Making space for “maybe”
When I first started learning about consent, so much of what I read and learned focused on the importance of valuing and making space for everyone to be able to say “no”. While I definitely…
Commentary
Our lens: Towards preventing violence and supporting survivors
Our lens as an organization and as a team of staff continues to grow and change in order to respond to our learning and the needs of our community. Our lens, and the context we work in, is ever-changing and we hope to return to these ideas often.
Feeling through rejection
Rejection… for some folks, just the thought of it makes their hearts ache, their bellies rumble and their hands sweat. However, in many ways rejection is a regular part of everyday life. Since we aren’t…
What Does It Mean to “Hold Space for Someone?”
The statement to hold space for someone is becoming more popular. But what does this mean? I have thought about this concept more and more as I continue to support survivors and even as I…
Do you want to hug? Creative ways to ask for a hug
Hugging. Some of us hug our friends, our partners, our family and even people we’ve just met. Some us just don’t like hugs and that’s awesome too. Hugging can be a way to comfort someone,…
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
Today a crowd united on the traditional territory of the WSANEC peoples to remember the lives of fourteen women gunned down in their institute of learning, in Montreal, 29 years ago. Today is not just about these individuals, but…
Resource Review: Zines for people who have caused harm
***This blog post was written by AVP volunteer Anabelle Bernard Fournier When you visit the AVP office or support space in the basement of the Student Union Building, you may notice a beautiful wall…
Reflecting on Support and Consent
*written by Elise Fermina Freire, one of our amazing volunteers* Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about support and consent, even more so now that I am volunteering with the Anti-Violence Project (AVP). Support and…
FOSTA/SESTA is Gender-Based Violence
These days, like all days, it feels like there is so much harm happening in the world. Craigslist recently closed down all of its Personals sections (across all sites and locations in the world), Instagram…
What is it like to volunteer with AVP?
As you may have heard, AVP’s annual volunteer training is beginning in May this year instead of September! If you are thinking of applying to volunteer with AVP, you may have already checked out the…
Harm Reduction and Consent
Humans are messy creatures. Interacting with each other, especially in vulnerable ways, comes with risk. Although usually unintentional, we hurt each other often. In this current society we are taught entitlement to bodies from a…
6 Ways to Support Sex Workers in Your Community
written by Peers Victoria, posted here with permission Sex workers are part of many communities, and there are people in the sex industry in your communities. Sex workers come from diverse backgrounds and there are…
How dress codes reinforce systemic violence
Dress codes are messed up in many different ways. Schools, gyms, and businesses often use dress codes to encourage what they call “professionalism” in their spaces, and to limit distractions caused by outfits that some…
Disposability and distancing from collective complicity
In October 2017, two major media outlets simultaneously published statements by dozens of famous actresses naming that they had experienced sexual harassment and assault by powerful Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. Since that time many survivors…
Cops are not mental health workers
To: City of Victoria Mayor and Council Re: City of Victoria Draft Financial Plan and 2018/2019 Budget Dear Mayor and Councillors, The Anti-Violence Project (AVP), located at the University of Victoria, provides support, education, and…