NATIONAL SKILLSHARE SERIES
We’re back with a new set of exciting learning opportunities running from November 2021 - September 2023!
RESPONSE & SUPPORT
Farrah Khan
Farrah Khan is the CEO of Possibility Seeds, Executive Director of the Courage to Act Project, and co-lead of the Response and Support Working Group of Courage to Act.
Amal Elmi
Amal Elmi is the Equity Education and Services Coordinator at Carleton University’s Sexual Assault Support Centre and co-lead of the Response and Support Working Group of Courage to Act.
Jesmen Mendoza
Dr. Jesmen Mendoza is a Registered Psychologist at Toronto Metropolitan University and co-lead of Courage to Act’s Gender-Based Violence Community Risk Assessment Project.
Special thanks to project consultants Zanab Jafry and Hilary Swan.
Research-to-Action Series
Courage to Act’s research-to-action projects are community-based studies that combine research investigation with the creation of evidence-based outputs, such as tools, resources, and policy/practice recommendations. The purpose is to mobilize research to affect social change.
The sessions will feature simultaneous English/French interpretation and closed captioning.
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Aug 17, 2023 2:00 PM (ET)
Sexual harassment shouldn’t be the price students pay to be in their industry. The Experiential Learning research-to-action project explores sexual harassment that students face in experiential learning opportunities at the post-secondary level. Join us to learn about the groundbreaking resources available for students, employers and post-secondary institutions to address and prevent sexual harassment in experiential learning. You can learn more here.
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Sep 25, 2023 2:00 PM (ET)
The Community Risk Assessment research-to-action project is creating the first evidence-based tool to assess the risk of individuals where a complaint of gender-based violence has been made at a post-secondary institution. Join us to learn more about this critical tool and practical applications for your campus community. You can learn more here.
Resource Spotlight Series
Intended for frontline workers and post-secondary educators, staff and administrators, this series will highlight a number of groundbreaking resources to help campuses effectively respond to incidents of sexual and gender-based violence; support survivors with a trauma-informed and healing-centred approach; and use promising practices when working with people who have caused harm. Topics include:
Creating a well-planned, proactive response to critical incidents of GBV on campus
Creating information-sharing agreements among stakeholders
Guidelines on confidentiality and reporting
Creating a bill of rights for both complainants and respondents
Promising practices when working with respondents
Self-audit tool for practitioners working with people who have caused harm
Media reporting on sexual violence
Providing trauma-informed care to survivors accessing healthcare on campus
The sessions will feature simultaneous English/French interpretation and closed captioning.
Possibility Seeds Podcast
We’re so excited to announce the first season of the Possibility Seeds Podcast! Each episode holds a multi-generational conversation between student leaders who are newer to this work, and long-time activists who’ve been involved in some of Canada’s most historic organizing. Join them as they discuss what’s changed in gender justice organizing, what different generations can learn from each other, and what gives them joy and hope. Learn more!
Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:
REPORTING, INVESTIGATIONS & ADJUDICATION
Toolkit Launch: A Comprehensive Guide to Campus Gender-Based Violence Complaints
November 23rd, 2021
Watch Recording Here: English | French
Knowing how difficult and complex the world of gender-based violence complaints is, the Reporting, Investigations and Adjudication team developed a comprehensive Guide for policies, procedures, and practices that are procedurally fair, trauma-informed, and reduce harm. Watch the recording to see what we learned and how everyone in these spaces can help build safer and fairer complaints processes!
Deborah Eerkes
Deborah Eerkes is the Sexual Violence Response Coordinator at the University of Alberta, and co-lead of the Courage to Act Reporting, Investigations & Adjudication working group.
Britney De Costa
Britney De Costa leads the Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning project for Courage to Act and is co-lead of the Courage to Act Reporting, Investigations & Adjudication working group.
Zanab Jafry
Zanab Jafry is a gender-based violence and DEI specialist, and co-author of the Guide. A consultant for Courage to Act, she builds interventions for mitigating, addressing and preventing sexual violence.
Introduction to the Foundational Standards for Campus Gender-Based Violence Complaints
This 2-hour training session provides an overview of the Comprehensive Guide to Campus Gender-Based Violence Complaints and walk participants through how they can best make use of it, no matter what position they occupy. A high-level review of the three foundational standards - procedural fairness, trauma-informed practice, and harm reduction - will provide the basis for sound policy design, decisions, and practice related to campus GBV complaints.
“Deep Dive” Training Series on Campus GBV Complaints Processes
This series takes a comprehensive look at each stage of a complaints process, with specific sessions on:
Harm reduction from intake to appeal, where we identify the harmful elements of complaints processes and ways to mitigate them in a procedurally fair way
Procedurally fair, trauma-informed Complaint Intake for harm reduction
Procedurally fair, trauma-informed Interim Measures for harm reduction – for students and staff
Procedurally fair, trauma-informed Investigations for harm reduction
Procedurally fair, trauma-informed Adjudication for harm reduction – accounting for trauma when making a finding
To help you get the most out of these sessions, please:
Watch a recording of Introduction to the Foundational Standards for Campus Gender-Based Violence Complaints
Read the relevant chapter(s) in A Comprehensive Guide to Campus Gender-Based Violence Complaints
Unsettled Questions Roundtable Series
For the problem-solvers! Building on the “Unsettled Questions” section of the Comprehensive Guide, we held roundtable discussions with experts on two more of those thorny, long-grappled-with questions related to:
Personal relationships between students and faculty (read the white paper!)
Information sharing within and outside of the PSI (read the white paper!)
“We Can Do Better” Keynote
Throughout Courage to Act, the RIA working group has emphasized two messages: 1) make PSI complaint processes fair and trauma-informed while reducing harm wherever possible, and 2) provide other equally valid options beyond the complaint process as a survivor-driven approach. In RIA’s final event, Sarah Wolgemuth, Assistant Dean of Students at the University of Alberta, discusses various options for responding to GBV that centre the survivor while holding those who caused harm accountable, addressing the needs of the individuals and community affected, and meeting the institutional obligation to maintain a safe and supportive learning and working environment.
education
Toolkit Launch: Education and Training Toolkit to Address and Prevent GBV at Post-Secondary Institutions
January 18th, 2022
Watch Recording Here: English | French
In this webinar, attendees heard from Courage to Act’s Education Working Group as they introduced the new Education and Training Toolkit: Addressing and Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Postsecondary Institutions. A brief question and answer period also took place at the end of the webinar. English/French interpretation, closed captioning, and transcripts available.
CJ Rowe
Dr. CJ Rowe is the Director of Simon Fraser University's Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Office. CJ is a past Co-Director of the Courage to Act project, and co-author of the Education and Training toolkit.
Jenn Flood
Jenn Flood is a queer mixed Indigenous facilitator and advocate in campus sexual violence prevention education. She is the Education Lead for Courage to Act, and co-author of the Education and Training toolkit.
Community of Learning for Canadian PSI Educators
Courage to Act’s first Community of Learning ran from February-July of 2022. These were relaxed, virtual monthly conversations for campus GBV educators across Canada to explore key themes from A Workbook for GBV Educators. We shared stories and experiences, swapped resources, learned from each other, explored burning questions, and helped deepen each other’s practice. Read about it!
Learning Labs
Learning Labs were facilitated, online ‘hands-on learning’ spaces for campus GBV educators and professionals. Led by mentors in the field, our Learning Labs offered a space for participants to explore, apply, and dig deep into concepts and worksheets from the Education & Training Toolkit (available here).
Who was this for?
Campus gender-based violence/sexual violence educators.
Those who directly support prevention education efforts at their post-secondary institution.
Creating a Campus-Wide Sexual Violence Education Action Plan: All-Star Summer School
In Summer 2022, we ran the first All-Star Summer School, a free online experiential learning course for campus GBV educators. Participants joined Jennifer Flood and Farrah Khan in this interactive course to build their own campus sexual violence education plan. Over four sessions, they learned best practices, tools, and practical strategies drawing on in-depth case studies, Courage to Act’s Education and Training toolkit, and guest speakers. Read about it!
What to Expect at the National Skillshare Series
Learn more about what you can expect from the National Skillshare Series on Addressing and Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions:
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This community agreement is designed to support attendees in showing up as their full selves as we navigate spaces together.
When attending one of these learning and professional development opportunities, please:
See the "Self-Care" section below for ways you can maintain your energy and well-being during sessions.
Commit to direct communication, and ask questions before making assumptions.
Approach critical feedback with empathy and care.
Ask for support when you need it.
Stay flexible and patient around technology needs or schedule shifts.
Help us ensure this series is accessible. Review tips for inclusive and anti-ableist language at Self-Defined, a platform built to provide more inclusive and fluid definitions to reflect diverse perspectives.
During a session, please:
Do not record or screenshot without notification or consent. Mute yourself when you are not speaking. Consider the tips for staying safe online found in the "Online Safety" section below.
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We’re working to make these workshops and webinars as accessible as possible.
We will do this by:
Providing simultaneous English/French interpretation
Providing closed captioning in either English or French
ASL interpretation upon request
Pre-recorded media will be captioned in English when appropriate
Working with presenters to create accessible presentations and learning experiences
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Gender-based violence work is hard, and can be a lot to hold. Here are some tips and resources to support your self-care throughout the sessions you participate in.
Overall Wellbeing
Consider what you might need to be comfortable during a session
Take deep breaths and stretch when possible
Rest your eyes if needed
Download and colour one of our C2A colouring pages (found in the Fun section below) to ground yourself during a session
Online
Review your display settings and make sure your screen colour and brightness are easy on your eyes.
Be intentional about your boundaries and where you’re focusing your energy. Consider turning notifications off on your devices, and/or setting up away messages during a session.
Offline
Take 5 minutes after a session to decompress and give yourself the chance to absorb everything you’ve learned.
Take a moment to go outside if possible or open a window to get some fresh air.
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Knowing that most virtual spaces are not private, including Zoom, consider how you would like to show up and how much you want to share about yourself with other attendees.
Some tips:
Choose a screen name that you’re comfortable with. If you’re comfortable, consider adding your pronouns as well. You can do so by right-clicking on your name when the session starts.
For added privacy, you can choose from one of our Zoom profile pictures or use one of our backgrounds. Both can be found in the "Fun" section of this page!