Women's House Serving Bruce and Grey (WHSBG) invites men 18 years and older to register for a free, live, virtual, 8-week Male Allies Training, facilitated for men, by men, from the Sexual Assualt Report Centre of Waterloo (SASC) Male Allies Program. 

While WHSBG knows that over 80 per cent of violence is perpetrated by men, we know that 80 per cent of men do not perpetrate violence.

We are thankful to see the increasing number of men supporting the work of WHSBG, sharing resources and information via our social media channels, attending events, volunteering and making donations to support survivors and work towards the prevention of gender-based violence and oppression. 

We have heard the ask of men in our communities for a way to get involved in ending violence against women and girls, and here it is. 

We hope that this free, live, virtual series will support aspiring male allies in learning new things, unpacking misconceptions, connecting with other men and engaging in important discussions about their wants, barriers and needs to make positive changes in their personal, professional and influential lives. 

Please consider sharing the Male Allies Training Facebook event page on your feeds using this link: https://fb.me/e/1MaZggCV

Sessions take place Wednesdays (January 25 through March 15) 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom beginning Wednesday, Jan. 25.

Registration is required and closes Monday, Jan. 16.

SASC Male Allies Training Session Overview

The Male Allies Training program provides educational and critical training that covers specific topics centered in our work towards a world free of gender-based violence.

Training 1: Introduction to Male Allies Training & Allyship

Introduce participants to what it means to be male allies, provide participants with an overview of the training, and provide space for the participant to introduce/get to know each other.

Training 2: Gender & Identity (masculine identities)

Provide participants with the opportunity to talk about masculinities and debunk the stereotypes associated with being a man, alongside introducing participants to different ideas around gender and sexuality.

Training 3: Gender-Based Violence & Sexual Violence

Use engaging activities to explore and discuss Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual Violence (SV). Reflect on how power and privilege impact how we experience gender and gender-based violence.

Training 4: Consent

Define what consent means, as well as provide tools to practice engaging in consensual conversations with partners, friends, and the community.

Training 5: Bystander Intervention

Provide a space to speak about the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that could lead to sexual violence and build tools to be active bystanders in situations that could potentially lead to some being harmed (coerced, manipulated, harassed, or abused).

Training 6: Responding to Disclosures

Build tools to create communities, friendships, survivor-centred, and trauma-informed relationships. This workshop provides participants with tools to receive disclosures of harm in a way that centers on the needs and experiences of survivors. It also provides best practices and tools to receive and support someone who has caused harm.

Training 7: Accountability & Healthy Communities

This session offers a space to practice and builds on participants’ knowledge about accountability. It provides a space where participants can co-create ideas on how they can move forward. This aims to allow participants space and time to reflect on all the topics we’ve covered throughout the training and decide how they would like to move forward with being male allies in their communities.

Training 8: Mentoring, Volunteering and Leading by Example

This session provides training relating to volunteering with WHSBG to be a Public Education volunteer.

If you have any questions, concerns or difficulty registering, please reach out to Jessica St. Peter, Public Education and Volunteer Coordinator, Women's House Serving Bruce and Grey.

Looking forward to beginning 2023 in the company of aspiring allies and change makers. 

source: media release, Women's House Serving Bruce and Grey