THUNDER BAY, ON – Confederation College and the Student Union (SUCCI) have partnered to host the College’s first Sexual Assault/Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. From February 21-24, students and employees are being encouraged to participate in a variety of activities designed to bring attention to the important issue and remind the College community about the policy, protocol and supports in place on campus.
“Sexual assault and sexual violence can be very difficult issues to talk about, but it is crucial that they be addressed in an open, honest and supportive way,” said Jim Madder, President of Confederation College. “Awareness and Prevention Week was established to help make those conversations easier by engaging students and employees in a variety of activities designed to increase their understanding of the issues, including what consent means and what our policy, protocol and support services are at Confederation. Our priority is to foster a safe learning and working environment, and we want everyone to realize that they all have a role to play.”
The College’s Sexual Assault/Sexual Violence policy, protocol and related resources, including information on the support services at Confederation, have been on hand throughout the week. The first of the week’s activities was a speaker series, including The Impact of Sexual Assault and How to Help presented by Sexual Abuse Centre Thunder Bay and Consent is Sexy presented by Baysafe. These sessions were streamed to Confederation’s regional campuses.
Today, organizations and services focused on health care and sexual assault/sexual violence prevention and support were welcomed to participation in the SAFE Campus Support Fair. The week will wrap up with a self-defense demonstration on Friday. SUCCI is offering current Confederation College students a 50% discount to continue their self-defense participation in a 6-week session.
“Students and employees are continuing to work together in building a safe campus here in Thunder Bay and at our regional campuses,” said Jodi Connor, President of the Student Union. “This Awareness Week is an important part of doing that. We all have a key role to play in protecting ourselves and others. At the end of the week, the message we want people to walk away with is that Confederation College is here to support them.”
Sexual Assault/Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Week is part of the larger SAFE Campus initiative which launched alongside the College’s standalone Sexual Assault/Sexual Violence policy and protocol almost two years ago. Confederation has a longstanding history of supporting students and employees through other protective policies, initiatives such as respect., and its on-campus services such as counselling and public safety.
The SAFE Campus initiative helps define what a safe campus means to Confederation College. The four guiding principles include: sexual assault and violence free, accessible supports and services, fair and impartial treatment, and engaged and inclusive community.
For more information on SAFE Campus and the College’s Sexual Assault/Sexual Violence policy and protocol, visit www.confederationcollege.ca/SAFE-Campus.
