Awareness Brings Change

Public Education Program

The public education program has a broad role of educating for social change and raising awareness around issues of sexual violence. We offer a variety of methods to engage individuals, groups, workplaces and communities in the prevention of gender-based violence.

Requests can be made for workshops, lectures and keynote addresses which are designed to meet the needs of the audience, specified outcomes and/or curriculum expectations.

Based on our intersectional approach to violence prevention, we encourage special requests and consultations in developing unique personalized sessions in addition to the topics listed. Topics are continually growing and we encourage you to check back often.

Contact Us

For questions, concerns or feedback about our Public Education program, please contact our Manager of Public Education, Jessica St Peter, at 519-571-0121 extension 103, or click the button below to connect via email.

email us

Public Events

In addition to offering educational sessions for groups, communities and workplaces, we offer public events that anyone can join! Please visit our Events Calendar for the latest listings.

events calendar

Note: Our public events are planned in response to requests from community members and current events. If you are interested in us hosting a specific session or addressing a relevant topic please contact us via the email address listed above.

Multi-Session Programs for Children and Youth

Taylor The Turtle (Ages 3-7)

Teaching young children about sexual violence can feel intimidating, but you don't have to do it alone. Taylor the Turtle is a human rights based sexual abuse prevention program created by the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Brant. This program, geared to children ages 3-7, focuses on teaching children their rights and emotional literacy rather than frightening scenarios like good touch/bad touch and stranger danger. This program can be offered as a single session or a multi-session program in your school or community group.

Learn more about this program: Taylor the Turtle - Taylor's Rights (taylorsrights.ca)

Empower and Allyship (Ages 12-16)

This 10 session healthy relationships program, funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation, is an expanded version of the Empower program for high school age students of all genders. Empower and Allyship engages youth in conversations related to healthy relationships and gender-based violence.

Empower and Allyship uses participatory activities and discussions on subjects including gender socialization/stereotypes, power and control, boundaries, communication, sexual violence, sexual/romantic relationships, body image, empathy, expressing emotions, media literacy and navigating online spaces/social media. Additionally, we focus on allyship and advocacy to look at how to share this information with peers and intervene when we see harm happening. All subjects use an intersectional lens and look at how various identities may experience the topics differently. Our program utilizes the Information, Motivation and Behaviour (1MB) model to encourage building skills and/or literacy in the aforementioned topics, in order to impact behaviours and relationships with peers, families, school communities, online communities, and romantic or sexual partners. This program is an excellent addition to a life skill class, health and physical education class, or as a standalone program.

Young Men's Group (Ages 12-16)

For multi session in-school programming, we offer our Young Men’s Group (YMG) which is focused on the prevention of violence through the promotion of positive, healthy relationships. In small groups, trained male facilitators work to create safe spaces for young men and masculine identifying youth to discuss issues such as bullying, dating violence, peer violence, and group violence. This group has been adapted from “The Fourth R: Healthy Relationships Plus Program,” an evidence-based program designed to increase young men’s relationship-building capacity, address risk behaviour, and encourage healthier decisions.

Leading by Example Sports Program

Our Leading by Example Sports Program offers athletes the opportunity to become community champions in areas such as positive masculinity and consent culture.

In 2016, Male Allies developed the curriculum for OHL Onside, a program which is delivered to all teams across the league. We provide training locally for the Kitchener Rangers as well as for the three American OHL teams and for athletes at Wilfrid Laurier University. Through our Leading by Example sports program, we are pleased to be able to offer similar training to minor level teams, school athletic teams, and community sports leagues.
In a Leading by Example session participants will:

Learn important leadership skills in how to stand up against sexual and gender-based violence
Look at how our actions, words and behaviours can impact others
Discuss and learn to combat stereotypes which effect men and boys, particularly athletes
Talk honestly about what it means to be a “strong man”
Have an opportunity to ask questions in an open and supportive environment

Educational Topics

View the topics below (and their descriptions) by clicking on the headings.

Our team of educators are waiting to connect with you! If you see a topic you are interested in, keep scrolling for a button to book a session with us. We are happy to design sessions for the specific needs of your group. We can even create content for new topics if you are unable to find what you are looking for here! Just ask us, and we will be happy to work with you.

About SASC

Participants will learn about the services and programs provided by SASC, as well as hear about our values and philosophies.

