Concordia’s mandatory sexual violence awareness and prevention training launches its 2nd year

On September 30, Concordia announced its second iteration of the It Takes All of Us mandatory sexual violence awareness and prevention training. Since its launch in August 2019, more than 49,000 Concordians have completed the training, which was developed by the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) in conjunction with KnowledgeOne — Concordia’s online learning partner.

“As a community, I think we can take pride in the fact that so many Concordians completed the training and that numerous CEGEPs and universities across the province have adapted our training module for use in their communities,” says Lisa Ostiguy, special advisor to the provost on campus life.

“This year is about building on this first year of training and deepening our understanding of the subject matter.”

In accordance with Bill 151, here is what is required from Concordia staff, faculty and students during the 2020-21 academic year:

• All new staff, faculty and students are required to take the existing training by October 31, 2020.
• Training is available online or through virtual training sessions offered by the SARC (please refer to the It Takes All of Us website for dates and times).
• Returning staff and faculty are required to take new modules to deepen their understanding of the subject matter. These new modules are being developed and will be ready in January of 2021.

Additional training modules and an updated policy

For Jennifer Drummond, manager of SARC and project lead on mandatory training, addressing sexual violence on campus is in constant evolution.

“We updated the base training based on the feedback we received from the community last year. The new modules we are developing — meant to deepen our collective understanding of sexual violence — also reflect the input of students, staff and faculty," she explains.

“Addressing sexual violence is complex and requires that we continually work toward understanding and addressing how it manifests. This is why collectively deepening our knowledge is so important going forward.”

Beyond mandatory training, Concordia’s policy regarding sexual violence was updated and approved by the Board of Governors on June 18. The policy changes were informed by community consultations as well as input and recommendations from the sexual violence standing committee comprised of students, staff and faculty.

New students, staff and faculty must complete Concordia’s It Takes All of Us training by October 31, 2020. Additional modules for those who’ve already done the base training will be ready in January 2021.