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These trainings raise awareness about safety, teach people how to conduct audits and build the capacity of individuals and communities. Content is tailored to the needs of participants and we incorporate equity and inclusion practices into each training.

Training topics

• How to conduct a Community Safety Audit: addresses steps to conducting an audit and safety issues relevant to women and marginalized groups. Duration: 3 hours. Fee: $375
• Youth Safety Audits: helps youth discuss and take action on safety in their neighbourhoods, schools, community centres and buildings. Participants share experiences, explore how power imbalances lead to unsafety and learn how to use METRAC’s Community Safety Audit. A certificate of completion is provided. As follow-up, participants can conduct an audit themselves or request support to do an audit up to 4 weeks after being trained. Audit results are then returned and a report on findings and safety recommendations is provided. Duration and fee: based on specific request
• Technology and Safety: addresses how gender-based violence can happen through common technologies we use every day and provides general tips that can help increase your safety. This training is most helpful for service providers and users of violence prevention and intervention programs and organizations. (Funding support for training development provided by Department of Justice Canada). Duration: 1-1.5 hours. Fee: based on specific request
  

Our equity training promotes understanding of discrimination and barriers that diverse women, youth and their communities face, providing practical equity-building tools and knowledge to participants.

Training topics

• Anti-oppression/Anti-racism: this training designed to for organizations, workplaces and community service groups. It will introduce and enhance participant understanding of the anti-oppression/anti-racism framework, defining terms and applying concepts to practice. Participants will engage in reflective exercises and experiential activities. Duration and fee: based on specific request.

This course consists of four sessions and builds the capacity of adult learners to deal with interpersonal conflict. It is informed by an intersectional, equity-based approach and an understanding of how social factors and lived experiences impact how we all interact. It is designed for service providers, educators, and community members and will help them recognize different communication styles, improve their communication skills, and gain tools to deal with conflict effectively. Participants will receive a certificate for successful completion. Duration: 8 hours (can be split up over multiple days/times). Fee: $1695.00 + HST

Note: for course delivery outside of the City of Toronto, travel and accommodation costs are added to standard fees. Fees do not include space or refreshments, which can be arranged at cost if required.

Session topics

• Naming conflict: addresses what conflict is, why it happens, and how it affects our daily lives
• What we carry: self-exploration to appreciate our strengths, values, perceptual filters, triggers, and biases that impact conflict
• Principles of conflict mediation: provides tools to negotiate and resolve conflict
• Strategies for dealing with conflict: allows participants to practice and assess conflict management skills

Course features

• Flexible and interactive
• Problem-solving focus
• Accessible, affirming, experiential, practical
• Integrates lived experiences and socio-psychological and cultural factors
• Trauma-informed
• Addresses community accountability and safer spaces

For: support service providers who deal with women experiencing violence, whether or not it is their primary mandate.

Our legal workshops are two hours long, highly interactive, tailored and can be grouped together to meet your needs. Participants also receive take-away resources.

• Two-hour workshop: $300 fee
• Half-day combination of workshops: $500 fee
• Full-day combination of workshops: $900 fee

Note: for workshops outside of the City of Toronto, travel and accommodation costs are added to standard fees. Fees do not include space or refreshments, which can be arranged at cost if required.

Workshop topics

• Child custody and access: what it is and what women should know.
• Child support: what it is, who can get it and how it is enforced.
• Child protection: what the Children’s Aid Society, the basic process when it gets involved in a family and what parents should know.
• Domestic assault and the criminal system: what domestic assault is, legal options and the criminal law system.
• Immigration status and risks: the basics of different types of immigration status and risks women may face because of abuse and relationship breakdown.
• Protection orders: different kinds of protection orders, the application process and their effectiveness.
• Sexual assault and consent: what the law recognizes as sexual assault, the meaning of consent, legal options and the criminal law system.
• Spousal/partner immigration sponsorship breakdown: focuses on what happens when immigration sponsorship of a spouse or partner breaks down, the impacts of abuse on a sponsorship relationship and legal options.
• Spousal support: what it is, who can get it, how it is calculated, the application process and how it is enforced.
• Stalking and criminal protection orders: reviews stalking/criminal harassment, safety planning and legal options for protection in the criminal law system.
• What to expect in family court: an introduction to the basics of the family court process and how to navigate the family court system.Working with a lawyer: addresses when a lawyer is needed and how to identify find and work with a lawyer, including payment issues, client responsibilities and what to do if there is a problem with a lawyer.
• Workplace violence and harassment: what it is, legal duties of employers and employees, legal options and practical ways to deal with violence and harassment in the workplace.
• Young mothers and family law: focuses on family law issues young mothers may face, including child custody and access, child support and child protection issues.

