Challenging society’s minimization of gender-based violence   

Every day, people across the country face violence because of their gender, gender expression, gender identity or perceived gender. This is called gender-based violence (GBV), but many think it only applies to physical violence against an intimate partner. We needed to help Canadian youth see different forms of GBV for what it is — violence. 

WeTo ensure subject matter expertise and broad reach, first we developed partnerships with non-governmental organizations working against GBV across Canada. In consultation with them, we created a national youth campaign to increase awareness of GBV in all its forms and ultimately shift behaviours and actions to create a safer Canada for everyone. Using “It’s not just” as a tagline, the campaign highlights GBV as a systemic problem and encourages people to stop dismissing it as “just a joke”, “just a compliment”, or “just trolling”. This has come to life as social posts, videos, and resources, including a series of five learning modules developed in collaboration with youth leaders and NGOs to empower youth with anti-GBV training. 

• Developed partnerships with 13 non-governmental organizations working against gender-based violence 
• Tagline “It’s not just” was used in the House of Commons when discussing gender-based violence
• Distributed over 11,000 assets to 81 youth-serving organizations in Canada and 50 schools in 8 provinces and territories