On this page:
About HEART
Vision: A school environment that is safe for all genders, where everyone feels heard, supported and treated with equity.
Mission: Tackling the systemic issues in our community by raising awareness and educating youth about GBV to ensure youth have safe spaces to develop healthy relationships.
Our Core Values:
- Trust: Building trust within school communities to have open and honest conversations in a safe space, where students and all genders can be vulnerable about their feelings/emotions and experiences thus allowing them to learn and grow into a healthier future.
- Empowerment: Supporting and lifting each other up, empowering others to speak their voice and build healthy relationships.
- Education: Providing adequate, up to date education regarding relationships, GBV, and resources/support for all.
- Empathy: Being empathetic, compassionate and genuinely caring towards all others, regardless of our differences.
Purpose: Address persistent and harmful gender stereotypes and build healthy relationships to break the gender-based violence cycle. For students (grades 7 – 12) to see themselves as allies in preventing gender-based violence.
This program will connect youth with education on healthy relationships, consent, healthy masculinity, and prevention of misogyny and domestic violence. We have already received tremendous support from the community including a generous donation from ‘100 Women Who Care’ who we would like to thank for the seed money for this important program.”
– Steffani Lang, HYN Board of Directors, Youth Impact Team member
Overview: To establish, train and equip student teams in high schools to address teen dating violence by continually evaluating and integrating evidence-based prevention interventions, including “Be More Than A Bystander”, “Learn to Love” and Fourth R, into a work plan and communication strategy for the school year.
Using a student-led approach that tests and delivers prevention interventions and promotes healthy relationships throughout the school year, we will have a greater impact on the student population, helping to change culture and reduce youth dating violence.
- Establish HEART at WDHS and Sir Allan MacNab
- Facilitate workshops/presentations to;
- students at WDHS and Sir Allan MacNab
- sports organizations
- businesses
- youth-serving organizations (YMCA, Youth Centre)
- Create a social media campaign with direct and consistent messaging
Target area: Flamborough
- Students in grades 6 – 12
- Teachers
- Parents
- Coaches
- Businesses
- Youth-serving organizations
There is a misunderstanding that these sorts of programs target males negatively. The goal is actually to help men feel more comfortable with themselves and not have toxic views about masculinity so they’re able to express emotions, to have healthy relationships. That benefits men and women — it’s more about working in a partnership and helping men and women understand each other better, as well as improve men’s view of themselves and how they treat women. It isn’t an attack on masculinity — it’s an attack on pressures that are put on men.
– The Flamborough Review
Why HEART Matters?
This program is extremely important to our community because surveyed results show that less than 30% of female identifying youth feel safe in their school and community. Domestic violence already prevalent before COVID has also spiked during the past year during lockdown. These factors are detrimental to the health and safety of women and the health and safety of the community.”
– Steffani Lang, HYN Board of Directors, Youth Impact Team member
Canada’s Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Maryam Monsef, said early in the pandemic that the COVID-19 crisis had empowered perpetrators of domestic violence, citing a 20 to 30 per cent increase in rates of gender-based violence in some parts of Canada.
We need to shift the culture so men are responsible to each other and themselves and understand exactly that they are more responsible for this violence than anybody else and they need to take responsibility for that. Men can ask for help. They can be strong enough and courageous enough to ask for help when they see things are getting out of hand.”
– Anuradha Dugal, vice-president of community initiatives at the Canadian Women’s Foundation
Experts have repeatedly warned us about the dangers of promoting this kind of toxic masculinity. In early 2019, the American Psychological Association (APA) released recommendations specific to the issues of boys and men for the first time in its 127-year history. One of its most important messages was about how traditional masculinity, such as suppressing emotions, can hurt boys, and lead to more risk-taking and aggression.
Videos
Our Train-the-Trainer Approach
Professionals from our partners (such as Interval House & Halton Women’s Place) will train members of HEART, with education which they, in turn, will share with their peers at school HEART events. Learn more about our train-the-trainer approach.
Introduction to GBA Plus
Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) is an analytical tool to support the development of responsive and inclusive initiatives, including policies, programs, and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative.
Our Partners
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
- Student leadership teams will help us develop a strategy and messaging that is unique to our community and ensures a youth focused approach.
Interval House MentorAction – “Be More Than A Bystander”:
- Since 2011 MentorAction has been raising awareness about the role men play in gendered violence and working to come up with strategies to redefine masculinity and make Hamilton and safer place.
- MentorAction is a volunteer committee comprised of men in leadership roles in Hamilton, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. There are representatives on this committee from all different fields, from health and social services to education and media.
- Interval House of Hamilton MentorAction program to end violence against women and girls and all forms of gender-based violence was started in 2016 by Interval House of Hamilton.
- Hamilton Bulldogs, McMaster University Athletics, and Hamilton Tiger Cats are partners in Be More Than A Bystander with 100% commitment and participation.
- In-school presentations by Be More Than A Bystander trained athletes. Topics include consent, being more than a bystander, campus & community violence.
Halton Women’s Place
- EngageMENt Male Series: A program for boys and men, created to encourage our male allies to participate in conversation and action to end gender-based violence. Over one hour a week for 4 weeks, our facilitator guides students through discussion around music and movies, sports culture, online and video games – through a gender lens. The groups discuss what healthy masculinity means to them, and explore ways that they can help end gender based violence. We promote young men taking a leadership role and taking action.
- LeadHERship & EmpowHER Female Series: The goal is to empower girls to become critical thinkers, barrier breakers, and confident leaders. Over 4 sessions, students will be guided through media literacy, stereotypes, healthy relationships, and leadership skills – through a gender empowerment lens. When girls see their potential, and their power within, the world becomes a better place. Learn more.
- School Presentations: Healthy Relationships = Healthy Communities is the public education program developed and by Halton Women’s Place. Currently serving schools in Halton, teachers book us to deliver lessons to classes on topics related to dating, intimate partner violence, healthy relationships and healthy masculinity. Learn more.
Helpful Links
- The Facts on Gender-Based Violence, Canadian Women’s Foundation
- https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canada-saw-increase-in-killings-of-women-and-girls-in-2020-report/
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/femicide-canada-1.5953953
- Toxic masculinity – https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/11/10/patriarchy-men-boys_a_23273251/
Funding
