Gender-based violence Archives - Page 36 of 50

Day 12: Remembering the École Polytechnique Massacre

Day 12: Remembering the École Polytechnique Massacre

Jessica Howard2017-12-19T17:25:07+00:00December 6, 2015|Gender-based violence|

Armed with a rifle, a hunting knife and a hatred of feminists, Marc Lépine walked into Montreal’s École Polytechnique on December 6, 1989.

Lépine had a clear plan when he entered the engineering school that day. He strode into a classroom and separated the male and female students, asking the men to leave.

He asked the women if they knew what was going on. “I am fighting feminism,” he told them. After one of the women tried to reason with Lépine, he started shooting.

Day 10: Learning to Love Gender Diversity

Day 10: Learning to Love Gender Diversity

Julia Gonsalves2017-12-19T17:25:20+00:00December 4, 2015|Empowering girls, Gender-based violence|

There is a diversity of gender in our world! Diversity as in many, many more than two. Gender as in how one self-defines as perhaps a woman, man, both, neither or something else entirely, and as distinctly different from sex or sexuality.

Gender diversity is amazing! There are a zillion sorts of identities, expressions, bodies, voices, preferences, styles, and haircuts. Like many amazing things, gender diversity can also be confusing, especially for folks who maybe realized a little more recently than others that there are these zillion sorts. People often have some burning questions in the early days, like:

What do I call people?
How do I recognize who is like me and who is different?
How can I relate to people when I don’t know what they are?
What if I offend someone?

Day 9: Re-evaluating personal security with the Internet of things

Day 9: Re-evaluating personal security with the Internet of things

Rachel Hayward2017-12-19T17:25:37+00:00December 3, 2015|Gender-based violence, Guest bloggers|

“The Internet of things” is a fairly recent term used to describe the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables users to live in a more connected world. The obvious parts of this network is your cell phone, tablet and perhaps iPod. But it is also the less obvious parts, such as your Fitbit, your apple watch, your new sneakers that track where and how far you walk/run, your vehicle, your appliances, home alarm system and the list goes on. The Internet of things has opened up a world of possibility. Our lives have changed drastically in just the last 10 years thanks to this network.

Imagine a typical twenty something couple living in their newly purchased home. After a busy day at work they sit together on the couch. She is cold and he is hungry. By using apps on their phone they can turn up the heat and order a pizza. They may turn on Netflix and their baby begins to cry. Both grab their phones and use the baby cam app to check in on the little one. The pizza will be coming soon so he turns off the home alarm while she turns on the outside lights - again all using their phones.

Day 8: How SWOVA is Helping BC Teens Develop Respectful Relationship Skills

Day 8: How SWOVA is Helping BC Teens Develop Respectful Relationship Skills

Lynda Laushway2017-12-19T17:25:52+00:00December 2, 2015|Empowering girls, Gender-based violence, Guest bloggers|

SWOVA recently had a visit from an engaging and dynamic woman from Australia named Ellen Poyner. Ellen works to create and deliver healthy relationships programs in Southern Australia and is touring North America to investigate programs related to her work. When she asked me what I was most proud of in SWOVA’s Respectful Relationships program, the first thing that came to mind is team work. We have always worked in teams. Many people have worked with us for short periods or long periods providing dynamic team collaborations. As we all know there is lots of work to be done to prevent gender-based violence and we are stronger when we feel supported and are able to spark off each other.

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