Community Engagement and Action Plan 2024-25
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About
The U of A is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment for all community members in addressing sexual and gender-based violence on campus. As part of this commitment, the U of A is currently undertaking a community engagement and action plan initiative for the Sexual Assault Centre. We want to grow and expand sexual and gender-based violence support and education services for U of A students in a way that reflects their needs.
Building on the Centre’s 30+ years of service to the U of A community, this initiative is meant to shape the future priorities of the Sexual Assault Centre’s crisis intervention services, education and awareness initiatives, and volunteer program. At the core of the process are guiding principles of curiosity, transparency, equity, co-design, and care. In three phases the work is focused on collective growth. We can only flourish when seeds are planted and nourished together.
Timeline
Phase 1: Planting
Spring 2024
For this initial phase in May and June, the university has engaged Possibility Seeds, a Canadian systems change consultancy. Possibility Seeds has extensive experience building safer, equitable workplaces, organizations, and institutions.
By the end of June, Possibility Seeds will provide actionable, transparent, and evidence-based recommendations to guide the Centre’s community engagement, programs and activities throughout the 2024-25 academic year, and beyond. Their recommendations will be informed by conversations with campus partners (see below to participate) and community members, a literature review and data from the 2023 Alberta Campus Climate Survey on Sexual and Gender-based Violence, and 20+ years of leadership and participation in campus sexual violence prevention.
Phase 2: Growing
Fall 2024 to Winter 2025
With a new Assistant Dean in place, the U of A will work in collaboration with key on and off-campus partners in sexual and gender-based violence education and support to share and implement the strategies and recommendations identified during Phase 1.
Phase 3: Flourishing
Summer 2025
U of A will work with campus partners and do a one-year check-in from the start of the process to assess the impact of recommendations on service provision and broader campus culture, and identify opportunities for continued growth.
Participate
Throughout the process, student representatives, faculty, staff and Sexual Assault Centre volunteers will have opportunities to share their insights. Your ideas, insights, and input are crucial in shaping the Sexual Assault Centre.
During the Planting phase, you can share your ideas on strengthening the Centre's crisis intervention services, education and awareness initiatives, and volunteer programs. Written submissions are due by May 22, 2024.
Your insights are confidential but not anonymous. Findings will be shared in aggregate, and any quotes used will be anonymized (i.e., no names of individuals will be shared in the reporting).
In May 2024, confidential conversations facilitated by Possibility Seeds will be held with student representatives, faculty, staff and Sexual Assault Centre volunteers. These conversations will help inform the recommendations and strategies put forward by Possibility Seeds for the next phase of the shaping the University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre.
Your input is crucial, and we thank you for taking the time to participate.
Frequently asked questions
The questions and answers below address the community engagement and action plan process. For general questions and answers about Sexual Assault Centre, please see the Centre’s FAQ page or contact uasac@ualberta.ca.
Why is the U of A reviewing and holding community conversations on the Sexual Assault Centre?
Recently, the centre has experienced significant changes - to its small support team, to sexual and gender-based university policy and procedures, and as part of the alignment of health and wellness services at the U of A. We want to make sure that sexual and gender-based support and awareness services for U of A community members align with current and leading practices and the needs of our U of A community, particularly as we are at a time when wellness resources are in high demand everywhere.
What are the principles guiding its development?
At the core of the process are the guiding principles of curiosity, transparency, equity, co-design, shared learning, and care. The process recognizes that change unfolds throughout the journey rather than at its conclusion. It is designed to actively work to prioritize campus community members' experiences, perspectives, and insights throughout the process in thoughtful and trauma-informed ways.
Who is guiding this work?
The Sexual Assault Centre is part of the portfolio of health and wellness services under the Associate Vice-President (Student Experience) and Dean of Students’ Senior Leadership Team. The AVP (Student Experience) and Dean of Students are leading this important work while the university recruits a new Assistant Dean, Community Wellness and Sexual Violence Supports. This new role will be responsible for delivering integrated wellness supports that strengthen individual and community mental health and well-being and sexual and gender-based violence prevention and support services. The Assistant Dean will lead the Community Wellness Supports unit and the Sexual Assault Centre, overseeing a multi-disciplinary team that includes psychological support and crisis management services for sexual or gender-based violence survivors, community well-being programs, and health promotion and educational initiatives. We hope to have a successful candidate in place before the 2024-25 academic year.
This work is and will be informed through participation, input and feedback from U of A community members, including student representatives, Sexual Assault Centre volunteers, and other on and off-campus partners.
As part of the first phase of the community engagement and action plan, the U of A has engaged Canadian systems change consultancy, Possibility Seeds, to undertake an expert and external review and provide recommendations on the Sexual Assault Centre’s structure and approach to delivering critical support to sexual and gender-based violence survivors. Possibility Seeds is a nationally recognized leader in campus sexual violence prevention, with over 20 years of experience working with community organizations, governments, and private and public institutions. Possibility Seeds led the award-winning Courage to Act project, a national multi-year initiative funded by the Government of Canada, to create safer, trauma-informed post-secondary campuses. They created a national network of 4,800+ gender-based violence experts and advocates and have created 80+ resources to respond to campus gender-based violence.
Is the university planning to permanently reduce services or close the Sexual Assault Centre?
No. This work is meant to ensure that the services offered by the Sexual Assault Centre meet the needs of U of A community members -- and continue to complement the portfolio of health and wellness services available at the U of A. We intend to refine and update services only where needed.
What is the 2023 Alberta Campus Climate Survey on Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV)?
To better understand the climate of SGBV experienced by post-secondary students in Alberta, the Campus Climate Survey on Sexual and Gender-based Violence was administered by the Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Advanced Education. This survey was circulated across 26 publicly-funded Alberta post-secondary institutions, and a report summarizing the responses to the study was published in August 2023. This is the most comprehensive scan of attitudes and beliefs about SGBV and consent, awareness and knowledge of institution supports, experiences of SGBV, and perceptions of the institution landscape regarding SGBV conducted at Alberta’s post-secondary institutions. In considering the results from this provincial climate survey and developing recommendations based on this data, U of A will be the first post-secondary institution to use this data to take meaningful action to respond to SGBV on its campus.
See the U of A’s full survey results »
Support
Support through the U of A Sexual Assault Centre »
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, CALL 911, then call U of A Protective Services at 780‑492‑5050 (24hrs).
If you need to talk to someone and are safe to do so, you can call, text, or chat the Alberta One Line for Sexual Violence at 1‑866‑403‑8000.
U of A Health and Wellness resources »
Contact
If you are seeking information about sexual or gender-based support, please reach out to uasac@ualberta.ca or 780‑492‑9771.
If you have questions about the management of the Sexual Assault Centre, please email dosdean@ualberta.ca.
If you are a member of the media, please contact U of A Media Relations.