Boundaries

Why is it so hard to say no? Participants will learn about developing their own boundaries and asserting them with friends, family, and partners. We will discuss different types of boundaries and consider how our values, resources, and life experience impact our boundaries.

Bystander Intervention

The most common reason people report not stepping in to prevent sexual violence is because they are not sure what to do. Participants will learn practical steps to preventing sexual violence before it happens including addressing rape culture in their everyday lives.

Celebrating 2SLGBTQ+ Identity & Expression

Our team strives to provide safer spaces where all participants can learn new things, question terms and ideas they have heard of and explore ways to better support themselves and their peers in their journey of self-discovery focused on safety, security and well-being. In this workshop, participants will learn about gender and sexuality. We will cover topics like gender stereotypes and the importance of respecting pronouns.

Communication and Sex

Let's discuss tools to improve communication in our sexual relationships! Using a want/will/won’t list can help us talk about our boundaries, wants, and needs with our partner(s). This topic focuses on themes of pleasure, consent, and intimacy to encourage healthy sexual relationships.

Consent

Talking about consent doesn’t need to be awkward! Through a conversation on what consent is, what barriers exist in creating a culture of consent, and how to apply consent practices in sexual and non-sexual contexts, participants will learn ways to incorporate consent into their daily practices.

Continuum of Harm & Rape Culture

Using the continuum of harm card activity, participants will have the opportunity to critically engage with conversations about rape culture in everyday life. At the end of the exercise, participants will learn that all of the behaviours that we learned about are harmful and are part of a bigger system of rape culture.

Disordered Eating and Sexual Violence

Research has shown that there is a close link between disordered eating and sexual violence. Participants will explore this connection and talk about the unique challenges faced by survivors of sexual violence who are struggling with disordered eating.

Empathy and Responding to Disclosures

Let's talk about how to support someone who tells us that they have experienced gender-based violence. Participants will discuss empathy and how to be a good support to someone who is going through a hard time. We will also unpack issues of oppression, blaming and shaming.

Feminism and Sexual Violence Prevention

Participants will learn about the history of feminism, significant movements in survivor support and gender-based violence prevention and the ongoing activism in the struggle for gender equity.

Gender Roles and Stereotypes

“Man up.” “Act like a lady.” Statements like these are heard every day and push people into boxes based on their gender. Participants will examine some of the ways in which gender-based stereotypes impact our relationships with ourselves and others.

Healthy Relationships

What does a healthy relationship actually 
look, sound, and feel like? What are “red flags” that someone may be trying to control or harm us?

This topic explores the characteristics of healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships. Using a card sorting activity, participants will critically engage in conversations about healthy and unhealthy behaviours in relationships. They will be encouraged to think about the ways in which circumstances, past behaviour, boundaries, and context might impact whether or not behaviour is healthy, and consider how they might respond to unhealthy relationship behaviours.

How Bodies Respond to Trauma

Our brains are incredible and complicated. Let's talk about how our brains react to danger and trauma. In doing so, we can better understand why we, and others, react in certain ways to triggers and trauma.

How to Have a Healthy Argument

Arguing with the people we love is normal, but sometimes arguments can turn toxic and abusive. Let's talk about how to have a healthy argument. We will discuss how to communicate our feelings and needs, and when it might be best to walk away.

Human Trafficking

This topic will provide introductory level information about human trafficking. Participants will learn about what human trafficking and sexual exploitation are and how it happens. We will also talk about warning signs that someone is being trafficked and how you can support them. This topic is great for individuals in caring professions, those who care for children, and anyone else who wants to know about trafficking.

Human Trafficking, Media, and Conspiracy

This topic is for those who understand the basics of human trafficking prevention and want to dive deeper. We will unpack media representations of trafficking and where they come from. We will also discuss popular conspiracy theories related to trafficking and how they harm survivors. The goal of this is to shift the way we represent trafficking to be more accurate and survivor centric.

Intersectionality and Gender-based Violence

Participants will learn about the importance of intersectionality in violence prevention work. Connections will be made between systems of oppression and gender-based violence.

Intro to Male Allyship

What does it mean to be an ally? In this workshop, participants will learn about the process of allyship, including understanding our own power and privilege, and tangible steps we can take to support survivors of sexual violence.

