In 2021, our Youth Impact Team identified the need to address a “jock culture” that they felt added to the low percentage of female students who felt safe*. With funding from WAGE Canada and 100 Women Who Care, we began working with a student team from Waterdown District High School to develop and pilot an ally program.
*In a 2015 survey of grade 7 – 12 students in East Flamborough,
only 38% of females felt safe at home, school, and in the neighbourhood.”
Attitudes & Behaviours survey, Search Institute
On this page:
This student team developed the vision, mission and purpose that would guide this project, renaming themselves HEART (Healthy Education About Relationships Team). We have now expanded into Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School as well, with a second student HEART team.
Vision: A school environment that is safe for all genders, where everyone feels heard, supported and treated with equity.
Mission: Tackling the systemic issues in our community by raising awareness and educating youth about GBV to ensure youth have safe spaces to develop healthy relationships.
Purpose: Address persistent and harmful gender stereotypes and build healthy relationships to break the gender-based violence cycle. For males (grades 7 – 12) to see themselves as allies in preventing violence against women.
Are you a youth? Learn more about HEART and how to get involved on our Youth Portal!
This program will connect youth with education on healthy relationships, consent, healthy masculinity, and prevention of misogyny and domestic violence. We have already received tremendous support from the community including a generous donation from ‘100 Women Who Care’ who we would like to thank for the seed money for this important program.”
– Steffani Lang, Research Coordinator, Youth Impact Team member
Overview:
To establish, train and equip student teams in high schools to address teen dating violence by continually evaluating and integrating evidence-based prevention interventions, including “Be More Than A Bystander”, “Learn to Love” and Fourth R, into a work plan and communication strategy for the school year.
In partnership with school boards, the effectiveness of each intervention would be evaluated on an ongoing basis. Upon school board approval, new programs/interventions and policies will be shaped by H.E.A.R.T.
This approach has been tested as part of a pilot project aimed at tackling gender-based violence amongst youth in high schools (funded by WAGE Canada). Students helped create a framework and developed an approach to collaborative education on healthy relationships that included a vision, purpose, core values, and distinctive branding. H.E.A.R.T (Healthy Education About Relationships Team) was launched in high schools in Hamilton, Ontario as a pilot project in 2022. A H.E.A.R.T. page on our Youth Portal (website) was created to provide information, resources, and evaluation tools: youth.healthyouthnetwork.ca/heart/.
Using a student-led approach that tests and delivers prevention interventions and promotes healthy relationships throughout the school year, we will have a greater impact on the student population, helping to change culture and reduce youth dating violence.
There is a misunderstanding that these sorts of programs target males negatively. The goal is actually to help men feel more comfortable with themselves and not have toxic views about masculinity so they’re able to express emotions, to have healthy relationships. That benefits men and women — it’s more about working in a partnership and helping men and women understand each other better, as well as improve men’s view of themselves and how they treat women. It isn’t an attack on masculinity — it’s an attack on pressures that are put on men.
– The Flamborough Review
Take a look at our work plan!
Our Train-the-Trainer Approach
GBA+ training will ensure our student teams look through an intersectional lens as they plan events and create impactful messaging that engages all youth in meaningful ways. Professionals from our partners (such as Interval House & Halton Women’s Place) will train members of HEART, with education which they, in turn, will share with their peers at school HEART events.
Long Term Goals
- Scale up HEART into other high schools and school boards to adopt this youth led approach:
- Train other youth-serving organizations to adopt HEART into their schools and communities.
- By scaling up HEART into schools across Canada, we believe this model would create a consistent, student-centered framework for promoting healthy relationships and preventing youth dating violence.
- Extending the reach of our website portals across Canada so youth, parents/caregivers, teachers and youth-serving organizations can:
- obtain and share information, resources and data
- share their own experiences and stories
- Access training and programs
- Access support
Our Partners
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
- Student leadership teams will help us develop a strategy and messaging that is unique to our community and ensures a youth focused approach.
Interval House MentorAction – “Be More Than A Bystander”:
- Since 2011 MentorAction has been raising awareness about the role men play in gendered violence and working to come up with strategies to redefine masculinity and make Hamilton and safer place.
- MentorAction is a volunteer committee comprised of men in leadership roles in Hamilton, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. There are representatives on this committee from all different fields, from health and social services to education and media.
- Interval House of Hamilton MentorAction program to end violence against women and girls and all forms of gender-based violence was started in 2016 by Interval House of Hamilton.
- Hamilton Bulldogs, McMaster University Athletics, and Hamilton Tiger Cats are partners in Be More Than A Bystander with 100% commitment and participation.
- In-school presentations by Be More Than A Bystander trained athletes. Topics include consent, being more than a bystander, campus & community violence.
Halton Women’s Place
- EngageMENt Male Series: A program for boys and men, created to encourage our male allies to participate in conversation and action to end gender-based violence. Over one hour a week for 4 weeks, our facilitator guides students through discussion around music and movies, sports culture, online and video games – through a gender lens. The groups discuss what healthy masculinity means to them, and explore ways that they can help end gender based violence. We promote young men taking a leadership role and taking action.
- LeadHERship & EmpowHER Female Series: The goal is to empower girls to become critical thinkers, barrier breakers, and confident leaders. Over 4 sessions, students will be guided through media literacy, stereotypes, healthy relationships, and leadership skills – through a gender empowerment lens. When girls see their potential, and their power within, the world becomes a better place. Learn more.
- School Presentations: Healthy Relationships = Healthy Communities is the public education program developed and by Halton Women’s Place. Currently serving schools in Halton, teachers book us to deliver lessons to classes on topics related to dating, intimate partner violence, healthy relationships and healthy masculinity. Learn more.
Our Team
- Diana Boatman – Student Services teacher, WDHS
- Greg Clark – Principal, WDHS
- Greg Gregoriou – Assistant Head, Student Services, WDHS
- Laurie Hepburn – Executive Director, Halton Women’s Place
- Jerusha Mack – Supervisor, Violence Prevention and Community Education, Halton Women’s Place
- Chrissy McComb – Teacher Lead, Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School
- Lisa Sidorkewicz – Teacher Lead, Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School
- Brent Monkley – VP, Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School
- Jonathan Schinkel – VP, WDHS
- Theresa Sgambato – Principal, Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School
- Sue Taylor – Executive Director, Interval House of Hamilton
- Kaila Thomas – Teacher Lead, WDHS
- Derek Zuccolo – Head, Student Services, WDHS
- HYN members –
- Mackenzie Boers – Ally Program Coordinator; Communications Coordinator
- Penny Deathe – Executive Director
Funding
