadre du Congrès pancanadien de partage des compétences
  « C’était pour démontrer qu’il y avait un enjeu avec la police, avec le système de justice, avec l’ignorance volontaire des gens par rapport aux enjeux des femmes autochtones », nous dit Melissa Mollen Dupuis lorsqu’elle fait référence aux messages clés portés par le court-métrage intitulé « Femmes autochtones disparues et assassinées », qu’elle a réalisé en 2012 avec le Wapikoni mobile. Alors que l’on sait que les femmes et les filles autochtones courent un risque 3,5 plus élevé d’être victimes ou de mourir d’une violence physique ou sexuelle (AFAC, 2015), le Canada ne fait que commencer à lever le voile sur cette question, et ce, malgré la tenue de l’Enquête nationale sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées.
  
  

• Student Organizers Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  The Student Organizers Community of Practice tool is a vibrant anthology with student stories and student advocacy tools. It builds on a rich legacy of student organizing; it captures their stories of advocating for safer campuses, provides concrete examples for student organizers to be inspired, and gives examples of tools to create change on their campuses. It is a how-to guide to inspire and support students who would like to get involved in addressing gender-based violence on campus, especially if they are wondering how to begin this work.
  
  

• International Students Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  The International Students Community of Practice’s project is an FAQ resource guide that supports international students studying at Canadian post-secondary institutions who have experienced, witnessed, or perpetrated sexual and gender-based violence. This resource will provide information on accessing services and supports, and answer questions around immigration and legal issues that international students may face when disclosing, accessing services, or participating in processes pertaining to sexual and gender-based violence.
  
  

• Frontline Gender-Based Violence Workers Community Of Practice: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  A community for campus frontline-workers to explore promising practices to provide support and response to gender-based violence on campuses. With thanks to the Frontline Gender-Based Violence Workers Community of Practice members: Carla Bertsch, Caroline Larocque, Colleen Wirth, Eileen Conboy, Émilie Marcotte, Heather Blackburn, Lynn Thera, Meaghan Ross, Nicole Leeson, Paula Sheppard Thibeau, Robyn Ocean, Meagan Simon, and Serena Lukas Bhandar. With thanks to the Frontline Gender-Based Violence Workers Community of Practice Project Consultants: Ana Iervolino, and Zanab Jafry. Tool: Response to Disclosures and Support for People Affected by Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada: Evaluation Framework
  
  

• Vikki Reynolds Workshop & What’s Next For Courage To Act: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  On August 18th, 2021, Dr. Vikki Reynolds, a renowned activist/therapist who works from a decolonizing framework to bridge the worlds of social justice activism with community work and therapy, joined us for the last session in our National Skillshare Series to lead a workshop and rich discussion on solidarity, collective care, and sustainability as a means of responding to gender-based violence.
  
  

+ PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• Celebrating Our Impact: Courage To Act’s One Year Anniversary
  This month marks the one year anniversary of the release of the Courage to Act Report. We are grateful to all the community members, student advocates, researchers, PSI workers, frontline GBV workers and survivors who have worked with us on this program. The following are just some of the many voices sharing the impact of this groundbreaking project.
  
  

• Community Spotlight: Aaron Brown
  Aaron Brown is the first recipient of the Courage to Act: Addressing and Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions certificate! Impressively, Aaron has attended every webinar offered through Courage to Act. Learn more about Aaron and the inspiring and impactful work he does at his PSI and in his community.
  
  

• Courage To Act Communities Of Practice
  Courage to Act has built ten robust communities of practice for post-secondary administration staff, faculty and students as well as community advocates who are working to address and prevent gender-based violence on campus.
  
  

• Un aperçu des travaux de la communauté de pratique francophone
  Le mois dernier, l’équipe du projet Le Courage d’Agir était heureuse d’annoncer la mise en ligne d’un tout nouveau pan de notre projet : notre blogue francophone ! Celui-ci permettra la publication, sur une base mensuelle, d’articles, de comptes rendus, de billets et de textes d’opinions d’experts et d’expertes qui œuvrent à la prévention des violences fondées sur le genre. Vous y retrouverez des textes portant sur différentes initiatives novatrices de même que sur des thématiques d’actualité liées à la lutte et à la prévention des violences fondées sur le genre au sein des établissements d’enseignement supérieur canadiens.
  
  

• Launching Landmark Report: Courage To Act
  Possibility Seeds Consulting launched its Courage to Act: Developing a National Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions report today at Ryerson University. The report was developed through funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada and identifies recommendations, promising practices, and gaps in preventing and addressing gender-based violence on post-secondary campuses in Canada.
  
  

• Courage To Act Annual Report 2020
  Courage to Act is meant to be a “call to action.” Informed by experienced survivors, student researchers, frontline workers, policy experts and university administrators working to address and prevent gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions and beyond we are collaboratively working towards change. 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.
  
  

• Your Expertise Is Needed - Help Shape Key Resources For Frontline GBV Workers!
  Courage to Act is developing resources to support frontline gender based violence (GBV) support workers in post secondary institutions (PSIs) in Canada, and we need your help! Key findings in Possibility Seeds’ landmark report, Courage to Act: Developing a National Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions, included the urgent need for comprehensive tools around intake processes for PSIs to address gender based violence. In addition, detailed interviews with GBV workers across Canada highlighted the need for PSIs to more fully address the trauma exposure experienced by frontline workers while supporting individuals subjected to GBV.
  
  

• Have Your Say! Canada’s National Action Plan To End GBV
  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.
  
  

• Understanding The Impacts Of COVID-19 On Gender-Based Violence Intervention And Prevention At Post-Secondary Institutions
  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. Your feedback is important because the PSI sector is often left out of the conversation on GBV, despite alarming statistics that 71% of students at Canadian post-secondary institutions in 2019 either witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours in a post-secondary setting (Statistics Canada), and that 41% of all reported incidents of sexual assault in Canada were reported by students (Statistics Canada, 2017).
  
  

• Vikki Reynolds Workshop & What’s Next For Courage To Act: Highlights From The National Skillshare Series Presentation
  On August 18th, 2021, Dr. Vikki Reynolds, a renowned activist/therapist who works from a decolonizing framework to bridge the worlds of social justice activism with community work and therapy, joined us for the last session in our National Skillshare Series to lead a workshop and rich discussion on solidarity, collective care, and sustainability as a means of responding to gender-based violence.
  
  

• Introducing: the Courage to Act Knowledge Centre (aussi disponible [en français][28])
  Check out the new Courage to Act Knowledge Centre, a repository of resources, policies, procedures and protocols created through the Courage to Act project in collaboration with over 150 leading experts and advocates across Canada! Launched today, the Knowledge Centre is home to a number of ground-breaking tools created by our network of national experts to support gender-based violence (GBV) intervention and prevention efforts at Canadian post-secondary institutions (PSIs).
  
  

• Join the Movement: How to Get Involved with Courage to Act (aussi disponible en français)
  Over the last three years, Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act has laid a strong foundation for addressing and preventing gender-based violence (GBV) at post-secondary institutions (PSIs). As we enter the next phase of this national project on October 1st 2021, we will leverage the suite of resources (available in English and French) and national networks created in partnership with over 150 of Canada’s top GBV experts and advocates to support knowledge mobilization and systems/culture change.
  
  

• La violence genrée en contexte de diversité culturelle - Faits saillants du webinaire d’Ihssane Fethi
  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.
  
  

• Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning: A Courage to Act Research-to-Action Project
  The first two phases of the Courage to Act project revealed a significant gap in research addressing sexual harassment and gender-based violence (GBV) in experiential learning spaces. While there is increasing attention to workplace sexual violence, most, if not all, research on sexual harassment leaves out the population of students who are completing experiential learning opportunities such as internships, co-op, placements, and other opportunities that integrate academic and workplace learning.
  
  

• Meet Courage to Act's Education Community of Learning
  I am so excited to profile these colleagues who I have had the privilege of learning with over the past four months in our Community of Learning (COL). The COL is a space for GBV campus educators to come together monthly for relaxed virtual conversations with peers across Canada to explore key themes from the Education & Training Toolkit: Chapter 6: A Workbook for GBV Educators. Each time we connect, I am blown away by these folks’ collective wisdom of campus GBV prevention education. I am humbled to share a space where we learn together, challenge each other, and plant seeds for future conversations. This work is hard, but each time I connect with this community, I am left full of hope and joy.
  
  

• Reflections from Courage to Act’s First Community of Learning
  For seven years before coming on as Education Lead at Possibility Seeds, I worked as a sexual violence (SV) prevention educator at two large post-secondary institutions (PSIs) in Ontario. When I started, there were very few learning opportunities or community spaces for people in similar roles. I wondered, how do other PSIs do this? Who else is doing this work? Are there professional spaces where I can meet them?
  
  

• Reflections on Courage to Act's First All-Star Summer School
  This past summer, we facilitated Courage to Act’s first All-Star Summer School Course on Creating Institutional Campus Wide Sexual Violence Action Plans, a free online 4-week experiential learning course offered to those leading conversations on sexual violence prevention education at post-secondary institutions. We were inspired to develop this course based on key teachings from the Education and Training Toolkit: Addressing and Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions, primarily based on key concepts and worksheets from Chapter 5: Develop an Action Plan.
  
  

• Consent Awareness Week: What We Accomplished Together (and how to keep it going!)
  September 19th-23rd, 2022 marked the very first national Consent Awareness Week. What started as a call from the High School Too movement in the Spring took flight as students, parents, educators, politicians, advocates and activists from across the country came together to create conversations about consent as an important life skill. We’re so blown away by how many community partners hosted events and rallies; shared amazing resources; and sparked thoughtful, affirming, intersectional conversations from coast to coast!
  
  

• What is the role of Post Secondary Institutions in addressing student-instructor relationships?
  Over the past few years, student advocates have been asking PSIs to address the problem of personal sexual or romantic relationships between instructors and students (“student-instructor relationships”). However, outside of some high-profile cases, PSIs have largely remained neutral on their role in addressing such relationships; and while many do not address this issue directly, those that have either categorized this issue as a conflict of interest or have implemented a full ban. This lack of clarity creates ambiguity and raises some important questions about consent, power, and the role of PSIs in addressing student-instructor relationships.
  
  

• Introducing the Possibility Seeds Podcast!
  We’re so excited to announce the launch of the first season of the Possibility Seeds Podcast! This is a podcast for anyone interested in gender justice activism in Canada, hosted by Farrah Khan and produced by Vocal Fry Studios.
  
  

• An Update on the First National Research-to-Action Project on Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning
  In 2022, Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act project launched the first national research-to-action project looking at sexual harassment faced by post-secondary students in experiential learning contexts (such as internships, practicums, placements, and co-ops). It’s been a busy year connecting with students, staff, faculty, and experiential learning professionals across the country to talk about this issue and what we can do to support student safety in their working and learning environments!
  
  

• Findings from the First National Research Project on Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning
  Last January, Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act project launched a national research-to-action project on sexual harassment in experiential learning. As the first project in the country to look specifically at the violence students are subjected to in experiential learning settings, our aim was to respond to gaps in research and a recognized need for support, resources, and tools to address what we know is a prevalent but often hidden issue. After more than a year of work with students, staff, faculty, administrators, experiential learning providers, and experts across the country, we are so excited to be able to share an update on where we’re at and what we’ll be releasing as we prepare for the upcoming academic term.
  
  

• Working with People Who’ve Caused Harm: Piloting Possibility Seeds’ Tools Across Nova Scotia
  Possibility Seeds, through its Courage to Act project, has created a variety of incredible tools and toolkits addressing issues related to responding and supporting those impacted by gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions (PSIs). Over 70 free tools exist that help guide one’s thinking and provide resources on a number of topics that range from making recommendations and suggesting resources for PSIs to addressing GBV on campus to outlining policy and legislative recommendations to protecting students from sexual harassment in experiential learning settings.

+ RELATED PROJECTS

• UniSAFE, An European Project To End Gender-Based Violence In Universities And Research Organizations
  Most of us have been there: comments about women’s place being in the kitchen or not having what it takes to succeed in a male-dominated discipline; sexualised comments directed toward female, trans and gender non-binary students; inappropriate touching during exams and consultations; being in unsafe situations at conferences and during field research; pornographic images circulated in office spaces; shared tacit knowledge about which professors to avoid; the silence and lack of response after reporting an incident; and feeling at a loss as to what to do because your institution does not have a policy to address gender-based violence that you know of.
  
  

• La violence sexuelle en milieu collégial au Québec
  Face à l’absence de données récentes pour les milieux collégiaux au Québec, nous avons développé le projet de recherche intitulé PIECES-Projet intercollégial d’étude sur le consentement, l’égalité et la sexualité. Cette recherche est le fruit d’un partenariat entre la Chaire de recherche sur les violences sexistes et sexuelles en milieu d’enseignement supérieur, l’organisme Boscoville, la Fédération des cégeps, le Collège Montmorency, le Cégep de Sainte-Foy, le Cégep de Jonquière, le Collège Ahuntsic et le Cégep de l’Outaouais.
  
  

• Game On: Video Game-based Approaches To Bystander Intervention Training
  Halfway through your Friday night bartending shift, a customer approaches you at the bar. “I need help”, they say - “my date is being really creepy and I don’t know how to -”. Just then, a man comes up behind them and asks if everything’s ok. It’s clear that the customer wanted your help, but what do you do next? This is the question at the heart of It’s Your Move--an innovative game-based approach to sexual violence prevention that aims to put bystander intervention skills into the hands of folks working in the hospitality industry. Part of the 5 Minute Friend workshop offered by the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton and the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre, It’s Your Move helps participants develop and practice their intervention skills in real time by immersing them in their typical nightlife surroundings, but from the safety of an encouraging facilitative environment-- without the real-world consequences. This is important because 5 Minute Friend was designed to be a participatory learning experience that encourages folks working in the nightlife industry to consider how they can be an ally to someone for a brief moment in their life when they might really need it.
  
  

• Affiche tes couleurs : Une campagne qui démystifie les agressions à caractère sexuel
  Le Réseau des femmes des Laurentides est une table de concertation en condition féminine qui représente une vingtaine de groupes et de comités de femmes. Parmi les enjeux abordés par ses membres il y a celui, incontournable, des agressions à caractère sexuel. Pour y faire face de façon proactive, le RFL a élaboré une campagne de sensibilisation à la fois ludique et instructive, intitulée Affiche tes couleurs !
  
  

• Commande un Angelot
  Le lien entre la consommation d’alcool et la perpétration de la violence sexuelle et bien connu et démontré dans plusieurs études. Une étude menée en Ontario a d’ailleurs révélé qu’environ 50 % des femmes ont rapporté avoir été victimes d’une forme de violence sexuelle lors de la dernière soirée festive dans un bar ou un club à laquelle elles ont participé. En contexte postsecondaire, une enquête menée par Statistique Canada permet de réaliser que plus de 50 % des agressions sexuelles rapportées par les femmes et environ 40 % de celles rapportées par les hommes sont commises dans un restaurant ou un bar situé hors campus.
  
  

• La parfaite victime : Révéler le difficile parcours juridique des personnes victimes et survivantes de violence sexuelle
  Au Québec, Monic Néron et Émilie Perreault sont deux journalistes bien connues des organismes qui travaillent pour prévenir et contrer la violence sexuelle : ce sont notamment elles qui ont exposé les plaintes de nombreuses victimes et survivantes à l’endroit de Gilbert Rozon, en 2017. Elles ont d’ailleurs gagné le prix Judith-Jasmin pour leur reportage à ce sujet. Leur tout dernier projet, un documentaire intitulé La parfaite victime, a fait couler beaucoup d’encre depuis sa sortie au Québec, le 30 juin dernier. Et pour cause : l’affiche du film, qui montre un avocat en train de museler une femme ayant été victime d’une violence sexuelle, a de quoi faire réagir. Plusieurs lui ont reproché de « dépeindre le système judiciaire comme un allié des agresseurs » (Durocher, 2021a). L’une de nos coordonnatrices est allée voir le film pour y voir plus clair. Elle vous livre ses impressions dans le présent billet de blogue.
  
  

• La Consentante : Une bière pour sensibiliser la communauté collégiale au consentement Sexuel
  À l’automne 2020, le Collège d’Enseignement Général et Professionnel (CEGEP) de Jonquière, en collaboration avec la microbrasserie La Voie Maltée, a procédé au lancement de la bière La Consentante, afin de sensibiliser la communauté collégiale à la notion de consentement sexuel.Cette initiative de l'équipe du Service d'accueil psychosocial du collège soutient les objectifs de la Politique visant à prévenir et contrer les violences à caractère sexuel adoptée par le Cégep de Jonquière en 2018 en conformité avec la Loi visant à prévenir et combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur.
  
  

+ RESOURCES

• Risk Identification Assessment
  Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic is a leader in the delivery of integrated, multi-disciplinary services. Our service delivery philosophy and model are reflected in many justice system reports that address innovative approaches to meeting the multiple legal and non-legal needs of individuals engaged in legal systems - particularly family law. The Clinic took the lead on creating and developing a risk assessment and safety planning process that is administered in collaboration with women experiencing violence. The Clinic's tools, stemming from this process, are based on the principles that a woman's violence experience, as their identity, can be intersectional. They may experience multiple forms of marginalization by virtue of their gender, ethnic identity, and immigration status.
  
  

• A Short Commentary On Disciplinary Counselling At Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions
  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.
  
  

• Re-imagining Evaluation: How To Get Excited About Evaluating Your Strategies
  At the Atwater Library and Computer Centre, we have worked with so many awesome collaborators who are deeply engaged with work that addresses rape culture on campus. Through opportunities provided by several initiatives funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada on themes such as Gender-based Cyberviolence and Campus-based Rape Culture, we have participated in developing all manner of strategies to address rape culture on campus. Over the past eight years, from grassroots, participant-led initiatives to strategies aimed at institutional change, the folks we have had the privilege of collaborating with do great work. We have seen so many effective, innovative and creative strategies addressing sexual violence and rape culture. However, rarely was there a plan to assess their impact on campus.
  
  

• Engaging Athletes In Gender-Based Violence Prevention
  When you hear the words ‘locker room talk’ you probably have a distinct picture that comes to your mind. A lot of people will think of misogyny, toxic masculinity and negative cultures that can often be associated with competitive sports team cultures and in the case of some Post-Secondary Institutions, varsity athletics programs. It is important to recognize that these cultures do not necessarily exist within every institution or every team but it is certainly a prevalent issue that many Gender Based Violence Educators are looking to address within the athletics community.
  
  

• Slack Channel For Sexualized Violence Prevention And Response At Post-Secondary Institutions
  When I stepped into my role as the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) in October 2018, I was tasked with creating an office from the ground up. It was exciting but overwhelming. To cope with the overwhelm, I resorted to what many of us do: list-making. I made a list of Canadian Universities, a list of Canadian Colleges, a list of offices dedicated to sexualized violence prevention and response, a list of coordinators, and a list of everyone’s contact information. There was a lot of good information, and I knew I had to share it more widely. I sent a tentative group email: “Hi, does a network or community already exist? If not, would anyone be interested in starting one? Is anyone else feeling the need for connection? I’m starting an office SOS?” Amazingly, though knowing folks better now, NOT surprisingly, I was met with the warmest hellos and echoes of similar wants and needs.
  