Intuition and Unsafe Situations

Our bodies are always giving us signals and information, are you listening? Through grounding and meditation participants will connect with their bodies. We will discuss how our body tells us about unsafe situations and how we can respond.

Navigating Social Media, Sexting, & Nudes

This workshop will unpack the way in which social media and other forms of technology impact our relationships. Through honest and shame free conversations, participants will learn about consent with nude photos, cyberbullying, and more.

Parenting and Consent

As a parent, talking to your child about sexual violence and consent can be intimidating, but don’t worry, we are here to help. This workshop will provide caregivers with practical tips and tricks for building a culture of consent in their home. We will also discuss how to talk to your children about sex and consent and how to support them if they experience sexual violence.

Pornography

Online pornography has become widely available and is relatively easy for people of all ages to find. In this workshop participants will discuss the role pornography is playing in shaping people’s understanding of sexuality and sexual health, consent, sexual violence and more. We will also explore ethical porn production, and the concept of feminist porn.

Power and Privilege

Privilege and oppression are words we hear often, but what to they really mean? In this workshop, participants will explore the ways in which power, privilege, and oppression impact relationships and how we can use our privilege for good.

Queer/Trans Masculinity

Homophobia/transphobia are commonly used as tools to control and constrain masculinity. Participants will discuss masculinity through a queer and trans lens, and look at strategies to open up the conversation surrounding gender, as well as ways to not recreate toxic masculinity in 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

Rape Culture in Media

In this workshop we will dive into pop-culture. In this workshop we will watch clips from popular movies and TV shows and use what we know about rape culture and gender roles to analyse relationships. We will talk about the ways in which romantic relationships are portrayed in movies and TV shows and what that might mean for us as viewers.

Responding to Disclosures

When someone tells you about an experience of sexual violence, it is important to respond in a supportive way. This training will teach you how to respond in a caring, supportive, and survivor-centric manner.

In this workshop you will learn about sexual violence and the impact it has on survivors, an introduction to trauma-informed support, practical steps to responding to a disclosure of sexual violence, and when and how to report that disclosure if necessary. This training is great for anyone in a caring profession, parents, students, or anyone else who wants to be a better supporter to survivors.

Sexual Violence, Assault, and Harassment

In this workshop participants will learn about sexual violence, including sexual harassment. The conversation will include how different actions, behaviours, attitudes and beliefs contribute to a culture of sexual violence and will provide opportunities to reflect on how we can make change.

Sexual Violence and the Law

This session is an introductory session that explores various aspects of sexual violence and the law. Legal definitions, systemic barriers and changes and impacts to survivors and advocates.

Understanding Online Exploitation

With increased time online and the constantly changing landscape of social media it can be hard to navigate conversations with youth in our lives about virtual spaces in general. Add in the element of addressing exploitation and the challenge can be even greater. But exploiters commonly use social media, apps, games and other online spaces to cause harm and groom young people into sex trafficking. In this workshop we will discuss online exploitation and offer ideas for how to broach the topic with youth.

BOOK A session

Corporate and Workplace Training

#RaiseTheBar

How do we address unsafe workplace cultures before lines are crossed or legal issues arise? In this highly engaging workshop, we will focus on examining how different actions, behaviours, attitudes and beliefs contribute to healthy or unhealthy workplaces.

We will help participants explore:

Current statistics on how people of all genders view their workplaces right here in Waterloo Region
Recognizing and addressing negative internal/unconscious biases as well as day to day habits, comments and small actions which can have a large impact on peers
Creating gender equity in the workforce, in the boardroom and on panels/special committees
Benefits to the internal cultures, retention rates, and employee satisfaction of organizations that make a consistent ongoing effort to strengthen the culture within their organization

This workshop covers the legal rights and responsibilities of employees/employers, and also helps participants think about how we can move beyond a policy threshold and #RaiseTheBar in our workplaces.

BOOK A #raisethebar session

R.E.S.E.T Curriculum

Our Centre offers R.E.S.E.T (Recognizing Exploitation: a Syllabus to End Trafficking), a curriculum to address human trafficking with 12-15-year-old youth of all genders. The R.E.S.E.T curriculum is offered in both English and French.

This curriculum provides information and activities to have conversations with youth about vulnerability, exploitation, consent, healthy relationships, and social media. It culminates in a scenario-based activity where students can use what they have learned to apply their knowledge and skills.

