September 2022 Newsletter
Welcome to SSAIC’s September 2022 Newsletter. Once a month, we bring you news, updates, skills, and opportunities relating to the world of sexualized violence. As subscribers, you won’t miss a beat about what’s happening at SSAIC.
SSAIC acknowledges that we work and live on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We commit to working towards reconciliation and affirm our relationship with one another.
We appreciate the cooperation our clients have consistently displayed as we have worked through interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to move toward a full reopening, we are taking new clients and would encourage those who need our assistance to call our office at 306-244-2294 during office hours (M-F 9 AM-12 PM / 1 PM-5 PM) and speak to one of our counsellors. Our 24-hour crisis line is always available to assist anyone who needs our help.
What’s New at SSAIC
Welcome New Staff and Board Members
We have a few new faces to welcome to the SSAIC team!
Upon arrival, you may have the pleasure of interacting with our newest Administrative Assistant, Trudy. Her warm and infectious smile, accompanied by her soothing voice is sure to put you at ease.
Ashley has been a long-time volunteer at SSAIC and has taken the leap to become an official member of the Education & Outreach team. Ashley will be working on our two school-based projects, “I’m the Boss of Me” and “No is a Full Sentence”.
Welcome to the team, Trudy and Ashley, we are excited to work with you!
We would also love to extend a warm welcome to our two new Board Members.
Lana, who comes to us as financial advisor for the City of Saskatoon, and Darcie, General Manager of the Nutrien Children’s Festival, have expressed a passion for our shared values and goals. Thank-you for volunteering your time to our agency.
Let’s do some amazing work!
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Our office will be closed on September 30th to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The annual Orange Shirt Day on September 30th opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of Residential Schools. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and the legacy they have left behind.
SSAIC honours all Residential School survivors, today and every day. Thank you all for shining light on the truth about such a scar on our collective history. If you or a loved one is looking for support, please call the 24-hour Indian Residential School Survivors Society crisis line at 1-866-925-4419.
September 23rd is Bisexuality Day!
Bisexuality Day (also called Bisexual Pride Day and Bi Visibility Day) is an opportunity to celebrate diverse bi identities, raise the voices of bi folx, and call for positive change.
From glaad:
“Leading bi advocate and author Robyn Ochs defines bisexuality as ‘the potential to be attracted – romantically and/or sexually – to people of more than one sex and/or gender, not necessarily at the same time, not necessarily in the same way, and not necessarily to the same degree.’
Some people who have the capacity to be attracted to people of any gender choose other words to describe their sexual orientation, such as bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, omnisexual, fluid, or queer. Some people prefer to avoid any label at all.”
The experiences of bi people are often assumed to be the same as lesbian and gay experiences, and these bisexual identities are frequently dismissed as something that doesn’t exist (by people both in- and outside of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community).
Bi people face a number of negative stereotypes, and bi identities continue to be seen extremely rarely in the media, and, when they are, they often reinforce these negative stereotypes. Here are some tips for stepping up as an ally to bi people on September 23rd:
- learn about bi experiences and the unique challenges bi folx face
- call out biphobia and harmful stereotypes
- do not assume sexual orientation based on the basis of someone’s current partner
- increase understandings about and the representation of bi people whenever you can
Groups are Back!
We’ve missed you…
Our Counselling Team is so excited to kick group programming back into action! This fall, we will begin offering Open Group (our drop-in support group for clients) and Women’s Group (a closed, intensive therapy style for female-identifying survivors of sexualized violence).
If you’re interested in attending group this fall (or know some survivors who would be a good fit), call our office to register: 306-244-2294. All of our groups are free and don’t require a special referral. See you there with your mask on!
These groups not a fit for you? Not to worry…as the seasons change, so will our group offerings, so stay tuned!
Fall Online Learning Workshop Series
Registration for our Fall Online Learning Workshop Series is now live on our website! See below for details.
Sexual Violence on Campus
Campus safety, consent education, intervention, prevention and response; these are some of the things on our minds as post-secondary students return to school.
In 2019, 71% of post-secondary students in Canada witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours. 11% of women said they had been sexually assaulted in a university or college setting. However, only 1 in 10 students who witnessed unwanted sexualized behaviours in a post-secondary setting took action in response (9% of women and 8% of men). (Statistics Canada, 2020)
What we hope to highlight here is the importance of (and need for) institutional responsiveness, and we want to celebrate some of the good work currently happening!
The Our Campus, Our Safety Action Plan is a national collaboration of student unions and national organizations. Student leaders from more than 20 universities across Canada gathered in summer 2022 to build 10 comprehensive evidence-based calls to action for institutions and governments to meaningfully address sexualized violence on campus.
The plan highlights various recommendations, including a requirement for sexualized violence prevention training and education to be mandatory for all students; ensuring academic accommodations and complaint procedures are readily available for survivors; and that more institutions follow ‘campus climate’ surveys regulated by the province.
Visit the Courage to Act website for more information and to view the complete report. Bravo to Saskatchewan’s First Nations University for participating in this project!
Check out these articles about some additional work being done in this area:
Feds commit $500,000 to fighting sexualized violence on B.C. campuses, North Delta Reporter
Western University to keep close eye on safety-inspired ‘OWeek’ changes, Global News
King’s releases plan to develop culture of consent, CBC News
Our office will be closed on September 19th.
