U of C aims to improve community outreach around sexual and gender-based violence with new pilot position

By Kimberly Taylor, June 22 2024—

The University of Calgary’s Sexual and Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Office has created a new position focused on improving outreach and education — the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Community Resource and Training Coordinator. This pilot position is partially funded by the Government of Alberta and Students’ Union Quality Money program and will run for two and a half years.

Meg Martin – manager of SGBV Prevention and Response with the office — spoke about this new position in an interview with The Gauntlet, explaining that the new pilot position was developed in response to findings from the 2023 Alberta post-secondary student sexual and gender-based violence survey.

“There’s a huge need for more education and training around supporting and information around what people’s options are after experiencing sexual and gender-based violence. We saw that in our results from Alberta’s post-secondary sexual and gender-based violence survey. People are not particularly aware of the supports available and they have some uncertainty about what to do if somebody discloses.”

Martin said the goals of this new position include: creating more understanding and awareness of the supports and training available, meeting the needs of various marginalized communities on campus, increasing community outreach and equipping individuals with skills.

“We have a number of different goals,” said Martin. “[We aim] to get more engaged with services that are providing things in the community so that we have a really good referral network [and] create more infrastructure and build capacity within the community for people to respond.”

Martin highlighted that an initial response to a disclosure is vital for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

“We want people to be really well equipped to provide a good initial supportive response and provide accurate referrals. Because one of the things we know is that when people are looking for support if they get inaccurate information or a response to a disclosure that is not helpful in the first instance that can really affect whether or not they seek support later on.”

One of the new offerings includes a play during the first six weeks of the fall semester with students engaged in the writing, acting, directing and performance of the play.

“[The play] really focused around healthy relationships, communication, how to be in community with other people, [and] conflict resolution. It does have some themes around sexual and gender-based violence, but it’s meant to be really positive around how people navigate support within their community and how they can establish boundaries, [and] figure out their own values.”

Additionally, Martin shared that one of the new programs that this position will enable the office to provide is based on Feminist Self-Defense and will be focused on developing skills with setting boundaries and feeling somatically safe.

“We are licensing a program called feminist self-defense [but] we’ll be renaming it to suit our population. we are the first Canadian school to license it. It is based on empowerment self-defense but it is gender-inclusive,” said Martin. “It gives people tools that at least prime or make people feel safer in their bodies.”

Martin said that the office also takes walk-ins and can be contacted directly by anyone seeking support or training.

“As an office we’re really open if people want to send an email and they have a question, they want to engage, or they want to register for a training or want to know something, they can shoot us an email, or they can just come by the office. We’re always happy to take walk-ins.”

Martin highlighted that students can have a say in the programs and training provided through the office.

“If they have perspectives to share as students, or if they have needs that they see in the community, things that are coming up for them. We would love to hear that and love to be able to design or offer training or opportunities around that. We really like co-creating with students or partners.”

Those in need of support can visit the website and contact information for the office is also on the website.