R.E.S.E.T. is owned and copyrighted by the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region. If you are interested in licensing or want more information, please reach out to PubEd@sascwr.org.

About our Anti-Human Trafficking Program

If you or someone you care about is experiencing sexual exploitation, or is at risk, SASC is here to support you. Most victims of sex trafficking are in coercive or abusive situations from which escape is both difficult and dangerous.

Our Centre offers a specialized Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Using a trauma-informed, harm reduction, and feminist approach, this program provides wrap-around services to those experiencing sexual exploitation and those who are at risk within Waterloo Region. Services are free, confidential, and non-judgmental. This program is accessible to all genders ages 12 and up, and is available regardless of immigration status.

Connect with our Anti Human Trafficking Program by email, or follow them on Twitter:

r.e.s.e.t curriculum summary

Male Allies Program

Male Allies, a program of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, aims to engage boys and men, with their unique ability and responsibility, in ending systemic and everyday forms of gender-based violence. We do this through programming that provides alternative narratives of masculinity, opportunity for self-reflection and dialogue, and challenges harmful language and behaviour.

Please see the listing of education topics above for examples of programs our Male Allies can offer!

Male Allies Training

Male Allies volunteers are vital to the sustainability of the program, and our ability to reach more people across Waterloo Region. Volunteers are fully trained and provided with opportunities to participate in events, support booths and public outreach and deliver programming. Apply to be a Male Ally with SASC today!

Follow our Male Allies Program for all the latest updates!

learn more about our male allies program

Our Educators

Our facilitators are experts in violence prevention education! Click on the bios below to learn the wide range of skills, education and experience our team can bring to your class, group or organization.

Jessica St Peter, Manager of Public Education

Jessica St. Peter is the Manager of Public Education at the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region. Jessica is pleased to have the pleasure of working with an incredible team of violence prevention educators.

As an educator, activist and advocate for violence prevention, Jessica values the importance of an intersectional feminist approach. Her appreciation for life-long learning, self-reflection and accountability help her to connect, cultivate and appreciate the work of change makers of the past, present and future.

Her Bachelor of Arts in Gender Equality and Social Justice was the ignition of her passion for intersectional feminism, trauma informed supports and education, survivor focused programming and community-based organizing.

After completing her Bachelor of Education, Jessica was inspired to utilize different educational strategies to engage in empowering and reflective conversations, activities and campaigns with diverse audiences focused on ending gender-based violence and oppression. Jessica values the knowledge and insight she has been gifted by many incredible survivors, participants, mentors and advocates throughout her life and looks forward to the lessons and change ahead.

Sarah Wiley, Violence Prevention Educator

Sarah Wiley is a Violence Prevention Educator at the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region. Sarah is an activist, survivor, speaker, and facilitator of learning. She has a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies from the University of Waterloo, as well as a master's degree in Social Justice and Community Engagement from Wilfrid Laurier University. She also received extensive education through grassroots organizing in the feminist movement and student movement.

In 2017, Sarah received the Provincial Draw the Line Post-Secondary Sexual Violence Prevention Award, and in 2018 she received the University of Waterloo Equity and Inclusivity Award, all for her work to address campus sexual violence. In her work Sarah uses her education and lived experience to engage community in conversation about gender-based violence using a feminist and anti-oppressive lens. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys pole dancing, painting, and spending time with her cat.

Adjei Scott, Male Allies Educator

Adjei Scott is a Male Allies Educator doing violence prevention education with SASC in Waterloo Region and beyond. They/he enjoy(s) yoga, meditation, nature, camping and creating transformative spaces with participants. Adjei has experience working as an advocate for Black Students at York University, working as a community worker for young adults and youth navigating their mental health in Toronto. Through his/their work, he/they strive(s) to create safer spaces and unpacking masculinity, patriarchy, and privilege.

Contact Us

Questions? Contact Jessica St Peter, Manager of Public Education, by calling 519-571-0121 extension 103. You may also click the button to the right to contact Jessica by email.

A TEACHER SPEAKS...

“The support my students have received from SASC has gone beyond my expectations. They speak to our students in a genuine and respectful way that really resonates with the students and creates a comfortable and safe learning environment.” – MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILD AND YOUTH WORKER