McGill University

Purpose

This 41-month project will support a feminist response and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19, through systemic change. McGill University will achieve this by actively involving Indigenous girls and young women who have experience in arts-based work addressing gender-based violence (GBV), in the development and implementation of community-based activities that will create inclusive spaces for Indigenous boys and young men to participate in arts-based interventions. Building on this, the project will establish the Pathways2Equity Framework (Framework) which will detail steps to creating local and culturally relevant dialogues and knowledge-sharing events, and inform how to use 'dialogues-through-the-arts' approaches to: engage Indigenous boys and men in learning about GBV; dismantle harmful gender stereotypes and norms; and build foundations for establishing safer relationships. A pan-Canadian network will be established through sharing and discussing the Framework among communities with experience in arts-based interventions, and with new sites interested in adopting the Pathways2Equity approach. At the end of the project, McGill University will have contributed to addressing systemic barriers by addressing persistent harmful gender norms and attitudes, advancing inclusive policies and practices, and supporting positive distribution of authority, voices, and decision-making power, to support women’s equality. Driven by Indigenous youth – diverse groups of girls and young women working alongside diverse groups of boys and young men, the Pathways2Equity project will build upon ongoing arts-based work addressing GBV with Indigenous girls in three communities with varied settings and will optimize the leadership skills of Indigenous girls and young women. Through this project, McGill University will also address the need to engage boys and young men in work to disrupt broader social norms and structures that contribute to harmful gender stereotypes, inequality and ultimately fuel GBV. Guided by the Pathways2Equity Framework, a network will be grown based on local and national interest and engagement. It will support dialogue-through-the arts engagement across the sites, and utilize social media to build the pan-Canadian initiative. A national knowledge sharing event will bring the project team, youth participants and other stakeholders together to review the Framework and generate ideas for its enhancement. Lastly, the project will include an Indigenous-led evaluation component that will seek to confirm evidence of positive change. The 2024-2025 supplemental funds will cover costs associated with building on the insights gained from the initial project phase, with a focus on how male identified Indigenous youth can guide the development, scalability and sustainability of resources, and create meaningful dialogue, knowledge mobilization and support for promising practices related to arts-based facilitation and learnings about GBV. Key activity areas will be: youth and adult co-analysis of youth-led work to consider what else is needed to create authentic impact in community; consultation for the co-creation of knowledge mobilization tools; validation through peer connection and knowledge exchange; and, launch and dissemination of tools and resources that will further the potential for gender transformative work in addressing the root causes of GBV in community.