White Ribbon Campaign

Published purpose

This 30-month project will develop and implement best practices and resources created by the Ontario’s education sectors to scale up across Canada and in Ontario’s Catholic system to address the root causes of gender-based violence. White Ribbon will achieve this by increasing collaboration within the educational sectors and community partners to utilize Ontario’s education sectors best practices and change harmful gender norms, attitudes, and behaviours. Working across Canada, White Ribbon will advance gender equality for vulnerable female youth, Indigenous, racialized, and 2SLGBTQ+ folks who experienced sexual exploitation within the pandemic through creating systemic change. At the end of the project, the organization will have contributed to addressing systemic barriers by advancing inclusive policies and practices, encouraging more equitable and effective sharing of resources, increasing networks and collaboration to accelerate systemic change and addressing persistent harmful gender norms and attitudes to support women’s equality. Through this project, White Ribbon will scale up what Ontario’s education sector has achieved in terms of best practices in the Ontario’s Catholic system and other Canadian education sectors. To scale up, they will build on Ontario’s lessons learned and adapt the training/classroom resources for use in New Brunswick, Quebec, British Colombia and Yukon ensuring they meet each province/territory's curriculum requirements. They will increase networking, accelerate change and ensure a consistent prevention approach to sexual exploitation of youth who are at high risk within COVID-19. Administrators, School Boards, Principals, Unions, and Educators will embrace their responsibility in ending sexual exploitation. In the classrooms, competent trained teachers will use the prepared lesson plans to change harmful gender norms and attitudes and prevent further harm by empowering youth with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need.