About us

About Us

Our Mission

We aim to foster a community where attitudes and behaviours that continue sexual violence are rejected, survivors are supported, community members are educated and those who commit incidents of sexual violence are held accountable.

Our Philosophy

We trust the power of advocacy and education, and believe in diverse, safe and accessible services, which are fundamental to social change and empowering survivors.

At the Centre, our work is driven by our community's needs. Survivors, and those affected by sexual violence, will be provided with compassionate services, dignity, privacy and respect.

Policy and Process

York’s Policy on Sexual Violence outlines the supports available to those affected by sexual violence, the processes in place to address reports, the rights and obligations of community members and affirms York’s commitment to procedural fairness. This policy applies to all York community members, including volunteers, contractors, invited guests and more.

The Centre is committed to engaging in ongoing dialogue with our community members through presentations, meetings or consultations to gain feedback and raise awareness.

More than 35 consultations were held by the Sexual Violence Working Group with community groups across campus, students, staff and faculty, including over 60 hours of public consultations. These community consultations allowed representatives of the working group to meet face-to-face with just under 600 community members, and helped set the foundation for establishing our policy, and the vision for our office.

Our ongoing meetings with the community continue to uphold insightful input, help us build awareness and aid with educating individuals about York’s policy. It’s important that we continue to meet with members of our community to raise awareness about the support services and accommodations available to survivors, as well as how best to approach training, education and communications.

The benefits of input:

Advisory Committee 

The Sexual Violence Policy Advisory Committee is responsible for offering guidance on York’s Sexual Violence Policy and related policies, procedures and guidelines. Responsibility for addressing disclosures or reports of sexual violence does not rest with this committee.

  • We encourage all members of the community to share their input. If you would like to provide feedback, please contact us to communicate virtually or in-person – feedback can be held in confidence.