SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act project is leading the first national research-to-action project looking at sexual harassment faced by students in experiential learning contexts (such as internships, practicums, placements, and co-ops) at the post-secondary level.

There has been little to no research on this issue. Students are especially vulnerable to sexual harassment in the workplace as a result of power differentials between students and employers, supervisors, and instructors. Students also rely on experiential learning opportunities to complete their education and gain employment post-graduation.

Our research found that:

  • 1 in 2 post-secondary students have been subjected to at least one instance of sexual harassment in an experiential learning opportunity.

  • Nearly three-quarters of staff at post-secondary institutions were aware of at least one example of sexual harassment against an experiential learning student.

Sexual harassment should never be the price students pay to enter their industry. Possibility Seeds created several strategies, resources, and tools for post-secondary institutions, staff, students, and experiential learning providers to address this urgent issue. Download the resources below, and share widely with your network!

project RESOURCES

Download and share our suite of free practical tools and resources, including a model for responding to disclosures of sexual harassment and violence in professional settings; a workbook for building protocols to respond to sexual harassment and violence in experiential learning; and policy and legislative recommendations to protect students from sexual harassment and violence in experiential learning contexts.

The Research Team

Britney De Costa (she/her)
Project Lead
britney@possibilityseeds.ca

Andréanne St-Gelais (she/her/elle)
Bilingual Project Coordinator

Farrah Khan (she/her)
Project Advisor

Laxana Paskaran (she/her)
Research Assistant

Noémie Veilleux (she/her/elle)
Bilingual Research Assistant

Tess Hopkins (she/they)
MSW Placement Student

 

  • Adriana Berlingieri (She/her), Academic Research Associate, Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children, Western University

    Aryanna Chartrand (She/her), Former Chairperson, Alliance of BC Students

    Blessie Mathew (She/her), Director, Career Centre, University of Alberta

    Jean-Pierre Fernandes (He/him), Senior Specialist, Diversity and Inclusion, City of Toronto

    Lianne Kendall Perfect (She/her), Sexual Violence Response Specialist, Centre for Equity and Inclusion, Sheridan College

    Maya Labrosse (Elle), Former President, Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec

    Farrah Khan (She/her), CEO, Possibility Seeds (on leave)

    Laxana Paskaran (She/her), Research Assistant, Possibility Seeds’ Experiential Learning Project

Community Partners

 
 
 
 
 

Resources for Support

Find resources, support, and information on sexual harassment in your province or territory.

About Us

Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act is a multi-year national project to address and prevent gender-based violence on post-secondary campuses in Canada. The project builds on Possibility Seeds’ landmark report, “Courage to Act: Developing a National Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions.” The Courage to Act project is made possible through funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada.