Spring (Un)learning Together: A community workshop series
Join us for our second instalment of the (Un)learning Together workshop series! Over March and April, the Anti-Violence Project is excited to be bringing you four FREE workshops facilitated by different activists and community members dedicated to providing essential services and education to folks on Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ lands (“victoria, bc”).
This time around, online workshop topics will include reproductive justice, disability justice and queer sexual health. More workshops will be added to this page soon so keep checking back or follow us on Instagram or Facebook for updates!
These workshops will be held virtually using Zoom and are open to anyone (not just students and UVic community members)! Sections of these workshops will be recorded and posted publicly on the AVP website, details will be discussed at the start of each workshop. There will be opportunities to engage in participatory question periods and activities that will remain confidential and any participation through chat will remain anonymous. Check out the individual workshop details below and make sure to register ahead of time to reserve your spot.
Queer Sex Ed
Date/Time: Mar 11th, 5:30 pm – 7 pm
Description: Join us as we delve into the queer sex ed you didn’t get in high school! In the first part of this workshop we talk about consent basics, definitions of what sex actually is, tools for setting boundaries, resources for exploring desire and what ethical porn means. In the second part of the workshop we go over some information about STBBI transmission and local testing services as well as barrier demos 201 (making a dental dam, using an internal condom, using an external condom, gloves) and then finish off with some sex toy and lube basics. We centre queer and trans experiences throughout and take a harm reduction lens. There’s chances for participants to ask questions throughout the workshop, as well as a question and answer period at the end. The workshop also includes collaborative brainstorms which participants can contribute to via the chat or over audio/video.
Ardeo Mann (they/them) – Ardeo is a young, queer, non-binary facilitator and farmer. They are a white settler with Ashkenazi (from Poland and Ukraine/Russia) and Serbian (from Bosnia and Herzegovina) roots on their dad’s side and ancestry from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland on their mum’s side, living uninvited on W̱SÁNEĆ lands. They grew up on the territory of the Lkwungen speaking peoples at čən’it taŋ’exw. Ardeo was involved with AVI through the Queer Peers program for a number of years which led to the creation of this sex ed workshop and a passion for changing how conversations about sex, relationships and queerness are happening inside the school system and beyond. When they’re not facilitating workshops, they can be found growing mountains of vegetables, curled up with a book and a cup of tea or planning their next camping adventure.
River Stevens (they/them) – River is a trans, genderqueer, neurodivergent, white settler. Their family is from Scotland, Ireland, England, Ukrainian, Belurus, Poland, Germany, Paumanok, Netherlands, Switzerland and France. They grew up on the territories of the kwayhquitlum people and currently live on Lək̓ʷəŋən territories (sxʷeŋxʷəŋ təŋəxʷ). They were a part of the Queer Peers collective at AVI for a number of years, and continue to facilitate workshops through AVI as well as other community organizations. They also facilitate Harbour, a peer support group for trans, two spirit and non binary youth that runs out of the Victoria Foundry. In their other work, they are a farm hand, baker, granola maker and house spouse.
Disability Justice & COVID-19
Date/Time: Mar 25th, 5:30 pm – 7 pm
Monica Ogden (she/they) – Monica is an award-winning disabled Filipina, Polynesian, British storyteller, actor, and comedian. Monica lives in the territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, after her Lilang migrated from Ilocos Sur, Philippines. Her solo show Monica vs. The Internet: Tales of a Social Justice Warrior directed by K.P. Dennis toured 6 cities in 2019, toured to Second City Toronto, was featured on CBC for the #ArtApart National Theatre School series, and recently received the Witness Legacy Award for Social Purpose and Responsibility Through Art from the Witness Legacy Blanket and the Pro Art Alliance. She is an anti-racist activist and public speaker, past guest panelist at Sche’chulth: Decolonizing the Arts in Victoria (Primary Colours), Emerald City ComicCon, and the creator of Fistful of Feminism on YouTube. She holds a BA with distinction in Gender Studies from the University of Victoria, and previously worked at the anti.violence.project as a volunteer organizer! Her disabilities include mobility disability, endometriosis, chronic illness, chronic pain, some hearing loss, cognitive disability, low vision, and mental illness.
Description: What is ableism? Why don’t some people wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic? Where are all the amazing disabled QT2BIPOC??? In this 1.5 hour presentation, we will learn about ableism in the time of COVID-19, anti-Asian racism, why disability justice must be anti-racist, and how disabled people are experiencing COVID isolation, virus exposures, racism, and ongoing medical complications. If you’ve ever wondered why disabled voices aren’t leading the pandemic response, and dream of a future that centres disability justice, this workshop is for you!
Reproductive Justice: A history of medical violence and community resilience
Date/Time: Apr 1st, 5:30 pm – 7 pm
Description: In this interactive session, learn about the connections between medicalization and colonization, BIPOC legacies of birth work and become inspired by the powerful work of doulas and midwives today. ***This workshop will not be recorded
Simone Blais (she/her) – Simone is a dancer, doula, director and aspiring midwife. She holds a degree in Gender Studies and Indigenous Studies from the University of Victoria. Her work focuses on decolonizing the dance community and reproductive justice for marginalized communities. In the past 5 years, she has worked with the Nesting Doula Collective, and the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, delivering workshops about reproductive justice. She is also the director and producer of the documentary Dance Like Everybody’s Watching, which highlights the experiences of Black dancers in ‘Victoria’. Learn more at simone-blais.com
May I? Addressing Sexualized and Gender-based Violence in the Service Industry
Date/Time: Apr 15th, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Description: The May I? Project is a coalition of food service workers, frontline sexualized violence responders, educators, and workers rights advocates working towards the common goal of addressing and preventing sexualized violence in the restaurant and bar industry. This interactive workshop helps us to build skills in addressing and dismantling rape culture in the service industry through break-out scenario based activities, group work, information on employee rights, consent and bystander intervention. We invite current and former service industry workers to join us for this workshop.
Robin Gordon (she/her) – Robin has been a volunteer support worker and workshop facilitator with the Anti Violence Project since 2016. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics with a minor in Gender Studies from UVic. She is a settler living, working, and learning on the lands of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. Robin has been working as a server for 8 years and is excited to be working toward creating communities of consent and care within the service industry.
Kenya Rogers (she/her) – Kenya has been a volunteer support worker, staff member, and workshop facilitator with the Anti Violence Project since 2015, and has delivered sexualized violence prevention programming throughout BC. She is a white-presenting settler of mixed-race ancestry, and grew up on the territories of the Syilx peoples. Kenya recently completed a Master’s at UVic’s Department of Political Science, examining grassroots activism and campus sexualized violence policy. As a survivor, advocate and former service industry worker, Kenya is dedicated to ending sexualized and gender-based violence on campus and within our communities.
Sarah Graham (she/her) – is a cis white queer settler who has lived, uninvited, on the lands of the Lkwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples for the past 8 years. She has worked at the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre, Quadra Village Community Centre and is now the Youth Educator at AVI Health and Community Services. Her work is mostly focused on youth, education, consent, harm reduction, anti-oppressive practices, transformative justice and community organizing. Outside of capitalist time, she is usually found with the latest book from her favourite anarchist press, practicing care centered solidarity or learning to grow healing plants
in an apartment garden.
Accessibility
All the (Un)learning Together workshops will be held online using Zoom, a video conferencing platform. Workshops will have automatic live captioning. If you have other accessibility questions or needs, please email or call us at 778-400-5007. With appropriate time we can arrange interpreters or make funds available for other accessibility needs including childcare. If you are a University of Victoria student, you can borrow a laptop for free from the UVic library, more info here.
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