From self-defense workshops to a trivia night on sexual health, the Student Rights and Responsibilities Office, NCSAC and HWAS have hosted a variety of Winter Term events for students to engage on key topics like consent, trauma, and healthy relationships.
“As the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator, part of my role is to educate students on sexual and gender-based violence,” said NC’s Elysia Dardarian. “My intention is to engage students in meaningful ways, as these topics can be quite challenging to talk about.”
Samantha Bitty and students on stage at the game show.
On January 24, Samantha Bitty engaged 70 students on the importance of consent in an evening trivia and gameshow night. Bitty is a Toronto-based sexual health and consent educator drag queen whose trivia gameshow was playful and interactive, using humor and tact to promote safer sex, consent, relationships and communication. Students were called up to the stage to play the trivia game and won prizes.
“They were very engaged, asking Samantha meaningful questions about sexual health and relationships,” said Dardarian.
Hosted by Consent is Key and Wen-Do Women’s Self-Defense, cis and trans women of all abilities took part in three-hour self-defense workshops on January 25 and February 6. Wen-Do focuses on women’s safety and empowerment, preparing participants to defend themselves both mentally and physically, and giving women the confidence to deal with the range of types of aggression they are most likely to encounter in real life. The techniques students learned were practical, emphasizing using their voice, body weapons, kicks, blocks, a range of releases, and broke down stereotypes about violence against women in a safe, supportive, environment full of positive energy.
“Students not only learned practical ways to protect themselves, they also discussed openly the personal and societal impacts of sexual violence and how we are all impacted,” said Dardarian, noting that students said they felt “empowered,” “strong,” “brave,” and “connected,” following the workshop.
Students learned about trauma responses and symptoms at a Trauma Awareness Workshop on January 31 hosted by Health, Wellness and Accessibility Services. The virtual session was led by Dardarian and NC’s Jamie Consoli, Indigenous Counsellor – the third they have held together.
“This workshop is important for students to have knowledge generally about what trauma is so they can understand their symptoms and body responses if they were to experience trauma,” explained Dardarian. “It’s also a great opportunity to review the services available at the College and our community if needed.”
Male and non-binary students learned about systems of violence, healthy masculinities, and positive sense of self in sessions with White Ribbon on February 5 and 13. Dare to Disrupt “Bro Culture” is a forum for guided discussions and activities through which participants identified ways of challenging toxic masculinity and promoting healthy relationships.
“Often, impactful educational initiatives happen when we focus on the positives – on understanding healthy relationships; how healthy masculinities benefit society and can help combat sexual and gender-based violence; and how acknowledging and respecting ourselves, our bodies and boundaries can be a great way to help keep ourselves safe,” said Dardarian.
“It’s important for students to understand what healthy, positive relationships look like so they can be better equipped to identify unhealthy, violent or abusive situations.”
Upcoming on February 15 around Valentine’s Day, Eva Bloom, a 2SLGBTQI+ inclusive sex-ed and relationship speaker will lead a Compassionate Casual Relationships workshop for students to discuss wants, needs and boundaries in the world of dating.