Learning & Entertainment
Supporting Survivors of Sexualized Violence Training
Supporting Survivors of Sexualized Violence Training (SST) is an interactive virtual training program created by SSAIC, designed to train anyone and everyone to receive disclosures and support survivors in a compassionate and trauma-informed way.
Join us for an upcoming session of SST to learn tangible skills for supporting someone who discloses sexualized violence, as well as the impacts of rape culture and our own unconscious biases.
*Only 2 remaining training dates in 2022!
Click on any of the following links to register yourself for SST:
Full-Day Training:
December 8th, 2022 (9am – 4pm)
Half-Day Training:
October 25th, 2022 (1:30pm – 4:30pm)
Fall Online Workshop Series
“Understanding Sexualized Violence: Our ‘101’ Course” on October 20th is our holy grail presentation that’ll give you a little taste of foundational info, consent, rape culture, reporting, and supporting survivors.
We will deep dive into the roots of sexualized violence and talk about what’s being done to combat rape culture both locally and worldwide in “Deconstructing Rape Culture” on November 29th.
Find all the details and registration information at ssaic.ca/OLWS.
(Psst…all of our OLWS are recorded for you to watch later, so make sure you register to receive the recording to your inbox!)
Educational Presentations Available
SSAIC’s Education Team has many presentations available to the public on a variety of topics related to sexualized violence. Our presentations are a good fit for staff in-services, professional development opportunities, and post-secondary students. Any of the following are available upon request:
- Understanding Sexualized Violence: Our 101 Course
- Consent 101
- Child Sexual Abuse Information Seminar
- Being a Strong Ally to Survivors
- Exploring the Impacts of Sexualized Violence
- SSAIC’s Services
- Deconstructing Rape Culture
- Demystifying the Reporting Process of Sexualized Violence
Contact us at info@ssaic.ca to inquire about a presentation for your group!
(Limited capacity available.)
… Introducing our Office FUR-sistants
Who loves their pets (or wishes they had more pets to love)? We do!
In fact, we love them so much that we think it’s about time we introduce them to you.
Gunner is an almost-6-year-old Olde English Bulldogge. He was brought home from Delburne, Alberta on a frosty day in January 2017.
His favourite things include: taking up all the space on the bed or couch, licking his feet, licking humans, having snacks, going for walks, and playing with his giant horse ball his mom got him from Cowtown.
Some of Gunner’s best qualities include his squishy big fat head, his soft and floppy little ears, and his famous bulldog underbite. Gunner’s least favourite activities are putting on his sweater and boots in the winter, getting his ears cleaned, and going for baths.
Gunner has been lucky enough to come to the office a few times and loves meeting people and getting lots of pets and butt scratches.
Sexualized Violence in the News
Sexualized violence in Victoria’s hospitality sector prompt new safety program, Global News
“Owners, managers, supervisors and staff in B.C.’s hospitality sector are being invited to participate in an online course aimed at preventing sexualized violence at work.
The free program (‘TIPS’ – Training in Prevention and Safety) includes a course for managers and owners, and a course for employees, expected to last between two and three hours.
The first aims to teach those with authority how to respond to complaints, what their legal responsibilities are, best practices and procedures, how to conduct an investigation, and other sexual harassment prevention measures.
The second educates workers on their rights, bystander intervention, how to recognize sexual harassment, best practices for reporting it and more.” Read more…
Three more charges against Saskatoon massage therapist accused of sexual assault, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
“Saskatoon police have laid more charges in connection with complaints against the massage therapist, Kenneth Braun, accused of sexually assaulting clients.
The ongoing investigation has revealed numerous survivors and dates back to 1996. Due to the nature of the investigation Saskatoon Police Services believe there may be additional victims and are encouraging survivors to reach out.” Read more...
R. Kelly found guilty of child pornography, sex abuse in Chicago trial, Global News
*Note: While this article uses the term “child pornography”, we prefer the term “child sexual abuse imagery”
“R. Kelly was found guilty on Wednesday [September 14th] of several child pornography and sex abuse offences by a federal jury in Chicago, delivering another blow to the singer who was once one of the biggest music stars in the world.
Kelly, 55, was found guilty on three counts of child pornography and three counts of child enticement. The conviction marks the latest fall from grace for Kelly, who is already serving a 30-year prison sentence after being found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking in New York in June.” Read more…
Ways to Give to SSAIC
Looking for ways to give to SSAIC? Click any of the options below to get started!
- Becoming a recurring donor. This is the most helpful kind of donation we can receive, as it helps us consistently plan for the future with reliable donations monthly or annually. All donations are greatly appreciated.
- Bring your recyclables to SARCAN. By using the code “I believe you” at the Drop-n-Go stations or at the register, you can donate your recycling funds straight to SSAIC and protect the environment all at once!
- Shop our survivor-themed merchandise. Our online store is stocked with survivor phrase t-shirts, sweatshirts, and mugs – order yours straight to your door, or come by our office downtown for contactless pickup.
- Fundraise on our behalf. COVID-19 has impacted us all, and SSAIC is relying on our community supporters now more than ever. If you’re interested in raising money on our behalf, get in contact with our office to discuss opportunities!