All of us can likely recall situations where we witnessed something that didn't feel right or went against our values but didn't manage to step in and interrupt the behavior. Whether at home, in the classroom, at work, on the street, on public transport, or elsewhere, opportunities to actively interrupt and stop harmful behavior and violence often present themselves. However, even when we want to seize these opportunities and feel passionately about stopping abuse or harm, it can sometimes be easier said than done.

Cecilia Rands (she/they) is a white settler and community educator and activist with a Bachelor of Education from the U of R. Cecilia has found their passion working within communities on social justice issues including gender-based violence, reproductive health and justice, and youth advocacy. A proud feminist and mother to two daughters, Cecilia enjoys any chance she gets to rabble rouse with the little ones by her side.

Cecilia has worked at the YWCA delivering the Upstander workshop for three years. The full workshop includes content such as:

💡 Understanding Gender Based Violence and why it's an issue for everyone
💡 Rape Culture vs. Consent Culture
💡 Understanding power, privilege, and intersectionality
💡 Learning and practicing positive bystander intervention strategies and how to be a good ally

For this Next Gen Men and Pathways community members event, we'll make sure we're all on the same page by defining some common terms we'll use during the session, but will spend most of our time focusing on the bystander intervention strategies, including time to practice our skills. 

Take this opportunity to develop your skills in being an active bystander along with your fellow community members. Hope to see you there! 

Please note:

• This is an interactive workshop so cameras and mics are preferable. We also recommend joining from a laptop, desktop, or tablet as opposed to a phone as we tend to screenshare and share links throughout.