Join us on Wednesday, May 21st as the AVA Webinar Series presents, Digital Innovation & Intersectional Approaches to Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Its Impact with Lucrezia Spagnolo from Vesta Social Innovation Technologies.
Wednesday, May 21st, 2025
11am-12pm MST
This engaging and impactful session will explore how digital innovation can transform responses to gender-based violence (GBV). This webinar will showcase findings from VESTA’s five-year project, which led to the development of the VESTA Community web-based application—a trauma-informed tool designed to empower survivors and strengthen community partnerships. The session will highlight the project’s and the app’s impact on survivors and community partners, offering valuable insights into its role in fostering resilience and support.
Building on these findings, the session will also outline next steps, focusing on how VESTA is applying lessons learned to address the unique challenges faced by immigrant, refugee, and non-status women impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV). These populations often face significant barriers to accessing support, including legal, cultural, and systemic challenges . By integrating intersectional approaches, participatory research, and community engagement, VESTA is working to create culturally responsive, scalable solutions that meet the needs of these marginalized groups. This is an opportunity to learn about innovative, evidence-based strategies that combine technology, research, and collaboration to address GBV and IPV. Don’t miss this chance to be part of a vital conversation about creating safer, more inclusive communities.
About the Speaker
Lucrezia Spagnolo is the Founder and CEO of VESTA Social Innovation Technologies, a social enterprise dedicated to transforming responses to gender-based violence (GBV) through innovative technology and community engagement. With a mission to end rape culture, VESTA develops trauma-informed digital tools that empower survivors and facilitate access to justice. A graduate of McGill University, Lucrezia has over 15 years of leadership experience and her commitment to social impact was ignited during her time as an Executive-in-Residence with the Ashoka Foundation, where she enhanced the operational capacity of social enterprises. In addition to her work at VESTA, through collaborations with academic partners, Lucrezia contributes to the discourse on how digital solutions can support GBV survivors. Through her work, she aims to lower barriers to reporting and increase access to resources, ensuring individuals have agency, choice and equal treatment under the law.