  

• Sexual Consent Education At Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions
  For years I have studied sexual violence. And for years it’s an issue that divides people in the room. Whenever I tell folx what I research they either dive in, discuss, and debate, or they deflect and walk away. That’s okay because I remain passionate about studying sexual violence and I am comfortable with the discomfort.
  
  

• Summaries: Statistics Canada’s Recent Reports On Gender-based Violence And Public Safety
  In September 2020 Statistics Canada released four reports on sexual violence, sexual harassment and discrimination from the Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population (SISPSP) in 2019 and the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) in 2018. Here’s a snapshot of the highlights to support and inform advocacy at your PSI.
  
  

• “The Trouble With Girls In The Lab”: The Unacceptable Costs Of GBV In Science (aussi disponible en français)
  In 2015 there was a global uproar in response to the words of Dr. Tim Hunt, a British Nobel-prize-winning biochemist who said that “The trouble with girls in the lab is that you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticize them, they cry..” This was not an alleged statement, uttered behind closed doors and immediately denied. Dr. Hunt freely admitted to the comments.
  
  

• Online Reporting Of Sexual Violence On Campus Set To Launch
  In 2016, I had the privilege of spending time with Annie E. Clark and Andrea Pino when I invited them to come to Winnipeg to launch Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Their stories were featured in The Hunting Ground, a film about campus sexual assault in the US and we held a screening in partnership with the University of Winnipeg. At that time, they were also releasing their book, We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out.
  
  

• Answering Calls For Justice Within PSIs (From The National Inquiry On Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls) (aussi disponible en français)
  On July 22nd, 2020, researcher and policy consultant Courtney Skye led a webinar for Courage to Act on “Anti-Colonial Approaches to Addressing Gender-Based Violence with Indigenous Communities.” The webinar explored the roots of colonial violence in Canada, delved into the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (NIMMIWG), discussed culturally responsive approaches to responding to GBV on a systemic level, and provided anti-colonial practices and consideration for PSIs across the country.
  
  

• 6 Ways To Engage With GBV Prevention Education Online + Resources
  As gender justice advocates, many if not all of you are in the midst of moving all or most of your programming and initiatives into the online world. This transition won’t be easy or seamless and we know that you are adaptable, creative, and innovative and, ultimately, you know what’s best for your campus's unique population of students, staff, and faculty. To help support you in this work, we are sharing some of the great tips and tools we’ve been drawing upon in our work
  
  

• Key Impacts Of COVID-19 Pandemic On Gender-Based Violence
  It is easy to assume that our work on campuses to address and prevent gender-based violence will lessen as students return home to self-isolate, however, the reality is that home is not always a safe place for everyone. We saw this tragically unfold in Nova Scotia where a mass murder of 22 people began with acts of intimate partner violence. The Courage to Act project team is deeply concerned about the ways in which many students, staff and faculty face increased risks of gender-based violence under the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  

• Strategies For Remote Work To Address Gender-Based Violence
  Covid-19 has shifted work for so many of us and our team at Possibility Seeds wants to be of support. We are currently leading Courage to Act, a national two-year project to address and prevent gender-based violence on post-secondary institutions built and led by our communities. In this spirit of collaboration, we have created the following resource for people working in post-secondary institutions about meeting the emerging needs of campus community members affected by gender-based violence. It is not an exhaustive list but a start of ideas, hopes and questions, not definitive answers. The was created with the support of the 100 members of the Courage to Act: Communities of Practice.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : 10 ressources pour un temps des fêtes plus doux
  L’année qui vient de s’écouler fut difficile à bien des égards. En ces temps qui riment habituellement avec rapprochements et festivités, il semble encore plus important qu’à l’habitude de s’accorder du temps pour prendre soin de soi. Pour vous aider à y arriver, nous avons préparé une liste de 10 ressources gratuites et accessibles en ligne que vous pourrez consulter à votre guise ou lorsque vous en ressentirez le besoin. Nous espérons que celle-ci vous aidera à traverser la période des fêtes en douceur.
  
  

• You Matter Too: Resources For Self-Care
  To sustain ourselves and our movements, remain open to possibilities, cultivate our creativity and have the greatest impact, we need to invest in a vital resource: ourselves. Self-care is both a radical practice and a necessary part of creating lasting social change. We hope this list inspires you to create and commit to some individual and collective self-care practices for the rest of the year.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : Renouer avec l'aspect radical et politique du soin de soi
  Prendre soin de soi. Ces mots, mieux connus sous la locution de “self-care”, en anglais, ont pris une tournure plutôt galvaudée au cours des dernières années. Dénués de leur dimension féministe initiale, ils semblent désormais être synonymes de soins corporels, de détente et de slogans qui se veulent inspirants. À l’approche du temps des fêtes, on vous propose de renouer avec l’aspect radical et politique du prendre soin.
  
  

• « Où étais-tu? » Une exposition basée sur des témoignages de survivant(e)s de violences sexuelles
  Les mythes et les tabous se multiplient lorsque l’on aborde le sujet des violences à caractère sexuel. L’habillement des victimes est souvent utilisé comme argument pour défendre les personnes qui agressent. Une étude faite en 2021 auprès de la population étudiante des Cégeps au Québec montre que 85 % des étudiantes et des étudiants adhèrent à au moins un mythe associé aux violences sexuelles. Les mythes qui blâment les victimes et qui excusent les personnes qui agressent sont les plus répandus. Par exemple, l’étude montre que plus de 50 % des personnes interrogées adhèrent au mythe suivant : « Si une fille agit comme une salope, éventuellement elle va avoir des ennuis ». Choquant, n’est-ce pas ?
  
  

• L’évaluation de l’engagement du personnel dans les initiatives pour contrer la violence fondée sur le genre
  La fin de l’année académique frappe déjà à nos portes ! Pour ceux et celles qui œuvrent en matière de prévention de la violence fondée sur le genre sur les campus, viendra bientôt le moment de faire le bilan des activités réalisées au cours de la dernière année et de prévoir les mesures qui seront déployées pour l’année à venir. Trop souvent, dans le tumulte des (trop) nombreuses tâches à réaliser en cours d’année, l’évaluation des activités de prévention et d’intervention mises en œuvre sur les campus est escamotée. La période de relatif repos qui s'amorce bientôt constitue donc un moment privilégié pour entamer une réflexion à ce sujet et veiller à ce que l’ensemble de la planification prévue pour la prochaine année soit évaluée en bonne et due forme.
  
  

• Ensemble pour contrer la banalisation des violences à caractère sexuel
  Le 8 décembre 2017, la Loi visant à prévenir et à combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur a été adoptée au Québec. La Loi prévoit que tout établissement d’enseignement doit établir une politique qui a pour objectif de prévenir et de combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans le but d’assurer des lieux d’études et de travail sains, sécuritaires et respectueux. L’article 3 de cette loi précise que les établissements doivent, entre autres, mettre en place des formations obligatoires à l’ensemble de leur communauté.
  
  

• Use the Right Words: Guidelines for Media Reporting on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Violence
  Mainstream media has the power to shape conversations about gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual violence (SV) in our communities. It can shift society’s understanding of violence as well as be a spark for concrete change from policymakers and politicians. The news can also impose a hierarchy that frames certain kinds of gender-based violence and sexual violence -- or certain kinds of survivors -- as less legitimate than others.
  
  

• Building a new gender-based violence risk tool for campuses: Why reinvent the wheel?
  The existence and use of risk assessment tools are not new ventures. Psychological assessment of risk for criminal offending behaviour and violence has existed for nearly 100 years, and active use of such instruments have been documented by various criminal justice bodies, such as parole, since the 1970s. Most of these forensic tools have been developed for criminal justice settings and forensic mental health contexts.
  
  

• No One is Disposable: Resources for Working with People who have Caused Harm
  Divesting from punitive approaches and working productively with people who have caused harm are necessary components of an institution's survivor-centered approach to addressing campus gender-based violence. Possibility Seeds’ seminal report, Courage to Act: Developing a National Framework to Address and Prevent Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada (2019) revealed few, if any, resources and supports for working with people who have caused harm, or respondents, within a campus setting.
  
  

• Sexual Assault Awareness Month Feature: Healing Comes in Waves
  Healing comes in waves, with peaks and valleys, times of movement and stillness. We may be unable to stop the waves, but we can learn how to ride them. Too often, the conversation about sexual violence focuses on what was done to us but not how we choose to heal. I created the podcast Healing Comes in Waves as a love letter for survivors to explore healing after harm.
  
  

• We Can Do Better: Working with Survivors and People who have Caused Harm for Meaningful Accountability
  Throughout our time with Courage to Act, the Reporting, Investigations, and Adjudication Working Group has endeavoured to provide tools, strategies, and foundational knowledge necessary to build institutional complaint processes that are fair, trauma-informed, and reduce harm wherever possible.
  
