"Awareness through education is essential to everyone's security," says Tamalyn Hossack, a fourth-year Arts student and co-ordinator of the Women Students' Office (WSO) Safer Campus Peer Education Program.
Beginning this month, Hossack and a team of peer educators will offer workshops aimed at providing students with up-to-date information on personal security issues at UBC.
Sex, Dating and All That Jazz introduces students to the issue of acquaintance sexual assault and the roles that communication, personal power and autonomy play within intimate relationships.
Campus peer educators are students who have been trained as group facilitators. This is the third year that the workshops, funded by the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, are being offered.
"The workshops are designed to raise awareness of the problems associated with safety in both public places on campus, such as the library and bus loop, and private settings in personal relationships," Hossack says.
Creating a Safer Campus focuses on resources and programs at UBC which help students reduce risks and maintain personal security. The interactive workshop encourages participants to identify options and solutions to personal security scenarios.
"The workshops allow participants to express their thoughts in a non-judgmental setting and offer a diversity of viewpoints," Hossack says. "People often leave with new perspectives."
Each 90-minute workshop can accommodate up to 20 participants and both are available to campus groups, clubs and residences upon request. Interested individuals may register with the WSO and will be contacted about dates and times.
For more information, please call the WSO at 822-2415.