Alberta Council of Women's Shelters

Purpose

This 12-month project will raise awareness with men and boys, alongside women and girls, towards action in eliminating gender-based violence. In partnership with women’s organizations, the CFL and Edmonton Junior Football, the organization will create meaningful participatory experiences at the week-long 2018 Grey Cup festival held in Edmonton, Alberta that draw attention to gender based violence, trafficking, sexual exploitation and their association with sporting events. These include a Breakfast with The Guys initiative, in which youth and sport role models are engaged in a discussion around domestic violence and their roles in addressing gendered violence; as well as train the trainer activities aimed at junior football players, allowing them to support the continuation of training to additional junior players throughout the year. ACWS will also partner with the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking Alberta to develop tools to assist those working in the hospitality industry to better understand and recognize potential trafficking and sexual exploitation; as well as work with the Edmonton Police Services to establish a baseline on the rates of violence against women associated with sporting events. An evaluation will measure the success of project activities to establish a framework to inform future work linking gender-based violence and sporting events.