  

+ SELF-CARE

• You Matter Too: Resources For Self-Care
  To sustain ourselves and our movements, remain open to possibilities, cultivate our creativity and have the greatest impact, we need to invest in a vital resource: ourselves. Self-care is both a radical practice and a necessary part of creating lasting social change. We hope this list inspires you to create and commit to some individual and collective self-care practices for the rest of the year.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : 10 ressources pour un temps des fêtes plus doux
  L’année qui vient de s’écouler fut difficile à bien des égards. En ces temps qui riment habituellement avec rapprochements et festivités, il semble encore plus important qu’à l’habitude de s’accorder du temps pour prendre soin de soi. Pour vous aider à y arriver, nous avons préparé une liste de 10 ressources gratuites et accessibles en ligne que vous pourrez consulter à votre guise ou lorsque vous en ressentirez le besoin. Nous espérons que celle-ci vous aidera à traverser la période des fêtes en douceur.
  
  

• Recipes For Gender Justice
  As we enter the holiday season, we all deserve the chance to pause and deeply nourish and replenish our minds, bodies and spirits with care. Our team has gathered our most favourite recipes for learning, reflection, activism and healing. We hope these offer some food for thought, help you nourish existing self-care practices, and perhaps even "cook up" some new practices, so you can rest fully and bring your best self to the table in 2021.
  
  

• Art For Gender Justice
  Welcome to the #ArtForGenderJustice campaign! Building on our previous Recipes for Gender Justice campaign, the Courage to Act team curated a list of art from artists across the country that share our passion for gender justice. Art fuels our ability to reflect, connect, advocate and create. The artists highlighted here all envision a more inclusive, just, and representative future, free from gender-based violence and other forms of oppression. Scroll to view these engaging, celebratory and provocative pieces of art, and be inspired by the stories and the artists whose works fuel our movement for gender justice.
  
  

• Self-care For The End Of 2020
  Whew, what a year it has been! We have collectively navigated a global pandemic, economic and political unrest and climate crises alongside urgent calls for racial and gender justice, accountability in policing and the end of anti-Black racism. We have witnessed and endured a lot this year. The organizing and calls for justice while monumental and transformative, have demanded a lot from us and we may not have had as much time to rest and replenish ourselves. Practicing self-care has never felt more urgent than at the end of 2020.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : 10 ressources pour un temps des fêtes plus doux
  L’année qui vient de s’écouler fut difficile à bien des égards. En ces temps qui riment habituellement avec rapprochements et festivités, il semble encore plus important qu’à l’habitude de s’accorder du temps pour prendre soin de soi. Pour vous aider à y arriver, nous avons préparé une liste de 10 ressources gratuites et accessibles en ligne que vous pourrez consulter à votre guise ou lorsque vous en ressentirez le besoin. Nous espérons que celle-ci vous aidera à traverser la période des fêtes en douceur.
  
  

• TIPPs for Attending to the Impacts of Working in the Anti-Gender-Based Violence Movement
  The fall semester always feels like a sprint, no matter how many of us prepare—holding space for survivor support needs, navigating systems, fulfilling training requests, not to mention the politics of the work on campus. By December, the intensity of the pace can wear us all down, no matter how great our team and support system are, or the various forms of therapy, movement work, and mindfulness we do.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : Renouer avec l'aspect radical et politique du soin de soi
  Prendre soin de soi. Ces mots, mieux connus sous la locution de “self-care”, en anglais, ont pris une tournure plutôt galvaudée au cours des dernières années. Dénués de leur dimension féministe initiale, ils semblent désormais être synonymes de soins corporels, de détente et de slogans qui se veulent inspirants. À l’approche du temps des fêtes, on vous propose de renouer avec l’aspect radical et politique du prendre soin.
  
  

• A Conversation on Self-Care with Dr. Jiselle Griffith N.D.
  Possibility Seeds is so excited for our upcoming workshop series, Everyday Self-Care for Campus GBV Workers, with Dr. Jiselle Griffith. Jiselle is a naturopathic doctor who helps people navigate health hurdles linked to burnout and nervous system dysregulation. We were thrilled to speak with her about her perspective on self-care for the blog this month.
  
  

• Gender Justice Jams: a Possibility Seeds Playlist
  This June, the Possibility Seeds team built a playlist week by week of songs and artists that inspire intersectional gender justice to us! We’ve got songs by queer and trans artists in celebration of Pride, songs by Indigenous artists to celebrate Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, some Francophone songs to celebrate the Quebec national holiday, and a bunch of other feminist favourites to bring us into the summer!
  
  

• Courage to Act's Digital Care Package for Black History Month
  Happy Black History Month! This year, the Possibility Seeds team wanted to create a digital care package for Black community members full of self-care resources and art that centres Black joy and wellness. We hope this month is a time of celebration, community connection, and (importantly) rest.
  
  

• You Matter Too: Self-Care Resources for Campus Gender-Based Violence Workers
  Self-care doesn’t start or rest solely on gender-based violence (GBV) workers. It’s a collective duty of the institution, colleagues, and community to nourish & maintain spaces for GBV workers to commit to self-care.
  
  

+ SEXUAL VIOLENCE SUPPORT AND PREVENTION OFFICES

• National Database Of Campus Sexual Violence Support And Prevention Offices
  Courage to Act is pleased to release a new database of all campus sexual violence support and prevention offices (CSVSPOs) at post-secondary institutions in Canada. We hope it will help increase awareness of available resources, facilitate knowledge-sharing, and support a connected national network of experts working to end gender-based violence on campuses. This database is maintained with the help of our community: please email Courage to Act with any revisions and/or additions.
  
  

• Campus Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Offices, Part I/4: Prairies Edition
  Sexual violence is both an individual and a community-based issue. It can involve one survivor and one perpetrator, or multiples of each; it can also affect those involved in the lives of survivors, from family and friends to colleagues and professors. For this reason, we wish to compile a list of resources by region, starting with the Prairies, to help those affected by sexual violence find support when and where they need it.
  
  

• Campus Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Offices, Part 2/4: Western Canada & Territories
  Sexual violence is both an individual and a community-based issue. It can involve one survivor and one perpetrator, or multiples of each; it can also affect those involved in the lives of survivors, from family and friends to colleagues and professors. 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.
  
  

• Campus Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Offices, Part 3/4: Central Canada
  What You Should Know: In Ontario, all public post-secondary institutions must craft and implement a sexual violence policy in accordance with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, RSO 1990, c M19. This legislation applies to every college of applied arts and technology and to every university that receives regular and ongoing operating funds from the government for the purposes of post-secondary education.
  
  

• Campus Sexual Violence Support And Prevention Offices, Part 4/4: Atlantic Edition
  What You Should Know: In Nova Scotia, work has been ongoing to address campus sexualized violence (led by survivors and communities) for decades, and has been formally supported by various government departments (community services and labor and advanced education specifically) since 2015 when the provincial sexual violence strategy was launched. The Government of Nova Scotia was encouraged by advocates in the area to develop and implement a comprehensive response to SV, and it has taken steps to do so. The committee established by this partnership seeks, inter alia, to prevent and spread awareness of SV, facilitate professional education and training, provide intervention services and engage in policy development, research, and the evaluation of actions taken under the framework to realize further improvements in the area.
  
  

• Unita Assk: Drag Pedagogy in Prevention Education
  Drag is powerful. And though we live in a time with more RuPaul’s Drag Race franchises than any one human can possibly keep up with, reality TV is only one part of that power. Drag has a long history of being used for activism and education. As Keenan and Lil Miss Hot Mess (2021) note, “drag pedagogy provides a performative approach to queer pedagogy that is not simply about LGBT lives, but living queerly.”
  
  

+ STATISTICS & POLICY

• Summaries: Statistics Canada’s Recent Reports On Gender-based Violence And Public SafetyIn September 2020 Statistics Canada released four reports on sexual violence, sexual harassment and discrimination from the Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population (SISPSP) in 2019 and the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) in 2018. Here’s a snapshot of the highlights to support and inform advocacy at your PSI.
  
  

• 12 Policy Recommendations From Consultations To Inform Canada's National Action Plan To End GBVIn 2021 the Federal Government made a commitment to creating a National Action Plan to Address Gender-Based Violence (NAP). As part of building the NAP, gender-based violence (GBV) organizations were tasked with leading consultations with garner recommendations from stakeholders. In February 2021, Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), and the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) led consultations with key stakeholders in the post-secondary sector to inform Canada’s National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Together, we convened eight national consultations and circulated nine online surveys reaching 84 individuals within 3 weeks. In these consultations, we heard several urgent concerns and collected rich data and insights from students, frontline workers, staff, faculty and senior administrators at post-secondary institutions across the country.
  
  

• Environmental Scan of Relevant Gender-Based Violence Policies and Law for Canadian Post-Secondary InstitutionsThe Environmental Scan of Relevant Gender-Based Violence Policies and Law for Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions is a new resource from Courage to Act’s Work Community of Practice (CP). Lawyer Stéfanie Tougas-Trihey, with the support of Courage to Act’s Project Manager Anoodth Naushan and Research Assistant Darshana Patel, conducted a comprehensive scan of all Canadian post-secondary institutions and compiled a list of relevant gender-based violence policies and laws in place at each.
  
  

• La violence sexuelle en milieu collégial au Québec
  Face à l’absence de données récentes pour les milieux collégiaux au Québec, nous avons développé le projet de recherche intitulé PIECES-Projet intercollégial d’étude sur le consentement, l’égalité et la sexualité. Cette recherche est le fruit d’un partenariat entre la Chaire de recherche sur les violences sexistes et sexuelles en milieu d’enseignement supérieur, l’organisme Boscoville, la Fédération des cégeps, le Collège Montmorency, le Cégep de Sainte-Foy, le Cégep de Jonquière, le Collège Ahuntsic et le Cégep de l’Outaouais.
  
  

• Addressing Post-Secondary Employee Sexual Misconduct Through Policy: The Need for Minimum Standards
  Post-secondary institutions in Ontario have three months to meet their obligations under Bill 26, the Strengthening Post-Secondary Institutions and Students Act.
  
  

+ SUPPORTING STAFF AND FACULTY

• Workplace Sexual Harassment Laws By Province And Territory
  While conversations and interventions on gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions are often focused on students, we know that employee safety is also important to address. All employees - unionized workers, student staff, management, and faculty - deserve to have safe workplaces free of gender-based violence, and where they can access support if they experience harm (Courage to Act Report, 2019, pp. 62)
  
  

• Strategies For Remote Work To Address Gender-Based Violence
  Covid-19 has shifted work for so many of us and our team at Possibility Seeds wants to be of support. We are currently leading Courage to Act, a national two-year project to address and prevent gender-based violence on post-secondary institutions built and led by our communities. In this spirit of collaboration, we have created the following resource for people working in post-secondary institutions about meeting the emerging needs of campus community members affected by gender-based violence. It is not an exhaustive list but a start of ideas, hopes and questions, not definitive answers. The was created with the support of the 100 members of the Courage to Act: Communities of Practice.
  
  

• You Matter Too: Resources For Self-Care
  To sustain ourselves and our movements, remain open to possibilities, cultivate our creativity and have the greatest impact, we need to invest in a vital resource: ourselves. Self-care is both a radical practice and a necessary part of creating lasting social change. We hope this list inspires you to create and commit to some individual and collective self-care practices for the rest of the year.
  
  

• Re-imagining Evaluation: How To Get Excited About Evaluating Your Strategies
  At the Atwater Library and Computer Centre, we have worked with so many awesome collaborators who are deeply engaged with work that addresses rape culture on campus. Through opportunities provided by several initiatives funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada on themes such as Gender-based Cyberviolence and Campus-based Rape Culture, we have participated in developing all manner of strategies to address rape culture on campus. Over the past eight years, from grassroots, participant-led initiatives to strategies aimed at institutional change, the folks we have had the privilege of collaborating with do great work. We have seen so many effective, innovative and creative strategies addressing sexual violence and rape culture. However, rarely was there a plan to assess their impact on campus.
  
  

• Slack Channel For Sexualized Violence Prevention And Response At Post-Secondary Institutions
  When I stepped into my role as the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) in October 2018, I was tasked with creating an office from the ground up. It was exciting but overwhelming. To cope with the overwhelm, I resorted to what many of us do: list-making. I made a list of Canadian Universities, a list of Canadian Colleges, a list of offices dedicated to sexualized violence prevention and response, a list of coordinators, and a list of everyone’s contact information. There was a lot of good information, and I knew I had to share it more widely. I sent a tentative group email: “Hi, does a network or community already exist? If not, would anyone be interested in starting one? Is anyone else feeling the need for connection? I’m starting an office SOS?” Amazingly, though knowing folks better now, NOT surprisingly, I was met with the warmest hellos and echoes of similar wants and needs.
  
  

• Recommendations For Faculty And Staff On Gender-Based Violence Prevention (aussi disponible en français)
  In recent years, Canadian post-secondary institutions have adopted sexualized violence policies and allocated resources to develop related educational programming. However, student audiences are often prioritized over faculty and staff, as if sexual violence were primarily a student issue. As a result, sexualized violence support workers and educators are often left to deliver faculty and staff training off the sides of their already-overflowing desks. This reality does not recognize that faculty and staff training is just as important as student programming. While students may spend a few years on campus, faculty and staff may spend decades. If we want to change the culture of a post-secondary environment, we also need to develop comprehensive educational programming for faculty and staff.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : 10 ressources pour un temps des fêtes plus doux
  L’année qui vient de s’écouler fut difficile à bien des égards. En ces temps qui riment habituellement avec rapprochements et festivités, il semble encore plus important qu’à l’habitude de s’accorder du temps pour prendre soin de soi. Pour vous aider à y arriver, nous avons préparé une liste de 10 ressources gratuites et accessibles en ligne que vous pourrez consulter à votre guise ou lorsque vous en ressentirez le besoin. Nous espérons que celle-ci vous aidera à traverser la période des fêtes en douceur.
  
  

• Together at Last: Procedural Fairness and Trauma-Informed Practice Work Together to Reduce Harm (aussi disponible en français)
  After years of tension and anticipation, the long-awaited partnership between procedural fairness and trauma-informed practice is finally here. Not only are they compatible, but they may just be soulmates, joining forces to reduce harm in campus gender-based violence (GBV) complaints processes! Those working within campus GBV processes have long been torn between the requirement for procedural fairness for the respondent and the need for trauma-informed practice with complainants. This presumed tension has permeated every aspect of campus GBV responses, whether the complaints relate to students, staff or faculty. It has shaped how policies are written, investigations are conducted, and decisions are made. It has resulted in frustration and harm to complainants, respondents, their advisors and supporters, and everyone working in the process.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : Renouer avec l'aspect radical et politique du soin de soi
  Prendre soin de soi. Ces mots, mieux connus sous la locution de “self-care”, en anglais, ont pris une tournure plutôt galvaudée au cours des dernières années. Dénués de leur dimension féministe initiale, ils semblent désormais être synonymes de soins corporels, de détente et de slogans qui se veulent inspirants. À l’approche du temps des fêtes, on vous propose de renouer avec l’aspect radical et politique du prendre soin.
  
  

• L’évaluation de l’engagement du personnel dans les initiatives pour contrer la violence fondée sur le genre
  La fin de l’année académique frappe déjà à nos portes ! Pour ceux et celles qui œuvrent en matière de prévention de la violence fondée sur le genre sur les campus, viendra bientôt le moment de faire le bilan des activités réalisées au cours de la dernière année et de prévoir les mesures qui seront déployées pour l’année à venir. Trop souvent, dans le tumulte des (trop) nombreuses tâches à réaliser en cours d’année, l’évaluation des activités de prévention et d’intervention mises en œuvre sur les campus est escamotée. La période de relatif repos qui s'amorce bientôt constitue donc un moment privilégié pour entamer une réflexion à ce sujet et veiller à ce que l’ensemble de la planification prévue pour la prochaine année soit évaluée en bonne et due forme.
  
  

• ARC: Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Harassment and Violence in Professional Settings
  It’s hard to know what to do when someone tells you they were subjected to sexual harassment or violence in a professional setting. Teachers, employers, professors, and other professionals often face limitations such as confidentiality in how they can respond. Possibility Seeds created the ARC model to help you respond to disclosures at work with care, compassion, and clear communication.
  
  

• How Can Post-Secondary Institutions Respond to Critical Incidents of Sexual Violence on Campus?
  Your campus is invited to join Courage to Act members nationwide for the first Courage Challenge of 2024! This January, commit to reading this informative, practical guide. Bonus points for setting up a Responding to Critical Incidents of Sexual Violence Working Group on your campus!
  
  

• Courage to Act: A Starter Kit for Campus GBV Workers
  The critical work of responding to gender-based violence on campuses, with its many challenges and complexities, can seem heavy and daunting. For those new to this work especially, it can also feel overwhelming.
  

+ SUPPORTING STUDENTS

• Creating Black Survivor Spaces On Campus (aussi disponible en français)
  Creating Black-centred survivor spaces can be a great way to cater to the Black student population because it shows an understanding of the nuances of Black survivorship and a commitment to giving them the respect they deserve. Historically, people of colour have experienced hypersexualization and othering that resulted in innumerable instances of abuse and trauma, the aftershocks of which remain in our broader Western culture today. Intergenerational trauma, combined with prevailing notions of White supremacy have created an environment where today Black folks continue to be targeted and experience higher rates of gender based violence (GVB) compared to their white counterparts.
  
  

• Toolkit Sneak Peak: How Student Levy Fees Fund GBV Support And Prevention At Canadian PSIs
  Campus student unions play an important role in creating student-funded and student-led gender-based violence (GBV) support and prevention initiatives on Canadian post-secondary campuses. Many of these initiatives are funded through student levy fees (collected by the student union), and maintained through campus referendum votes or democratic budget approvals. While the onus to create and fund GBV support and prevention initiatives on campus shouldn’t be the responsibility of students, student-levy funded initiatives do provide many benefits.
  
  

• The Importance Of Intersectional Responses To Gender-Based Violence (aussi disponible en français)
  As post-secondary institutions (PSIs) face unprecedented pressure to respond to sexual violence on campus, it’s important to consider how they’re framing violence. My research focuses on public universities in Ontario, where sexual violence policies were mandated by the provincial government in 2016. Of Ontario’s 22 universities, 10 have identity-neutral policies that don’t acknowledge the gendered nature of sexual violence or its intersections with systems of oppression. By contrast, the other 12 universities’ policies reference intersectionality, nine of which commit to integrating this analysis into their anti-violence efforts.
  
  

• Creating Inclusive GBV Prevention And Support With International Students
  Post-secondary institutions (PSIs) are intended to be safe(r) spaces for learning, personal growth and community building. While college and university campuses are places where students are heavily engaged with academic and social activities, students may experience gender-based violence (GBV) and other forms of harm.
  
  

• Workplace Sexual Harassment Laws By Province And Territory
  While conversations and interventions on gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions are often focused on students, we know that employee safety is also important to address. All employees - unionized workers, student staff, management, and faculty - deserve to have safe workplaces free of gender-based violence, and where they can access support if they experience harm (Courage to Act Report, 2019, pp. 62)
  
  

• Delivering Outcome Decisions With Care: Strategies For Trauma-informed Practice & Harm Reduction (aussi disponible en français)
  Scenario: There was an incident of sexual violence on your campus, and a finding of a breach of your post-secondary institution’s sexual violence policy has been made against the respondent. As an administrator making an outcome decision in this case, you are committed to delivering outcome decisions with care and want to know how to best balance procedural fairness with trauma-informed practice and a harm reduction lens.
  
  

• You Matter Too: Resources For Self-Care
  To sustain ourselves and our movements, remain open to possibilities, cultivate our creativity and have the greatest impact, we need to invest in a vital resource: ourselves. Self-care is both a radical practice and a necessary part of creating lasting social change. We hope this list inspires you to create and commit to some individual and collective self-care practices for the rest of the year.
  
  

• Le courage de prendre soin de soi : 10 ressources pour un temps des fêtes plus doux
  L’année qui vient de s’écouler fut difficile à bien des égards. En ces temps qui riment habituellement avec rapprochements et festivités, il semble encore plus important qu’à l’habitude de s’accorder du temps pour prendre soin de soi. Pour vous aider à y arriver, nous avons préparé une liste de 10 ressources gratuites et accessibles en ligne que vous pourrez consulter à votre guise ou lorsque vous en ressentirez le besoin. Nous espérons que celle-ci vous aidera à traverser la période des fêtes en douceur.
  
  

• Factoring Survivors In: A Tool For Making Consent Education Trauma-informed (aussi disponible en français)
  Promoting education about affirmative sexual consent has become one of the most popular ways to address gender-based violence (GBV) on post-secondary campuses. However, many of these initiatives are relatively new and it’s critical to reflect on who they reach and which issues around consent are prioritized.
  
  

• How Student Unions Across Canada Are Preparing GBV Programming For Orientation Week
  While Orientation is often an extremely exciting time for everyone on campus, it also presents a heightened risk of gender-based violence (GBV). Additionally, 71% of students at Canadian post-secondary institutions (PSIs) either witness or experience unwanted sexualized behaviours in a postsecondary setting, and 41% of all sexual assault reports in Canada are by post-secondary students. Addressing gender-based violence on campuses has never been more urgent.
  
  

• Le courage de fournir à toutes les personnes étudiantes issues de la diversité sexuelle et de genre des milieux de formation inclusifs et sécurisants
  À l’automne 2020, nous avons mené une enquête dont l’objectif était de documenter différents enjeux concernant la diversité sexuelle et de genre dans le réseau collégial québécois. L’enquête a été réalisée dans 7 collèges de la région de la Capitale-Nationale auprès de 2 876 étudiants et étudiantes. Les résultats obtenus et des réflexions provenant des écrits spécialisés permettent de formuler 7 recommandations destinées aux collèges québécois, mais aussi applicables à tout établissement d’enseignement postsecondaire canadien.
  
  

+ TAKING ACTION

• Resources For Gender Justice Advocates To Affirm And Support 2SLGBTQIA Gender-Based Violence Survivors On Post-secondary Campuses
  As we cap off Pride Month, we are pleased to share a community-curated list of resources on campuses and beyond. We invite gender justice advocates in community organizations and at Canadian post-secondary institutions to read, engage and implement action plans that support and affirm 2SLGBTQIA gender-based violence survivors with the help of the resources below. We hope these resources will inspire action through Pride Month and beyond.
  
  

• Sexual Consent Education At Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions
  For years I have studied sexual violence. And for years it’s an issue that divides people in the room. Whenever I tell folx what I research they either dive in, discuss, and debate, or they deflect and walk away. That’s okay because I remain passionate about studying sexual violence and I am comfortable with the discomfort. In recent years Canadian post-secondary institutions (PSIs) received pressure to respond to this violence. Unfortunately only British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec provincial governments passed legislation mandating their PSIs to establish stand-alone sexual violence policies and protocols.
  
  

• Resources For Gender Justice Advocates To Challenge Anti-Asian Hate
  Gendered racism led to the recent murders of six East Asian American women in Atlanta, and in Canada, we have witnessed a disturbing increase in the number of hate crimes against east and southeast Asian Canadians, especially women, since the start of the pandemic. Courage to Act has created a list of resources for gender justice advocates to challenge Anti-Asian hate. We invite you to read, engage and implement action plans with the help of the resources linked here. Any liberation from gender-based violence (GBV) cannot take place without an end to white supremacy and racism including anti-Asian racism.
  
  

• Taking Courageous Action Together: Recommendations For PSIs To Address GBV On Campus (Part 1) (aussi disponible en français)
  Informed by experienced survivors, student researchers, frontline workers and policy experts, it provided a blueprint for a national Framework and included innovative ideas, promising practices and calls to action for post-secondary institutions (PSIs) to address gender-based violence (GBV) on campus.
  
  

• Taking Courageous Action Together: Recommendations For PSIs To Address GBV On Campus (Part 2) (aussi disponible en français)
  Informed by experienced survivors, student researchers, frontline workers and policy experts, it provided a blueprint for a national Framework and included innovative ideas, promising practices and calls to action for post-secondary institutions (PSIs) to address gender-based violence (GBV) on campus. The report highlighted the good work currently being done on campuses across Canada, alongside a number of key recommendations (#CourageousActions) to support PSIs in improving practices, policies and procedures around GBV and work towards prevention.
  
  

• Resources For Gender Justice Advocates To Challenge Anti-Black Racism
  The following is a community-curated list of resources about understanding and challenging anti-Black racism for gender justice advocates. Any liberation from gender-based violence (GBV) cannot take place without an end to white supremacy and anti-Black racism. We invite gender justice advocates both in community organizations and at Canadian post-secondary institutions to read, engage and implement action plans with the help of the resources below.
  
  

• Creating Black Survivor Spaces On Campus (aussi disponible en français)
  Creating Black-centred survivor spaces can be a great way to cater to the Black student population because it shows an understanding of the nuances of Black survivorship and a commitment to giving them the respect they deserve. Historically, people of colour have experienced hypersexualization and othering that resulted in innumerable instances of abuse and trauma, the aftershocks of which remain in our broader Western culture today. Intergenerational trauma, combined with prevailing notions of White supremacy have created an environment where today Black folks continue to be targeted and experience higher rates of gender based violence (GVB) compared to their white counterparts.
  
  

• The ABC’s Of Addressing GBV In STEM On Post-Secondary Campuses
  On August 19th 2020, prominent scientist, researcher and advocate, Dr. Imogen Coe led a webinar titled, “‘The Trouble with Girls in the Lab: The Unacceptable Costs of GBV in STEM.” Her webinar explored the prevalence and nature of gender-based violence (GBV) in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) at Canadian post-secondary institutions (PSIs), and provided expert tips, tools and strategies for addressing GBV in STEM, in research culture and in academia at all levels.
  
  

• Answering Calls For Justice Within PSIs (From The National Inquiry On Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls) (aussi disponible en français)
  On July 22nd, 2020, researcher and policy consultant Courtney Skye led a webinar for Courage to Act on “Anti-Colonial Approaches to Addressing Gender-Based Violence with Indigenous Communities.” The webinar explored the roots of colonial violence in Canada, delved into the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (NIMMIWG), discussed culturally responsive approaches to responding to GBV on a systemic level, and provided anti-colonial practices and consideration for PSIs across the country.
  
  

• Engaging Men To Address And Prevent Gender-Based Violence On Campus (aussi disponible en français)
  Few post-secondary institutions (PSIs) in Canada currently have core anti-violence programming that focuses on men and masculinities. There is little acknowledgement in PSIs’ sexual violence policies of the gendered nature of perpetration and of the importance of engaging men in a variety of ways (e.g., preventative measures, tertiary interventions). There is a dearth of evidence-based approaches and rigorous evaluation of prevention programming on masculinities and the efficacy of sanctions and intervention measures.
  
  

• Six Ways Post-Secondary Institutions Can Collaborate With Gender-Based Violence Organizations (aussi disponible en français)
  As post-secondary institutions (PSIs) look towards a school year where “campus” itself will likely be extended into online spaces, it’s important to consider how gender-based violence will manifest differently, and how prevention efforts will need to adapt. It is important to build relationships with community-based gender-based violence (GBV) organizations i.e. sexual assault centres, violence against women shelters, Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit groups and LGBTQIS2 organizations. Our shared goal of ending gender-based violence requires collaboration between community organizations and PSIs. Here are six ways that gender-based violence organizations and PSIs can work well together.
  
  

• Le courage de fournir à toutes les personnes étudiantes issues de la diversité sexuelle et de genre des milieux de formation inclusifs et sécurisants
  À l’automne 2020, nous avons mené une enquête dont l’objectif était de documenter différents enjeux concernant la diversité sexuelle et de genre dans le réseau collégial québécois. L’enquête a été réalisée dans 7 collèges de la région de la Capitale-Nationale auprès de 2 876 étudiants et étudiantes. Les résultats obtenus et des réflexions provenant des écrits spécialisés permettent de formuler 7 recommandations destinées aux collèges québécois, mais aussi applicables à tout établissement d’enseignement postsecondaire canadien.
  
  

• L’évaluation de l’engagement du personnel dans les initiatives pour contrer la violence fondée sur le genre
  La fin de l’année académique frappe déjà à nos portes ! Pour ceux et celles qui œuvrent en matière de prévention de la violence fondée sur le genre sur les campus, viendra bientôt le moment de faire le bilan des activités réalisées au cours de la dernière année et de prévoir les mesures qui seront déployées pour l’année à venir. Trop souvent, dans le tumulte des (trop) nombreuses tâches à réaliser en cours d’année, l’évaluation des activités de prévention et d’intervention mises en œuvre sur les campus est escamotée. La période de relatif repos qui s'amorce bientôt constitue donc un moment privilégié pour entamer une réflexion à ce sujet et veiller à ce que l’ensemble de la planification prévue pour la prochaine année soit évaluée en bonne et due forme.
  
