Changing Conversations: Experts on everyday sexual violence prevention, intervention, and response

With guests Pauline Head (she/her), MD FRCPC and Lisa Bell (she/her), BScN Learn from longtime members of CSART about how this multidisciplinary group works together to respond to sexual violence in Calgary and when to call on them. Listen in on this rich conversation between CSART’s longest serving specialized doctor and nurse and learn from these super-skilled and very accessible experts. Resour...

With guest Meg Martin(she/her), MC How we understand and communicate about sexual violence is often incomplete. The way someone directly or indirectly describes something that someone else did to them might be an expression of uncertainty, or an intentional testing of waters to see how you’ll respond, or even just an incidental mention of something that could feel inconsequential to them. As a hea...

With guest Tamra Burnett (she/her), PhD Why do survivors report their assaults to the police? What are their hopes from a criminal trial? What survivors want from justice is a complex topic that goes far beyond ideas of revenge and retribution. Join us to listen and learn from Tamera Burnett, a non-practicing lawyer with a PhD in law. Her specialty is in criminal law, particularly the challenges a...

With guests Meg Martin (she/her), MC and Paula Russel (she/her), MSW, RSW Did you know that many people struggle to make sense of sexual violence if it isn’t perpetrated by the stereotypical jump-from-the-bushes, armed and masked, stranger-attacker? Did you know that most sexual violence is: not perpetrated by strangers, does not result in physical injury, and is not reported to police? Listen in...

With guests Hilary Jahelka (she/they), MSW, RSW and Sasha Best (she/her) We are all aware that being exposed to sexual violence is an incredibly difficult and traumatic experience. What many people may not know is that turning to legal systems to deal with sexual violence can bring with it its own unique challenges and questions. Increasingly, people who have experienced sexual violence are seekin...

With guests Pauline Head (she/her), MD FRCPC and Lisa Bell (she/her), BScN Learn about how trauma- and violence-informed, person-centred care helps specialized healthcare providers determine how to respond and what services to provide to people who are referred to or call upon Calgary’s Sexual Assault Response Team (CSART) and explore when to refer people to CSART and the kinds of considerations t...

With guests Dori Palmiere (she/her), RSW, MSW and Diana Wark (she/her), RSW As service providers, the topics of sex, sexuality, and sexual health often come up with those we serve and work with. It matters that we are prepared to address matters like sex, sexuality, and sexual health by having built comfort and skill talking about them. Listen in about how to talk about all of this, including an e...

With guest Detective Timothy Fitzgibbon, Calgary Police Service Learn directly from an expert who investigates sexual assault allegations, from Calgary's Sexual Assault Investigative Unit.

With guests Heather Robinson (she/her), BHSc and Morgan Parker (she/her), BSW Learn directly from experts who provide support and accompaniment through processes like reporting, investigation, the court system and afterward.

With guest Mandi Gray (she/her), PhD Learn directly from an expert who made her way through these systems after being sexually assaulted by someone, and who powerfully continues to advocate for awareness and change. Resources: This session features guest Mandi Gray, a CIHR and AHS funded researcher, speaker, writer, consultant, and documentary filmmaker, who will share some of her experiences and...

With guests Carla Bertsch (she/her), MSW and Femi Akinsanya (she/her), BSc Learn about how sexual violence awareness and response systems are strengthened and weakened by perceptions about those working within them, and how knowing better will benefit you.