A new free online training program co-developed by Western University is helping employees at post-secondary institutions to better support sexual assault survivors.
Western's Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children (CREVAWC) created the program to give guidance on how staff and faculty can intervene and support those who confide in them about surviving "gender-based sexual violence." The program offers supportive responses that post-secondary employees could give to survivors in an interactive format.
“This training is even more important in the #MeToo era where more and more survivors are feeling empowered to speak up about the violations they have experienced,” The centre's community director Barb MacQuarrie said in a statement. “We have an ethical responsibility in post-secondary institutions to respond supportively and do no further harm when someone discloses.”
Research has indicated there are profound negative effects on survivors who are re-victimized when someone they have reached out to for help inadvertently has a victim-blaming or unsupportive approach to the situation.
The training program is meant for faculty, administrative staff, residence staff, financial services staff, counsellors, international student recruiters and support staff, Indigenous services staff, health and wellness teams, and managers.
Representatives from Fanshawe College, Brock University, University of Toronto, York University, Windsor University, George Brown College, Canadian Federation of Students, Sault College, Queen’s University, University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Nipissing University made up an advisory committee that helped to shape the online program.
“Supporting students, especially vulnerable students, isn’t intuitive; it requires a set of skills that must be learned and practiced. That is what makes these innovative, engaging modules so timely and important,” said Jeffrey Aaron Weingarten, Fanshawe professor and advisory committee member. “They provide the tools and knowledge that will enable educators to be exactly what post-secondary institutions need right now and going forward: compassionate mentors who healthily model empathy and respect for a diverse student population. I was honoured to be a part of this project.”
