EDUCATE

Public education at Anova is closely linked to community outreach and mobilization.  We educate through training and workshops to high school students, professionals, and community organizations.  We engage the community with difficult issues like rape culture, sexual violence, healthy relationships and acting out against all forms of violence.  Our visibility in London and Middlesex County creates opportunities to support community members to advocate against sexual violence.  And through our outreach program, we participate in and run many events throughout the year including Take Back the Night, among others, that brings the issue of sexual violence to the forefront, where it is no longer invisible or silenced.  This empowers community members to speak up, act out, get involved and create change.  

Public education is crucial for raising awareness with individuals and mobilizing them to become social change agents.  Engaging men is crucial in helping end the struggle of sexual violence because it isn’t a series of isolated incidents but occurs within patriarchal systems that use power and dominance as tools of oppression.  And it won’t end unless we work together to change attitudes and create safe spaces where those called to action can mobilize to discover and empower their voices and take their roles as leaders.  We need young men and women to define for themselves who they want to be and to think critically about the influences of culture, stereotypes, and media.  Everyone has a role to play in ending sexual violence.  Everyone can make a difference. 

Workshops and Training

SACL offers a wide range of workshops and training opportunities on sexual violence for students, professionals and community groups.  We can gear training to support specific learning objectives and cover a wide range of topics including:

• The continuum of sexual violence
• The impact on victims
• Healthy relationships
• Enthusiastic consent
• Sexual harassment
• Addressing trauma for victims experiencing sexual violence
• Media violence
• How to manage disclosures of sexual violence sensitively and compassionately
   

Community Events

As well as training, SACL supports a stronger and more educated community through awareness and social marketing campaigns, conference presentations, public education booths, social networking, and events that educate, connect and mobilize. 

We host many events throughout the year and work in partnership with a wide variety of community groups and organizations including Women's Community House, Changing Ways, London Abused Women's Centre, WOTCH - My Sister's Place, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, Middlesex-London Health Unit, St. Joseph's Health Care Regional Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centre, London Intercommunity Health Centre, London Public Library, Women’s Event Committee, and London Coordinating Committee to End Woman Abuse.

Check out our events calendar to see what is upcoming next. Call our office to learn more about how you can get involved as a volunteer, participant, donor or sponsor.

Public Education Campaigns

Sexual Assault Centre London was involved with, or endorses the following public education campaigns aimed at ending sexual violence:

• Draw-the-Line Sexual Violence Campaign: Provincial public education campaign led by sexual assault centres
• I am a Kind Man: Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centre's campaign for the aboriginal community
• Neighbours, Friends and Families: Provincial public education campaign about woman abuse developed in London
• Make it Our Business: Provincial public education campaign on woman abuse (developed  in London)