RSVP by November 5 to uoft.me/realtalk

You’re invited to a night of Real Talk with engineering alumni about the intersection of engineering skills and social change. Equip yourself with knowledge that can help you make decisions about when to act for social change versus when to step back, learn how to find your way when you want to contribute your engineering skills but don’t know how, and better understand how engineers can strike a balance between supporting others and empowering themselves to lead.

This night will offer:

• Tools and take-aways from working alumni that you can use as you decide on and a plan a course to contribute to social justice initiatives with engineering skills and expertise.
• Find out how engineering alumni have empowered themselves,
• The hard lessons they’ve learned about social change work, how they’ve adjusted their approaches and persevered
• The power of deep listening
•  A chance for you to plot your own steps towards empowering yourself and others in the face of overwhelming projects for systemic change, including preliminary learning.

This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history. The 14 victims, 12 of whom were engineering students, were targeted because they were women in an engineering school. The anniversary of the tragedy has since become a day of remembrance and action against the many ways women continue to experience harm, violence and discrimination — particularly among girls, Indigenous women, two-spirit people, Black women, trans women, racialized women, and women in STEM.

On Monday, December 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, we invite students, staff, faculty, librarians, alumni and partners to attend a virtual, tri-campus commemoration of this important day. The event includes a memorial and panel discussion about the rise of gender-based violence during COVID-19, and how we can integrate prevention strategies into our pandemic recovery. Together, we will re-commit ourselves to reflection, awareness and putting an end to gender-based violence.

Take action and register today at uoft.me/NDRAVW.

This event is co-hosted by the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Community Safety Office, Sexual and Gender Diversity Office, Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre and Hart House.

Program

• Opening Remarks
• Award Presentation for Scholarly Achievement in the Area of Gender-Based Violence
• Memorial and Reflection
• Musical Performance by Skule™ Orchestra
• Panel Discussion with Q&A:  Reflections on ending gender-based violence in a post-pandemic world

Over the 14 days leading up to December 6, U of T Engineering will share one action a day towards ending gender-based discrimination and violence. Join the conversation using #MyActionsMatter.

See the posts on Twitter »

Care, Healing, and Justice: Addressing Transmisogyny and Ending Gender-Based Violence for All

On December 6, U of T joins communities across Canada in remembering the 14 women killed in a devastating act of misogyny at the engineering school at Montreal’s École Polytechnique in 1989.

AGENDA

All students, staff, faculty, and librarians are welcome to attend this tri-campus event to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Our program includes:

• In-Person Only: Sign-In Opens at 11:30 a.m.
  • Please arrive between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. to facilitate sign-in (registration for the in-person event is required in advance)
• In-Person Only: Welcome Lunch, 12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• In-Person and Virtual: Opening Remarks and Welcome, 12:30 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
• In-Person and Virtual: Awards Presentation and Memorial, 12:50 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.
• In-Person and Virtual: Keynote Presentation, 1:20 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
• In-Person and Virtual: Closing Reflections, 2:10 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
• In-Person: Optional Decompression Activity, 2:20 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Register to attend in person in the Great Hall at Hart House or join virtually on YouTube.

MEMORIAL

This memorial, led by the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, will honour the lives of women impacted by gender-based violence. It will include a musical performance.

Keynote Presentation: care, healing, and justice: addressing transmisogyny and ending gender-based violence for all

This event will include a keynote presentation from a Toronto-based writer and performer on the rise in transmisogyny and violence against queer and trans women globally. Together, we will co-create a space for healing, and move towards meaningful, intersectional action that prioritizes an end to gender-based violence for all.