Workshops, courses and training

Open to everyone.

Education and creating change is a shared responsibility. Anti-oppression work should not be done solely by those who have been negatively impacted by systemic barriers. EQHR’s Anti-oppression Education Program calls on all UVic community members to engage in anti-oppression action-based frameworks to effectively change systemic attitudes and practices. Start now.

EQHR’s Anti-oppression Education Program is now a 5-part series:

1. Kil Daagwiiyaay – “Strong Voice”: Rematriation as Resistance
2. Kil KaahlGalangdal – “Hear Someone’s Voice Before You See Them”: Anti-Oppression Key Principles, Knowledges, and Equity-Focused Action-Based Frameworks
3. Gaayinxal – “Come Closer on a Boat”: Deconstructing Colonial Power Structures
4. MaahlGa Sdiihlga GawGa – “Returning Missing Seeds”: Reclaiming Indigenous Power Structures
5. Xidsii, K’iiwaat’as, Tlay.yad – “Under, Over, Everywhere”: Centering 2SLGBTQIA+ Knowledges in Anti-Oppression Work

Accessibility considerations: closed captioning, verbal and written slide/image descriptions, post-session resource document.

These training sessions will be offered once every semester through Learning Central. Sessions are best completed in order but can be completed as stand-alone sessions. For those who are unable to access Learning Central, you can learn more about the sessions and sign up by emailing Amy at eqhr@uvic.ca.

If you wish to register your group/unit independently, please contact:

Yahlnaaw (she/they) - Indigenous Rights and Anti-Racism Officer at iraro@uvic.ca. 

Offered for staff and faculty.

Training sessions are now offered for staff and faculty to learn about your rights and responsibilities under UVic’s newly revised Discrimination and Harassment Prevention and Response Policy. Participants will be provided with an overview of resolution processes, their responsibilities, as well as definitions and how to respond. The training is interactive with opportunity for discussion and activities around identifying Microaggressions and how to receive a disclosure. Participants will learn how and when to connect with Equity and Human Rights.

If you wish to organize this workshop for your group/unit, please contact: 

Amy Loggin at eqhr@uvic.ca.

Offered for anyone involved in hiring activities. 

For hiring committees relating to appointment, reappointment, promotion, and tenure (ARPT) and senior hiring committees, please take the Increasing Equity in Decision Making Processes course.

This workshop will present the key concepts related to equity, diversity and inclusion relevant to recruitment practices. The facilitator will help participants understand the complex mix of identities, invite you to explore your own set of identities, share how you can recognize marginalized identities, reflect on your personal cultural values, and identify intercultural values affecting group dynamics. Group discussions will focus on how best to facilitate recruitment activities in a consistent and equitable way, and brainstorm tangible actions you and your group can do. Take-aways from the workshop will also include identifying what you personally need to “unlearn” or “let go of” in order to value other members’ contributions.

If you wish to organize this workshop for your group/unit, please contact: 

Mami Schouten (she/her) - Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Officer at ediresearch@uvic.ca. 

Offered for anyone who is seeking foundational knowledge of equity, diversity and inclusion and wishes to embed the EDI values in their daily practice. 

This workshop provides participants with practical understanding of key concepts and tools associated with creating a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive professional environment. We will discuss some of the core considerations for EDI and explore different ways to connect with others in a mindful way. Participants will also examine their role to effectively address harmful behaviours and situations. This workshop is participatory and there will be small breakout room conversations where participants are invited to share thoughts and ideas or observe conversations to their comfort level. 

If you wish to organize this workshop for your group/unit, please contact: 

Mami Schouten (she/her) - Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Officer at ediresearch@uvic.ca. 

Open to members of ARPT and senior search committees. 

This online and self-paced course helps participants embed equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and anti-racism within Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion, Tenure (ARPT) and other decision processes so they will be inclusive of diverse forms of excellence. 

Learners will:

• review how inequity manifests within individual, interpersonal, and structural and institutional systems and review current equity gaps. 
• explore factors that produce inequitable measures of fit, excellence, merit, and criteria, and skew applicant selection and other RPT processes. 
• gain practical strategies to promote more inclusive ARPT processes by redefining these standards to be inclusive of diverse forms of excellence and by using updated processes that encourage fair reviews. 
• engage in real-world practice scenarios to guide equitable practices.

Training is offered through Brightspace. ARPT members should retake the course every 2 years. Access the 2024 course.