  

• Commande un Angelot
  Le lien entre la consommation d’alcool et la perpétration de la violence sexuelle et bien connu et démontré dans plusieurs études. Une étude menée en Ontario a d’ailleurs révélé qu’environ 50 % des femmes ont rapporté avoir été victimes d’une forme de violence sexuelle lors de la dernière soirée festive dans un bar ou un club à laquelle elles ont participé. En contexte postsecondaire, une enquête menée par Statistique Canada permet de réaliser que plus de 50 % des agressions sexuelles rapportées par les femmes et environ 40 % de celles rapportées par les hommes sont commises dans un restaurant ou un bar situé hors campus.
  
  

• Convaincre un gouvernement provincial d’agir concrètement contre la violence genrée : Réflexions sur l’expérience de mobilisation étudiante en contexte québécois
  Cela fait déjà près d’une décennie que les associations étudiantes québécoises sont au-devant de la vague afin de dénormaliser, prévenir ainsi que combattre les violences sexistes et sexuelles dans les milieux d’enseignement supérieur. Convaincues que tout changement de culture se doit de passer par l’éducation, celles-ci ont fait de l’application de la Loi visant à prévenir et combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur leur cheval de bataille des dernières années auprès du gouvernement québécois.
  
  

• La violence genrée en contexte de diversité culturelle - Faits saillants du webinaire d’Ihssane Fethi
  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.
  
  

• Loi P-22.1 : Une histoire de résistance face aux violences sexuelles
  Ce texte a été rédigé par l’une des membres de notre communauté de pratique francophone dans le cadre du 3e anniversaire marquant l’adoption de la Loi québécoise visant à prévenir et à combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur. Le processus ayant mené à l’adoption de la Loi P-22.1 - Loi visant à prévenir et à combattre les violences à caractère sexuel dans les établissements d’enseignement supérieur - fut complexe, mais nous avions rendez-vous avec l’histoire. En moins d’un an, notre idée a percée l’espace public et fut reprise avec succès par le gouvernement du Québec, avec du financement à la clé.
  
  

• How Can Post-Secondary Institutions Address Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning?
  When Possibility Seeds began researching sexual harassment in experiential learning, we knew that it was a prevalent concern. However, we were still dismayed to see just how common it is: 1 in 2 students had been subjected to sexual harassment, and almost three-quarters of staff and faculty were aware of at least one instance of a student subjected to sexual harassment in their experiential learning.
  
  

+ WORKING GROUPS

• A Sneak Peak Into Courage to Act's Response and Support Working Group Toolkits
  We are excited to provide an introduction to 14 Response and Support Working Group tools, which will be launched on the Courage to Act Knowledge Centre between January - May 2022 . Read on for a description of each tool.
  
  

• A Sneak Peek Into Courage to Act's Education Working Group Toolkit (aussi disponible en français)
  Over the past two years, the Education Working Group has been documenting resources, testimonials, and promising practices while creating skill- and capacity-based tools for campus gender-based violence (GBV) prevention education. We are excited to introduce and share a glimpse into the Education and Training Toolkit: Addressing and Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions. Read on for a sneak peak into the work.
  
  

• Responding to Critical Incidents of Sexual Violence on Post-Secondary Campuses (aussi disponible en français)
  Courage to Act is creating a Responding to Critical Incidents (RCI) workbook to guide institutional responses to critical incidents of sexual violence (SV) at post-secondary institutions (PSIs).
  
  

+ 2024

JANUARY 2024

We’re kicking off this edition with the second Courage Challenge of 2024. Join us in February as we take action on sexual harassment in experiential learning. Begin by checking out our new free, self-paced e-learning guide. Also included in this newsletter is Courage to Act’s essential “starter pack” for tackling campus gender-based violence. February is Black History Month and we’re excited to share an updated digital care package for Black community members. For non-Black community members in the movement to end GBV, we’ve curated several resources to challenge anti-Black racism.

Click here to read more.

🔮 What does the future hold? What can we dream together?

Over the last five years, Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act project has worked with over 4800 student leaders, survivors, frontline workers, legal experts, union leaders, post-secondary educators, staff, and administrators nationwide to envision and build safer, trauma-informed campuses. Thank you for all your contributions! We’re so proud of all we've accomplished together. As we look toward the next five years, we would love to hear your predictions for the future of campus gender-based violence advocacy! 🔮✨

Click here to read more.

Courage to Act Newsletter, February 2024

Welcome to February’s edition of the Courage to Act newsletter. We’re glad you’re here.

Over the past five years, the project has witnessed incredible growth and impact. This has been possible because of the dedication of over 4800 student leaders, survivors, frontline workers, legal experts, union leaders, post-secondary educators, staff, and administrators nationwide.

Click here to read more.

+ 2023

JANUARY 2023

In this newsletter, you can listen to the new episode of the Possibility Seeds Podcast, Rooting Indigenous Feminist Resistance; read Deb Eerkes’ new instalment of Simple Questions with Complicated Answers; see the digital care package our team put together for Black History Month; and read Noémie Veilleux’s article, « Violence sexuelle au postsecondaire : quel rôle les employé.es peuvent jouer ? »

Click here to read more.

FEBRUARY 2023

In this newsletter, you can hear an exciting update about our Experiential Learning Project, read a conversation with the wonderful Tarah Paul, and listen to Episode 4 of the Possibility Seeds Podcast! We’re also excited to release the French translation of our white paper, What is the Role of Post-Secondary Institutions in Addressing Student-Instructor Relationships?

**Click here to read more.**

March 2023

In this newsletter, you can read Aubrianna Snow’s reflections on last month's Imagine Empowerment event for Indigenous GBV survivors and advocates; Britney De Costa's analysis the minimum standards needed as PSIs in Ontario apply Bill 26; a new instalment of Deb Eerkes’ series addressing the not-so-simple question of retaliation; and a piece from Dr. Stephanie Radziszewski, « Violences sexuelles à l'université : est-ce que les étudiant.e.s-athlètes sont plus à risque ?
Click here to read more.

April 2023

In this month’s edition, you can read Deb Eerkes’ final instalment of her Simple Questions with Complicated Answers series; Courage to Act's collection of resources for working with people who've caused harm; and a highlights-reel of upcoming Francophone events for GBV prevention on campus.

Click here to read more.

May 2023

In this newsletter, you can also listen to the final episode of the Possibility Seeds Podcast Season 1; read about the Healing Comes in Waves podcast episode on restorative justice; and hear from the brilliant Kharoll-Ann Souffrant about her book, Le privilège de dénoncer.

Click here to read more.

June 2023

In this edition, you can see our new community-curated list of anti-colonial resources for gender justice advocates, hear a final reflection from Deb Eerkes and Britney De Costa on how we can do better with campus GBV complaints processes, and read a feature on Dr. Jesmen Mendoza’s 6 tools that we released in French this month!

Click here to read more.

July 2023

In this month’s edition, you can learn how to advocate for Consent Awareness Week to be proclaimed in your municipality, province/territory, or nationally, and hear some exciting updates about the launch of our Experiential Learning project’s resources. We’ve also now got Deb Eerkes’ complete Simple Questions with Complicated Answers series available in French, as well as our Comprehensive Guide to Campus Gender-Based Violence Complaints!

Click here to read more.

August 2023

In this month’s newsletter, you can read about how to participate in this year’s Consent Awareness Week; hear an update from our GBV Community Risk Assessment team who will release their much-anticipated tool September 25th; and get a lesson on student advocacy from our Stakeholder Relations Specialist Aubrianna Snow.

Click here to read more.

September 2023

In this month’s edition, you can watch the beautiful new ARC video (available in English and French) and learn about the model; see what resources Courage to Act has available on strengthening campus communication surrounding gender-based violence (GBV), and read our joint statement with the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS) about Alberta’s recent campus climate survey.

Click here to read more.

October 2023

Hear from our Interim CEO Anoodth Naushan as we celebrate 5 years of #CourageToAct! In this edition you can read about the Nova Scotia pilot program that Dr. Jesmen Mendoza and Sarah Scanlon led with our tools for working with people who’ve caused harm, and our conversation with folks across the globe doing anti-GBV work on campuses in their countries.

Click here to read more.

December 2023

In this month’s edition, we're reflecting on how much the project has grown, and all that we were able to accomplish with your support this year. We present to you: Courage To Act's 2023 Wrapped!

Click here to read more.

+ 2022

JANUARY 2022

Check out our new Events page to see what’s up this year. In this newsletter, you can also read the second instalment of Deb Eerkes’ “Simple Questions with Complicated Answers” series, learn about our new Research-to-Action project from Britney De Costa, and hear from Éric Richard and Isabelle Lapointe Therrien about research on student attitudes toward queerness on campuses in Québec.

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FEBRUARY 2022

In this newsletter, you’ll find a round-up of brilliant books by Black authors that have shaped our understanding of gender justice, as well as interviews with advocates Amal Elmi (in English) and Kharoll-Ann Souffrant (en Français) about the amazing anti-GBV work they do.

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MARCH 2022

In this month’s edition, you’ll find information on our new Lessons from the Pandemic survey; a testimony from Kimberley Marin; and a conversation with Dr. Jiselle Griffith about self-care and burnout, to accompany our new Everyday Self-Care for Campus GBV Workers series.

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April 2022

This month, hear about the exciting #HighSchoolToo movement sweeping the country; check out the latest installment of the Simple Questions with Complicated Answers series; read about unsettled questions on personal relationships between faculty and students; and see a spotlight of our Francophone toolkit, L’évaluation de l’engagement du personnel dans les initiatives pour contrer la violence fondée sur le genre.