For: conferences, panels, roundtables and events.

METRAC offers presenters to address, discuss and share ideas on a variety of topics in the realm of violence against women and youth, safety, anti-oppression, discrimination and legal information.

Presenter subject areas

• Youth presenter: to address issues of violence against youth. Duration and fee: based on specific request.
• Safety presenter: to address community, campus and workplace safety issues for women, youth and marginalized communities. Duration and fee: based on specific request.
• Legal presenter: to address legal matters as they relate to women and youth at risk of experiencing or experiencing violence. Duration and fee: based on specific request.
• Violence and violence prevention presenter: to address the issue of violence against diverse women and youth, including the scope of the problem, statistics, definitions, getting help and prevention. Duration and fee: based on specific request.

For: teachers and school administration, youth workers, youth service providers, youth leaders and peer-to-peer youth facilitators.

Trainings are offered by Respect in Action (ReAct), our peer youth violence prevention program.

Full training sessions are 3 hours long and include a maximum of 30 participants. Issues are explored in-depth and participants engage in practical group work. They include:

• definitions and warning signs of violence
• analysis of power dynamics that contribute to violence and discrimination
• solutions and strategies to prevent violence
• practical de-escalation tips and techniques
• interactive activities
• take-away resources for participants
• minuted group discussions
• pre-training and post-training surveys, results of which can be shared with training organizers

Fee: $500

In-service sessions are one hour long and include a maximum of 30 participants. Issues are introduced to participants. In-service sessions are ideal for teacher professional development days and staff meetings. They include:

• definitions of violence
• analysis of power dynamics that contribute to violence and discrimination
• solutions and strategies to prevent violence

Fee: $200

Training topics

• Bullying: addresses different types of bullying and their connection to gender, power and discrimination. Explores how youth can be supported to resist and challenge bullying and harassment in their lives.
• Dating violence: examines violence in dating relationships, including sexual assault, coercive sexuality, physical abuse, emotional abuse and stalking. Discusses healthy and unhealthily relationships and how to support young people to become allies to their peers.
• Sexual violence: defines sexual assault and sexual harassment. Explores the impact of gender stereotypes and peer pressure on relationships between youth and how sexual violence can be challenged.
• Equity and anti-oppression: introduces an anti-oppression framework, discusses issues of power and oppression and their impact on youth.
• Gender-Based Violence: addresses the forms violence against girls and women can take and introduces connections between violence, power and control.
• “You want me to talk to who?!” Community Services and Supporting Youth: explores how community services can build trust as young people are often hesistant to ask for support.
• Participants will share experiences with disclosures about violence; learn about pros and cons of reporting; and build knowledge about violence youth face, especially marginalized youth. Based on youth feedback, participants will learn what young people are looking for from services and how those who work with youth can be allies and support them in their process of healing.
• Don’t Make Me Repeat Myself: advocacy training on gender-based violence. Grounded in an anti-oppression framework, it focuses on how youth can advocate for change. It is geared to youth in Toronto but can be adapted to other locations. It is most appropriate for youth over 15 years of age with some level of leadership, anti-violence, and/or anti-oppression skills and training, whether formal or informal.

Workshops promote understanding of violence against diverse women, providing definitions, analysis, statistics and information on where to get help for participants.

Workshops topics

• Domestic violence: this workshop addresses the issue of domestic violence and how it affects women, particularly younger women, who are at greatest risk. It discusses what domestic violence is, barriers women face when ending abusive relationships and how women can be supported to address violence and build healthy relationships. Duration and fee: based on specific request.
• Sexual assault and harassment: this workshop addresses different forms of sexual violence, including harassment and assault. It discusses definitions, myths and realities of sexual violence and provides participants a better understanding of how to prevent sexual violence and address it when it happens. Duration and fee: based on specific request.

