Guiding Principles
Survivor-Centered
We are fundamentally survivor-centered and ground our work in prioritizing survivor needs, rights and empowerment.
Intersectional
We honour diverse and overlapping identities with an awareness that some people face multiple forms of discrimination and oppression which creates unique barriers.
Healing Informed
We acknowledge the impact of trauma on people and communities, with an understanding of how traumatic experiences influence the ways in which we feel, think and show up in the world. We strive to validate the unique experiences of all people and work towards individual and collective healing while fostering transparency and trust.
Culturally Informed
We accept that we can never fully understand the experience of another person and are thus dedicated to being culturally informed while practicing cultural humility. This encompasses a willingness to be vulnerable and open while recognizing that we are not always the experts; it is an ongoing dedication to knowledge and self-reflection.
Holistic
We acknowledge that those who have experienced gender-based violence have a range of interdependent physical, emotional, social, spiritual and safety needs. We seek to provide comprehensive supports that address the entire scope of survivors’ experiences.
We acknowledge that everything we do exists within systems that affect our well-being, and that these systems do not impact people equally. A holistic approach requires us to think critically and to have the ability to look at gender-based violence and understand how it has been caused by the systems in which it exists.
Inclusive
We are committed to meeting people and communities where they are at, nonjudgmentally and with an awareness that everyone has the capacity to grow and is at their own unique stage of learning and development.
Harm Reduction
We seek to reduce the harms associated with gender-based violence by respecting the rights of survivors, reducing stigma and creating opportunities to meaningfully engage in the healing process.
Accessible
We are committed to providing clear information and support that is responsive to the unique needs of each individual and reducing physical, operational, and technological barriers to accessing services and supports.
Community Resilience
We recognize community diversity as an asset and seek to draw on its strengths when solving issues and filling gaps in prevention education. We recognize that by identifying and nurturing community strengths we are better positioned to achieve gender justice.
Transformative
We are committed to fostering a culture where attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate gender-based violence are challenged, discouraged and rejected; those who experience gender-based violence are supported; and gender-based violence is responded to seriously and in a manner that provides opportunities for accountability, learning and growth.
Our Guiding Principles were developed based on Guidance from Consent Comes First at Toronto Metropolitan University and best practices outlined in the Courage to Act: Developing a National Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada report