The Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children Learning Network and Knowledge Hub presents the upcoming webinar:
Sustaining the Sector: Systemic Change to Address GBV Worker Wellbeing
Presented by: Jenn Gorham, Krys Maki, and Samantha Fernandes
Tuesday, January 28th, 2025 | 1:00 to 2:30 pm Eastern Time (ET)
Gender-based Violence (GBV) workers face high levels of stress and fatigue due to challenging working conditions and ongoing trauma exposure, making it difficult to maintain wellbeing. Many of these challenges are systemic, including insufficient mental health supports, low salaries, precarious work and overwhelming caseloads. Systemic solutions are needed to address these complex concerns that are causing many skilled workers to burn out and leave the sector. In this session we will discuss the work being done to address these concerns, including initiatives that introduce the concept of collective care and how it can be applied to improve GBV worker wellbeing. We will also look at research and movement building work that has been done to improve conditions for GBV workers, centred around labour and activism. The session will speak to the trajectory of systemic change work that has been done in recent years, and will articulate current and future work that is aimed at addressing these challenges, with the intention of building supports for GBV workers across the sector.
Learning Objectives:
After participating in this Webinar, participants will better be able to: Provide a systemic, national context for understanding issues related to GBV worker wellbeingDefine the GBV workforce and the importance of building a collective identity in order to address systemic issuesHighlight the research, advocacy, and movement-building work that is being done to address issues of GBV worker wellbeingPropose collective care as a framework that can be used to help organizations and workers maintain their wellbeing
Webinar is offered in both official languages: English and French. This Webinar will run in English with simultaneous French and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. A Webinar recording will be made available after the Webinar. Register for the Webinar and receive an email when the recording is posted!