For: youth aged 8 to 30 in schools, shelters, youth groups, detention centres, drop-in centres, and community programs.

Respect in Action (ReAct), our peer youth violence prevention program, offers youth-friendly, interactive workshops and assemblies that complement school curriculum and youth programming. Workshops are conducted with groups of up to 30 participants. School assemblies are for a maximum of 250 students.

• Mini workshops (1.5 hours, up to 25 participants): $150 fee
• Full workshops (2 to 3 hours, up to 25 participants): $300 fee
• Assemblies (45 minutes to 1.5 hours): $300 fee within the City of Toronto, $600 outside the City of Toronto

Note: at least two weeks’ notice is required. Workshops outside of the City of Toronto may require additional fees to cover travel costs.

Workshop and assembly topics

• The Bully Factor: addresses different types of bullying (sexual, gender-based and physical) and how youth can resist and challenge it in their lives.
• Ending the Silence: Violence at Home: explores violence that occurs at home (physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse). Discusses how youth can resist violence at home, how they can get help and strategies to help peers.
• Feeding or Starving the Hype: Youth At-Risk and Violence: links violence against women with issues marginalized youth can face, such as harassment, racism, bullying, involvement with the law and gang violence.
• Gender-Based Violence 101: introduces issues related to gender-based violence against girls and women within an anti-oppression framework.
• Going Beyond the Massacre: December 6th Remembrance: explores connections between sexism, violence against women and the 1989 December 6th Montreal massacre. Includes media literacy activities and encourages critical thinking in all portrayals of violence against women.
• Love or Obsession? Stalking: explores the difference between romance and courtship and persistent, unwanted attention. Helps youth identify and work towards healthy relationships.
• Only Yes Means Yes! Sexual Assault: addresses issues such as rape, pressure to be sexually active and the use of date rape drugs. Explores the impact of gender stereotypes and peer pressure on relationships.
• Our Power, Our Privilege: Intro 2 Anti-Oppression: introduces anti-oppression and explains multiple forms of oppression. Interactive activities, media and art demonstrate how oppression effects youth uniquely with respect to gender, race, class, immigration status, sexuality, ability and religion. Includes self-reflective activities to help participants recognize oppression, power and privilege.
• Speak Your Truth: Empowerment for Young Mothers: for girl-only groups. Helps young mothers identify and build on healthy relationships and looks at physical, spiritual, financial, sexual, and emotional boundaries.
• Speak Your Truth: Empowerment for Young Women: for girl-only groups. Helps young women learn about empowerment and deal with pressures that can hinder empowerment.
• Looks at physical, spiritual, financial, sexual, and emotional boundaries.
• Tough Guise: Masculinity: for boy-only groups. Addresses male stereotypes and links them to gender violence. Includes a media literacy component on masculinity in popular culture and how men can build healthy relationships, become allies, and support women experiencing violence.
• What’s Love Got to do with it? Dating Violence: examines violence in dating relationships, including sexual assault, coercive sexuality, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and stalking. Discusses healthy and unhealthily relationships and how youth can be allies to their peers.
• What’s Love Got to do with it? Dating Violence for LGBTQ Youth: examines violence in lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer youth dating relationships (sexual assault, coercive sexuality, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and stalking). Discusses healthy and unhealthily relationships and how youth can be allies to their peers.
• Why the Looks? Bullying Between Young Women: for girl-only groups. Explores verbal, emotional and physical violence between young women outside of same-sex dating relationships. Identifies anger and aggression and explores underlying causes. Emphasis on developing healthy ways of relating and ending bullying.
• You Can Lean On Me: Supporting Friends: most effective as a follow-up to a workshop on violence. Focusses on how young people can support each other and explores what we usually want from friends, what to say and the challenges of supporting a friend. Participants practice skills of supportive listening and non-judgment. Participants and facilitators share what they know about community resources that support youth and strategize how to connect friends to resources.
• Young People Surviving and Thriving: Self-Care: most effective as a follow-up to a workshop on violence. Looks at what youth already do to deal with violence in their lives and explores whether or not it really helps; options people who have survived violence have; barriers to accessing support; and why it is important to find a path to healing. Participants and facilitators share what they know about community resources that support youth.