For questions or to provide feedback directly, please contact Kamilla Milligan (she/her) - Manager, Institutional Projects and Capacity Building at eqhrprojects@uvic.ca.

This workshop is designed to cultivate a shared understanding among UVic leaders, supervisors, and administrators of the role power and privilege play in successfully navigating workplace conflict and leading individuals and teams. The workshop will help participants understand where they hold power-privilege, and how that power-privilege may be perceived by others. This will include a discussion of the different ways that we may unintentionally exercise power and our responsibility as leaders to acknowledge and productively harness our power and authority. This includes an exploration of accountability and what that looks like for leaders on campus. The workshop is designed to be interactive and includes a case study for reflection and skill-building.

If you wish to organize this workshop for your group/unit, please contact:

Leah Shumka (she/her) - Director, Human Rights eqhrad@uvic.ca. 

Open to faculty and staff. Developed for hiring managers, those who work on search committees, and members of equity committees.

This session will support participants in understanding the purpose and effective use of UVic’s Preferential and Limited Hiring policy through review of the foundations and common questions about the policy and the process. Through interactive activities, you will leave with a clearer understanding of how to conduct a preferential or limited search, and with a deeper understanding of effective hiring.

Learners will:  

• Explore the reasons why this tool is used at UVic and how it can support diversification of the university 
• Review and reflect on UVic's current practices of preferential and limited hiring 
• Apply the steps and principles to hiring processes at UVic 

This workshop is offered on Learning Central every few months. Should you have questions, please contact: 

Mami Schouten (she/her) - Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Officer at ediresearch@uvic.ca. 

Offered for graduate students.

This workshop provides graduate students an awareness and understanding of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and its significance for educational and professional success. This topic area provides an entry point for talking about discrimination, harassment, and sexualized violence prevention. The workshop is interactive with scenarios, discussion and links graduate students to resources and supports.

If you wish to organize this workshop for your group/unit, please contact:

Reem Girgrah (she/her) - Education Officer or Leah Shumka (she/her) - Director, Human Rights through svpproject@uvic.ca. 

Offered for theatre production, cast and crew.

This workshop provides Theatre production cast and crew with information on how to create an inclusive and safer environment to eliminate experiences of discrimination, harassment and/or sexualized violence. This workshop is interactive with a mix of scenarios, opportunities for discussion, practical advice on what do when confronted or witnessing harmful behaviours.

If you wish to organize this workshop for your group/unit, please contact:

Reem Girgrah (she/her) - Education Officer or Leah Shumka (she/her) - Director, Human Rights through svpproject@uvic.ca. 

Offered for staff and faculty.

This workshop provides university staff with information about how to identify sexualized violence, how to respond to a disclosure, where to get support, and importantly, how to prevent sexualized violence. The workshop will be interactive, with a mix of images, video, and discussions aimed at gaining a deeper insight into this important workplace concern. Participants will leave with practical advice and sentence starters for what to do when confronted by sexual harassment or behaviour that appears to “cross the line”.

If you wish to organize this workshop for your group/unit, please contact:

Reem Girgrah (she/her) - Education Officer or Leah Shumka (she/her) - Director, Human Rights through svpproject@uvic.ca. 

Open to all students.

EQHR has developed a three-part series for students to learn about the fundamentals of sexualized violence prevention: sexualized violence basics and receiving disclosures, consent and bystander intervention.

Part 1: SVP 101 (50 minutes)

This workshop helps students develop a deeper understanding of what sexualized violence is, the role they play in preventing it, how to receive a disclosure and what options are available at UVic for survivors or anyone impacted by sexualized violence.

Part 2: Let’s Talk about Consent (80 minutes)

This workshop sets out UVic’s expectations regarding consent for students. The workshop will explore how to overcome some of the barriers associated with practicing consent, with a focus on how dis-inhibitors like alcohol impact this ability. We will discuss other difficult topics like power and rejection and the role they play in engaging in meaningful consent practices.

Part 3: Bystander Intervention – coming soon!

All workshops are interactive and focused on awareness-raising and skill acquisition. Workshops will ideally be completed in order although exceptions can be made.

Workshops can be booked for your club, group, or class of 20 people or more by emailing Reem Girgrah (she/her) – Education Officer at svpproject@uvic.ca.  Priority is given to in-person workshops.

For more detailed information about these workshops visit the UVic's SVP Foundations Workshop series page.