Project Respect™ is youth talking to youth about:

• how to prevent sexualized violence
• how to communicate about love, sex and intimacy
• how to show respect in relationships.

Project Respect™ is a youth driven multi-media prevention program that addresses the root causes of sexual violence among youth. Attitudes about gender, values about sexuality, peer pressure and miscommunication about sex all contribute to an environment where sexual assault can happen.

Project Respect™ is a prevention model that creatively engages young men and women to talk about love, sex and relationships in a way that empowers them to be true to themselves. Whether youth are sexually active or abstinent, Project Respect™ gives youth the tools to determine what is best for themselves and communicate what they want with others.

Youth staff and volunteers have developed this project with the support of specialists in the area of sexualized violence recovery and prevention. A school based program and a social marketing campaign have been developed over the last two years in the Greater Victoria area with the help and support of many funders, media partners, school staff, parent partners and community members.

School Program:

"The whole workshop made me feel more confident about myself."(student participant)

The school program is a fun, interactive, two part workshop facilitated by two youth leaders. The Respect Revolution Video is at the heart of the program. It features youth delivering prevention strategies in a provocative, media-saavy style to counter sexualized violence among youth.

Part One raises awareness about the root causes of sexualized violence. Youth explore how gender stereotypes, labels (such as slut, player and fag),and the sexual double standard impact us as individuals and as a society. Through discussion, students learn how these root causes can lead to sexualized violence.

Part Two is a call to action. Youth learn ways to identify and communicate their sexual boundaries by playing fun games and discussion. Youth are taught ways to say what they want and don’t want and encouraged to think about what their own sexual values are.

"I am going to talk to my friends about their sexual relationships and teach them what I learned"

(student participant)

Parents have the opportunity to attend a parent orientation before the workshop is presented to students . Parents are shown the video, get a summary of the project, and have a chance to ask questions and give feedback.

Similarly, Project Respect™ meets with teachers, principals and counselling staff before the workshop to answer any questions staff may have.

If you are interested in obtaining more information about the video and/or the workshops, please contact us.

Respect™ Campaign: Making Waves in the Media

Project Respect™ is all about raising awareness and changing attitudes and behaviours in the youth population. Youth are strongly influenced by their environment, including multi-media. A unique challenge to Project Respect™ was to take the learning that was happening in the classrooms about healthy sexuality and convey it through the local media to raise the awareness of the issue in the general population.

Media cooperation is critical to the success of violence prevention programs. Media have a powerful voice that can re-address the root causes of violence, and provide an alternative. Project Respect™ approached the media with three goals in mind:

• to achieve partnerships that would carry the messages through a variety of media.
• To actively engage media spokespersons in customizing the messages to their distinct audiences.
• To interest the "on air" media in supporting a ‘cool’ alternative to messages that promote stereotyping and labeling.

Our media partners in Victoria include Hot 103.5, Extreme 107.3, CBC, Times Colonist, Teen Times, The New Group, Monday Magazine, CKMO 900, The Ocean 98.5, CFAX 1070, the Q!, CHEKTV,and Shaw Communications. We have also been supported by local magazines, including Focus on Women, Island Parent Magazine, Teen Times, and several municipal newsletters.

Media Partners have worked with the Project Respect™ team right from the inception of the project design, contributing their expertise and equipment to support the video production through to broadcasting the key messaes in the form of P.S.A.’s and donating space for print ads. The print media carried our ad series conveying that everyone has the right to healthy sexuality. Finally, the local television station is running a professional Public Service Announcement.

The media partners have gone one giant step further than expected, exceeding our expectations and goals. Their personal and professional interest in Project Respect™ and untold hours of personal time in helping prepare the key messages for the broader public has been extraordinary and inspiring.

Our media partners have proven their commitment to youth and their community. On behalf of the youth who will benefit from your work, Thank You!

MAKING IT HAPPEN!!!

Many thanks to the many , many organizations and individuals that have contributed to Project Respect™ We greatly appreciate all the support. You made it happen!

• Funders: Cluster of Friends Campaign ( individual donors) Kaatza Foundation Millenium Partnership Program Ministry of Women’s Equality Ministry of Attorney General — Youth Action Teams National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention: Community Mobilization Fund Pacific Coast Savings Foundation Provincial Employees Community Services Fund Vancouver Foundation Victoria Foundation Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre Youth Options YW/YMCA — gift in kind

Supporters: BC Association of Specialized Victim Assistance and Counselling Programs BC Society of Transition Houses BC Women’s Health Centre Boys and Girls Club of Victoria Capital Region Action Team Against Sexually Exploited Youth Family Services of North Shore, Vancouver FREDA, Simon Fraser University Intercultural Association of Greater Victoria James Bay Community Project Kamloops Sexual Assault Center Military Family Resource Centre Pacific Centre Family Services PEERS Prince George Sexual Assault Centre Red Cross of Canada Rock Solid Foundation Safe Teen Salt Spring Island Women Opposed to Violence and Abuse Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse Surrey Memorial Hospital The BC Children’s Commission University of Victoria, Department of Psychology Vancouver YWCA Victoria Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Victoria Transition House

Media Partners: CBC Radio CHEK TV CKMO 900 Extreme 107.3 and CFAX 1070 Focus on Women Hot 103 Island Parent Magazine Monday Magazine Shaw Communications Teen Times The News Group The Ocean 98.5 The Q! Times Colonist

School Partners: School District 61 of Greater Victoria BC Healthy Schools Project Glenlyon Norfolk School A special thanks to the staff and students that helped with the Project Development: Colquitz Jr. High Esquimalt High Girls Alternative Program Lambrick Park High School Mt. Doug High School Parkland Secondary Reynolds Jr. Secondary Victoria High School

Parent Partners: BC Parent Advisory Council BC Parent Advisory Council Parent Advisory Councils for Colquitz Jr. High School and Victoria High School Parents of Youth Advisory Committee members Individual parents that have offered feedback throughout the project.

Youth Advisory Committee (YAC)

• Year one: a creative team of 10 youth created the video and media campaign, "Take the Respect Challenge". A total of 39 youth, between the ages of 15 and 25 were involved in the making of the video.
• Year two: a committee of 15 core members and a total of 40 youth were involved in communicating with the media at a press conference, hosting community events to raise awareness among youth, and helping to create the school based workshop.

 

Victoria Women's Sexual Assualt Centre:

The Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre (WSAC) in Victoria, BC, has made prevention a priority in their work with survivors. With over 19 years of expertise in the area of sexualized violence against women, VWSAC decided in 1998 to initiate a prevention program aimed at reducing the risk of sexualized violence among youth that would make a difference. Project Respect™ is the result. Please visit the VWSAC website for more information about its other services.

THANKS TO OUR FUNDERS!!!!