CHILD Studies

CHILD Studies’ Dr. Nicole Letourneau was recently featured in HRReporter, highlighting how lack of workplace flexibility and support can make returning to work even harder for mothers experiencing postpartum depression, especially those in high-stress or lower-income jobs.

Read more about this important research!
https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/diversity/child-penalty-postpartum-depression-not-just-short-term-keeps-women-from-returning-to-work/394113

Join us on Wednesday, December 17th, as the AVA Webinar Series presents Allies for Gender Equality, featuring Humberto Carolo from White Ribbon.

🗓️ Wednesday, December 17th, 2025

⏰ 12 – 1:30pm MST

This presentation explores the history/origins and work of White Ribbon and introduces best practices to building allyship and accountability among men and boys. We will cover topics such as healthy masculinities; understanding emotions; harmful norms and stereotypes and how they impact well-being and safety; new forms of technology-facilitated misogyny, harms and hatred; pathways towards accountability and allyship; and what men and boys can do within their everyday life to be positive agents of change. Inspiring examples of allyship and transformative culture change from the Canadian and global contexts will be included, with a particular focus on best practices and lessons learned in addressing and preventing sexual and gender-based violence and harassment in communities and workplaces.

About the Speaker:

Humberto Carolo is a global GBV prevention expert and CEO of White Ribbon Canada. He specializes in engaging men and boys in gender equality and has advised governments, UN agencies, and organizations worldwide. He is a former Co-chair and current Board member of the Global MenEngage Alliance and a founding member of the North American network. His work spans Canada, the U.S., and countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

Humberto serves on Canada’s Department of National Defense External Advisory Council, the Canadian Armed Forces Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre, and Ontario’s Domestic Violence Death Review Committee. He is also part of the Religions for Peace Commission on Advancing Gender Equality.

He holds a degree in Sociology, Political Science, and Portuguese from the University of Toronto, completed the Emerging Leaders Program at York University’s Schulich School of Business, and is a 2014 DiverseCity Fellow.

Register today! www.avatraining.ca/webinars

So, what is gender-based violence?

Gender-based violence (GBV) refers to harmful actions directed at someone due to their gender, gender identity, or gender expression. This can include physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological harm, as well as systemic discrimination or threats. Although it can affect anyone, GBV is disproportionately experienced by women, girls, and individuals from gender-diverse groups.

Gender-based violence includes many different types of harm or abuse such as physical and sexual violence, emotional and psychological harm, economic abuse and technology facilitated abuse (cyberviolence). Additionally, coercive control is an often overlooked form of intimate partner violence with serious impacts on well-being and safety. It includes behaviors like monitoring, isolation, and restricting freedom, all intended to undermine a person’s independence.

If you or someone you know is affected by gender-based violence, help is available:
www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence/services.html

⭐ Today is National Child Day in Canada—a reminder of our commitment to protecting the rights and wellbeing of every child. 🇨🇦

Let’s continue advocating for safe communities, accessible education, mental-health supports, and equitable opportunities for all young people.

Children aren’t just our future - they are our present. 💙💜

Join us TOMORROW!

We’re excited to invite you to the 2025 AVA National Meeting on Thursday, November 20th - a chance to connect, collaborate, and be inspired by the incredible work happening across our national network.

This year’s meeting is co-hosted with AVA Community Agency Partners Andrea Silverstone and Carrie McManus from Sagesse Domestic Violence Prevention Society - the visionary authors of Innovation at the Back of the Bus.

Andrea and Carrie’s insights will inspire all of us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in our collective work to address gender-based violence and support lasting change.

This year’s meeting will also feature Jennifer Collins, AVA Early Career Researcher and member of the AVA Leads Committee; Sarah Yercich, AVA Early Career Researcher and host of the AVA Webinar Series; and Kharah Ross, AVA Mid-Career Researcher and lead of the AVA Online Program and Committee. We are also joined by Charmaine Crockett, Interim CEO of the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH), and Ana Van B***n, Vice President of Economic Security & Opportunity at Futures Without Violence, who bring valuable national and international perspectives on gender equality, empowerment, and systemic change.

Get ready to:
🚀 Think outside the box – explore bold ideas for violence prevention and systemic change.
💡 Drive innovation – learn from leaders who are reshaping how communities respond to gender-based violence.
❤️ Create lasting impact – join a movement powered by collaboration, compassion, and courage.

📅 Date: Thursday, November 20, 2025
📍 Location: This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom
⏰ Time: 10 AM – 1:30 PM MST / 12:00 – 3:30 PM EST

Register today! www.avatraining.ca/national-meeting-2025

A huge congratulations to our Junior Program Manager, Kelly Wu, on recently graduating with a Master of Data Science from the University of Calgary!
Join us in celebrating Kelly’s incredible achievement! 🥳

Join us on Wednesday, October 15th, as the AVA Webinar Series presents Q***r Epistemologies of Violence: Ecological and Liberatory Perspectives, featuring Dr. Jason C. Garvey from the University of Vermont and principal investigator of QTPiE: Q***r and Trans People in Education.

🗓️ Wednesday, October 15th, 2025

⏰ 12 – 1:30pm MST

In this session, Dr. Garvey will reframe violence prevention through the lens of q***r epistemologies and ecological perspectives, highlighting how violence operates across individual, interpersonal, institutional, and societal levels. Drawing on stories, research insights, and community-driven strategies Jay will explore liberatory approaches that dismantle silos, center minoritized voices, and foster systemic change. Designed for educators, researchers, advocates, and community members, the session offers intersectional perspectives and practical tools to strengthen gender-based and interpersonal violence prevention.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Jason C. Garvey is the Executive Director for the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment and the Friedman-Hipps Green and Gold Professor of Education at the University of Vermont. As an interdisciplinary researcher, he uses his expertise in student success, teaching and learning, education policy, and statistics to merge data-informed decision making with social change and impact in higher education. Jay is the Principal Investigator for QTPiE: Q***r and Trans People in Education, a multi-institutional research team with a mission to educate, advocate, and build coalitions that advance equitable policies and practices for q***r and trans people in education. He received his PhD in College Student Personnel Administration from the University of Maryland with a certificate in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation.

Register today! www.avatraining.ca/webinars