Brock’s Human Rights and Equity (HRE) office and the Sexual Violence Support and Prevention (SVSP) team are hosting their third drop-in series to spark conversations around human rights and equity resources on campus.

The third Equity Dialogues open space event will take place Monday, March 18 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Sankey Chamber.

Held monthly, each open space event will focus on two resources shared in advance through the Equity Dialogues series on The Brock News. The resources will address a single topic from two levels — beginner and competent — so learners can choose which resource meets their learning needs each month.

The resources for March centre on the topic of gender, sexuality and gender-based violence (GSV). They include:

• Beginner: ‘Ask Me’: What LGBTQ Students Want Their Professors to Know
  • All colleges and universities in Ontario are governed by the Ontario Human Rights Code, which protects students from discrimination based on their gender identity and other code grounds. However, many students from Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (2S&LGBTQ+) communities face an array of challenges and safety issues on their campuses. In this YouTube video, the Chronicle of Higher Education interviewed more than a dozen students to hear more about what keeps them from thriving in post-secondary spaces.
• Competent: Dandelion Initiative
  • The Dandelion Initiative is a federally incorporated non-profit, grassroots intersectional feminist organization created by survivors for survivors. Its mission is to disseminate survivor-centred gender-based violence education, training and policy development to multi-sectors and communities across Turtle Island. The above link features the Gender-Based Violence 101 resource.

More resources and GSV support are available in Brock’s Peer-to-Peer Drop-in space in Thistle 128A.

To further encourage discussion, a forum titled “Breaking the Silence: An Intersectional Approach to Gender-Based Violence” will be hosted on Tuesday, April 2 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Pond Inlet. Event and registration details can be found on ExperienceBU.

The event is dedicated to addressing gender-based violence through an intersectional approach offering a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of gender-based violence. It also seeks to provide networking and educational opportunities and develop effective prevention and intervention strategies for diverse Brock and Niagara communities.

For GSV support at Brock, please contact svsec@brocku.ca

In addition, HRE staff are available throughout the month to answer questions about the resources. For more information, contact Melissa Wilson at mwilson2@brocku.ca or Alana Lowe at alowe2@brocku.ca

Along with exploring the Equity Dialogues resources, HRE is inviting students, staff and community members to participate in its annual art exhibit, which promotes art as a vehicle for discussing human rights issues. This year’s exhibit aims to highlight stories of resilience from diverse perspectives. Additional information on artwork submissions and the showcase event can be found on ExperienceBU.