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May 2022

In this month’s edition, you can learn about our Education Community of Learning members, hear the High School Too movement's call for a Consent Action Week in September, and read Esther Armaignac's French piece, « Où étais-tu? ». We also have lots project updates, events, and news about what else is going on at PS!

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June 2022

In this edition, you can learn about consent drag queen Unita Assk; hear about our forthcoming Use the Right Words guides; read the latest Simple Questions with Complicated Answers installment; and see Andréanne St-Gelais' piece, "Le problème avec les sous-verres qui détectent le GHB."

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July 2022

In this newsletter, you can read about the new GBV Community Risk Assessment tool we’re developing; hear Jenn Flood’s reflections on our first Community of Learning; learn how to join us for Consent Awareness Week; and hear from Le Collectif Social in Montréal. We’re also excited to be launching Rapport détaillé sur la mobilisation du personnel des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire en matière de prévention des violences à caractère sexuel: a new tool developed by our Francophone Community of Practice!

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August 2022

In this month's edition, you can hear about the upcoming national Consent Awareness Week; read about Our Campus, Our Safety, the Action Plan released this week by student union leaders across Canada; read Jenn Flood and Farrah Khan's reflections on the All-Star Summer School course they led this summer; and learn from our Francophone team members about the French side of our Experiential Learning Project!

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September 2022

In this newsletter, you can read about how the first national Consent Awareness Week went; hear Aubrianna Snow’s thoughts on consent as a tool for reconciliation; read our new white paper on student-instructor relationships; and hear from the co-founder of la Table intersectorielle sur les violences à caractère sexuel en milieu collégial.

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October 2022

In this newsletter, you can hear about the launch of the Possibility Seeds podcast, read Deb Eerkes' newest Simple Questions with Complicated Answers instalment, learn about our upcoming Responding to Critical Incidents design jam, and read Dr. Gabrielle Richard's article, « Faire éclater la puberté ».

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November 2022

In this edition, you can hear about our advocacy on amending the Ontario government’s proposed Bill 26 and watch the press conference with student leaders about the federal government’s National Action Plan to End GBV; learn about the socio-ecological model; read about our next Unsettled Question on privacy and information sharing related to sexual misconduct at PSIs; and hear from FECQ President Maya Labrosse in her piece, « À l’heure du bilan, comment le Québec peut-il proactivement agir quant à la lutte aux violences à caractère sexuel? »

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+ 2021

JANUARY 2021

In the January 2021 newsletter we share highlights from our skillshare launch with Eternity Martis; provide a reflection from our colleagues in Quebec about the 3rd year anniversary of Loi P-22.1; share Courage to Act’s Annual Report 2020; and the second in a four part series on campus sexual violence support and prevention offices in Canada.

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FEBRUARY 2021

In the February 2021 newsletter you’ll find a spotlight on new training being offered at several French-speaking universities; strategies to engage athletes in GBV prevention; a commentary on disciplinary counselling at Canadian post-secondary institutions; information on a new sexual consent education module; and national skillshare highlights.

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MARCH 2021

In the March 2021 newsletter we highlight key findings from our Francophone webinar on GBV and cultural diversity; revisit highlights from our March skillshare sessions Engaging Men on Campus and Towards a Justice That Heals; and provide part three of our CSVSPOs, this time with a focus on central Canada. In light of the attacks against Asian-Canadians, we also provide a curated list of resources for gender justice advocates to challenge anti-Asian racism in our communities.

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APRIL 2021

In the April 2021 newsletter we provide information about how to use video games to support bystander intervention training, how to join a Slack channel to engage in conversations with colleagues across Canada, how to get your provincial government to take action on GBV, and provide part 4 of our CSVSPOs, this time with a focus on Atlantic Canada.

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MAY 2021

In the May 2021 newsletter we spotlight our conversation with Indigenous filmmaker and activist, Melissa Mollen Dupuis, from the Innu community of Ekuanitshit on Quebec's Côte-Nord; highlight innovative ways students are funding GBV initiatives on campus;key recommendations from stakeholders on what the federal government’s National Action Plan to End GBV should address; and more!

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JUNE 2021

In the June 2021 newsletter we promote the resource guide we developed for gender justice advocates to affirm and support 2SLGBTQIA gender-based violence (GBV) survivors on post-secondary campuses. We also include our latest Francophone post; information to access our completed database on sexual violence offices across the country; and a review of our Art for Gender Justice campaign.

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JULY 2021

In the July 2021 newsletter we spotlight a review of La parfaite victime, a film in French that tackles sexual violence and the criminal justice system in the era of the #MeToo movement. We also share highlights from the Frontline GBV Campus Workers skillshare; and profile UniSAFE, an important EU-funded project that addresses gender-based violence at universities and research organizations across Europe.

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AUGUST 2021

In the August 2021 newsletter you’ll find a review of our final Skillshare with Dr. Vikki Reynolds; highlights from the student roundtable we facilitated with WAGE Minister Maryam Monsef; an opportunity to learn about how post-secondary institutions (PSIs) are supporting GBV prevention education activities for faculty and staff; an article that explores how student unions across the country are preparing GBV programming for Orientation Week; and more!

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SEPTEMBER 2021

In the September 2021 newsletter we introduce the brand new Courage to Act Knowledge Centre and the innovative toolkits coming from the Reporting, Investigations, and Adjudication; the Education; and the Response and Support Working Groups. You'll also find an opportunity to learn about the Commande en Angelot campaign, and how you can get involved in years 4 and 5 of the project!

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OCTOBER 2021

In the October 2021 newsletter, you can read about our Environmental Scan of Relevant Gender-Based Violence Policies and Law for Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions; hear reflections on the Blueprints for Change healthy masculinities series at McMaster; and get acquainted with the new Knowledge Centre and the resources we have available in French!

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NOVEMBER 2021

In the November 2021 newsletter, you can access the recording of the Comprehensive Guide to Campus GBV Complaints toolkit launch; hear about the GBV Risk Assessment tool being developed by Drs. Jesmen Mendoza and Sandy Jung; read Dr. Jessica Wright’s thoughts on how disability justice fosters consent culture; see Part I of Deb Eerkes' new “Simple Questions with Complicated Answers” series; and learn from Vicky Langlais about the Affiche tes couleurs campaign.

DECEMBER 2021

December is a heavy time of year for anti-GBV work. In the spirit of hope for rest, we focused our articles on self-care from Farrah Khan and Andréanne St-Gelais, and have a beautiful illustration from Arzu Haider to bring us into the new year. We also have information on the National Skillshare events coming up from our working groups, including the Education and Training toolkit launch on January 18th!

+ 2020

FEBRUARY 2020

In the February 2020 newsletter we introduce the Courage to Act project, offer exciting project highlights, and provide an update about the new project team.

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MARCH 2020

In the March 2020 newsletter we provide support resources for our Courage to Act community to help them navigate remote work during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and promote our upcoming webinar A Primer on Interim Measures in Sexual Violence Cases at Post-Secondary Institutions.

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APRIL 2020

In the April 2020 newsletter we discuss the key impacts COVID-19 has had on gender-based violence in response to a tragic mass shooting in Nova Scotia. We also promote our upcoming webinar, Meaningful Engagement of Student Voices.

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# MAY 2020 In the May 2020 newsletter we talk about building partnerships with community-based gender-based violence (GBV) organizations i.e. sexual assault centres, violence against women shelters, Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit groups and LGBTQIS2 organizations; meaningful engagement of student voices; and have an invitation to a national skillshare on preparing online GBV prevention education. **Click here to read more.**

JUNE 2020

In the June 2020 newsletter we highlight a rich array of resources, learning opportunities and conversations around GBV prevention. You’ll find a community-curated list of anti-Black racism for gender justice advocates to take action; a list of ways to engage with GBV education online; key findings stemming out of our June webinar; and an invitation to join us in a national campaign #ConsentIsNotCancelled.

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JULY 2020

In the July 2020 newsletter you’ll find a dynamic set of resources, links, and learning opportunities, including a worksheet to support you and your PSI in exploring the Calls to Justice for PSIs; an opportunity to reflect on intersectionality as it relates to gender justice on campus; and an opportunity to learn about REES, a tool being developed by EVA Manitoba.

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AUGUST 2020

In the August 2020 newsletter we share a letter to our community from the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development; part 1 of our toolkit that expands on the 12 key recommendations identified in the Courage to Act Report; and exciting updates on our upcoming webinars.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

In the September 2020 newsletter we feature key findings stemming out of Statistics Canada’s recent reports examining the nature and prevalence of unwanted sexual and discriminatory behaviours and sexual assault among students at Canadian PSIs; a guest post by College Student Alliance on working with college administrators; and a piece focused on making outcome decisions in cases involving gender-based violence.

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OCTOBER 2020

In the October 2020 newsletter you’ll find a list of workplace sexual harassment laws by province; a follow up to our webinar on engaging men to address GBV on campus; guiding questions for making consent education trauma-informed; and a focus on self-care.

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NOVEMBER 2020

In the November 2020 newsletter we showcase our first post written in French with a focus on the PIECES project; explore a new risk assessment tool that addresses intimate partner violence; engage a follow up to our November webinar focusing on creating Black survivor spaces; and dig in to the first in a four part series on campus sexual violence support and prevention offices in Canada.

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DECEMBER 2020

In the December 2020 newsletter we focus on self-care for the end of 2020. We share our virtual interactive self-care shelf and a compilation of our favourite recipes for gender justice.

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