After a successful first year that saw more than 700 participants take part in Brock’s Gender and Sexual Violence Support Certificate workshops, the series has returned this fall.

Run by the Office of Human Rights and Equity (HRE), the 10 workshops that make up the certificate aim to educate participants about the different ways gender and sexual violence affects people and communities, while also discussing the underlying systemic issues that influence how gender and sexual violence disproportionately impact the Brock community.

In addition to an online delivery that will allow for physical distancing regulations to be observed, the program has also added asynchronous learning elements on Sakai, two new workshops about international perspectives and masculinity, and the expansion of existing workshops on trauma and self-care.

The live portions of the workshops will be run at least twice during the Fall Term and will feature a one-hour seminar led by members of HRE’s Peer 2 Peer team which begin Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Larisa Fry, HRE’s Gender and Sexual Violence Education and Support Co-ordinator, said the workshops allow students and other members of the Brock community to build capacity for change together.

“We know gender and sexual violence is a concern for the entire Brock community,” said Fry. “This provides us an excellent opportunity to start these conversations and build awareness and understanding of the challenges at hand. We hope these workshops will provide a safe and accessible environment to start these discussions and to continue fostering change here at Brock.”

Participants who complete five workshops over the course of the year will be awarded the Standard Gender and Sexual Violence Education and Support Certificate, while participants who complete all 10 workshops will be awarded the Advanced Gender and Sexual Violence Education and Support Certificate.

To learn more about the Gender and Sexual Violence Support Certificate, including additional topics and dates of workshops, visit the HRE website.