One of UCalgary’s newest self-defence programs aims to limit gender based violence, but not through typical measures. Instead, the program teaches boundary setting and situation management for mildly annoying to life-threatening scenarios.
EmpowerU, provides a space for all genders to be supported in a trauma-informed, empowering environment. The skills taught in the workshops are said to be well-aligned with campus security personnel.
The program is the first of its kind in Canada and adapts Rachel Piazza’s Feminist Self Defense programming. It’s said to veer away from typical self-defense programming that relies on fear-based messaging to target individuals perceived to be at risk of sexual violence.
Instead, it focuses on the fact that generally, sexual and gender-based violence is most seen among personal relationships, teaching skills for a wide range of situations while supporting participants in feeling confident in setting boundaries.
Rick Gysen, director of Campus Security at the University of Calgary, hopes that this training can “put control back in the hands” of students.
“It positions students or people in general, better to be able to manage things as they happen in the moment and understand what processes are in place as these situations go through reporting and perhaps conduct, if it’s on campus or through Calgary Police in the court system,” he said
“It allows the person to be an active part of the process, as opposed to something that’s just happening to them.”
Gysen hopes that students understand and normalize the use and presence of Campus Security members, not officers.
Despite repeated inquiries for data on reported incidents, UCalgary did not provide this information to LWC.
Brief partnership turned long-term campus initiative
According to Paula Russel, Manager of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response at the University of Calgary, a seemingly one-time partnership has become much more.
Courage to Act, a federal initiative to address and prevent gender-based violence on Canadian campuses, suggests that sexual and gender-based violence offices on post-secondary campuses need to offer a variety of different trainings for the community, and this includes self-defense workshops, Russel said.
The act paired with student interest in self-defense programming, led the office to book workshops with Piazza for UCalgary students. Rachel initially came to deliver two workshops on campus.
The workshop’s content and reaction led to long-term confidence in a new program, Russel said.
“The University of Calgary is committed to promoting a culture of consent and respect, and providing consent education on campus is a commitment we have made to our community in our Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Policy,” Russel said in a statement.
Despite her background and experience, Piazza was unable to stay on full time at UCalgary; instead, the EmpowerU program uses a train-the-trainer model, where, based on Piazza’s original teachings, more instructors can run the workshops.
“Being able to offer the training regularly means that we can support all members of our community in feeling empowered, supported and confident in themselves,” Russel’s statement read.
“We are always looking for ways to create transformative student experiences and participating in the Train-the-Trainer has meant that we can do this with great consistency.”
Everyone can learn something from this training, according to the statement.
“I truly believe that this training is effective and supportive for anyone who wants to feel empowered, set boundaries, and navigate challenging interpersonal situations with an increase in confidence,” Russel said.
According to the statement, survey data from the first year of offering EmpowerU on campus showed that 93 per cent of workshop participants reported an increase in confidence in communicating their boundaries and an increase in confidence in setting a physical boundary.
