Not too long ago, I posted a press release for Green Dot Week and, this Wednesday, I decided to attend a Green Dot talk at Innis to learn more.

I’d first like to mention how impressed I was with the presenter, Cheryl. Incorporating personal experiences with violence to show how the Green Dot may actually be applied to everyday life, she also illustrated that the person doing the hurting is not necessarily the only one with a choice to make.

If you didn’t read the press release, you’re probably wondering what the heck the Green Dot is. Here’s a brief summary:

The Green Dot initiative focuses on ending act of power-based personal violence – Red Dots – which include partner violence, sexual violence, or stalking, through the use of the three Ds. As written on the postcard I received at the talk, the three Ds are:
Direct: ’If you think someone you know could be in an abusive relationship, tell them you’re concerned.’
Distract: ‘If you see someone trying to isolate someone else who has been drinking heavily, find an excuse to get that person safely out of the situation.’
Delegate: ’If you’re concerned for someone’s safety, but it feels dangerous to intervene, get other people to help, including security or police if necessary.’
(Please note that not all Ds will be appropriate for every situation – it’s up to you to decide which one will work best.)
The Green Dot initiative also works to support survivors and create a culture less tolerant of violence.

There’s a certain stigma when it comes to talking about violence. Yes, violence can be difficult to talk about, but it needs to be addressed if we ever want to see a world without it. Cheryl noted that you may need to overcome some personal obstacles, social/peer pressure, and/or the bystander effect (assuming that another person is going to deal with the problem), in order to work up the courage to put the Green Dot initiative into action. But you know what? In putting the Green Dot to work, not only could you be protecting someone from a dangerous situation, you could also be letting them know that you care about their wellbeing. In doing so, the Green Dot makes violence more visible, and offers survivors a sense of hope that they don’t have to suffer in silence.

I fully support this initiative, and I wear my Green Dot button to serve as a constant reminder of my duty to put the Green Dot to work and put an end to violence.

Are you interested in learning more? Check out Green Dot’s official website or Facebook Page, or attend the talk on January 24. Also, Green Dot is offering Green Dot Bystander Training Days, which are taking place on the following days:
January 28, 2012 at UTM
February 4, 2012 at St. George
Reading Week – All Campuses
Each training days will offer a full day of skills development and, at the end of the day, participants will receive a certificate of completion.

So, what’s your Green Dot going to be?

WHAT: Presents: God: A Play

WHEN: 8pm January 25-28, 2012

WHERE: George Ignatieff Theatre

Tickets
$10 adult
$5 student
general admission

Buy at www.uofttix.ca now!

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God: A play within a play about a play within a play.

Set in an Ancient Greek amphitheatre, God begins with a writer and an actor contemplating an ending for their play.

They soon realize that they are not in Ancient Greece, but in a University theatre in the present day.

Audience members become a part of the play, characters from other plays join in, and the line between theatre and reality is blurred as they all try to create something onstage with (literally) the help of theatrical devices from ancient greek theatre.

Stage, chorus, fates, ancient philosophy, and deux es machina, are affectionately torn apart in this comedy by Woody Allen.

Part parody, part postmodern, part satire, and part sincere, God is a hilarious and thought provoking picture of a play.

For more information, visit their Facebook group

For months, we have seen the “This Close” campaign at work. For years, Rotary
International, with the WHO, UNICEF and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention have worked together to eliminate polio. We are 99% of the way
there, but we need you to help eliminate the final 1%.

Invite your friends, family and colleagues, and enjoy a night of networking and fellowship. This film and event may be of special interest to students and faculty in health studies, development and international relations programs. Feel free to take advantage of this invaluable networking opportunity!

When: Friday, January 27, 2012 at 7:30pm (registration at 7:00pm)
Where: TIFF Bell Lightbox – Cinema 4
What: Screening of Benda Belili! - An informal reception will follow the screening
Why: Fundraiser for End Polio Now the Rotary $200 Million Dollar challenge

Tickets are sold online for $30 each. There is a limited number available.

What kind of community do you want to live in?

The Green Dot campaign aims to create a community that doesn’t tolerate violence, one that cares about others, and supports a safer campus for everyone.

A Green Dot is any action that reduces the risk of power-based personal violence like sexual assault, partner abuse, and stalking. U of T is the first to implement the Green Dot strategy in Canada, and is supported by many different partners across the three campuses in student health services, campus safety, and beyond. Developed by Dr. Dorothy Edwards at the University of Kentucky, Green Dot is grounded in research that looks at the bystander effect, and why people do not get involved. Green Dot training helps students identify their personal obstacles in becoming an active bystander, and teaches specific skills to help students those obstacles, while staying safe themselves. The three Ds – Direct, Distract, or Delegate – are the skills students learn so that they can help their friends or acquaintances when they see the risk of violence.

The first annual Green Dot week, January 16-20, 2012, will showcase Green Dot and give students a chance to learn more.

Why a Green Dot? We start with the experiences of violence in our students’ lives – the red dots. A student has sex with another student when they are drunk and can’t give consent. A student is abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend, whether gay or straight, or stalked after a breakup. A red dot is an act of power-based personal violence, or choices to tolerate‚ justify, or perpetuate violence. The solution is the green dot – the individual choices that people make to do something – anything – to help others and make our community safer. A reactive green dot is pulling a friend out of a high-risk situation; a proactive green dot is striking up a conversation with a friend about how much this issue matters to you. What’s your Green Dot going to be?

To learn more about Green Dot and upcoming events, visit www.greendot.utoronto.ca.

On Friday, Nov. 25, we will be holding a SUSHI class, YOGA class, and HIP HOP class.

11am-12pm: Come learn how to make sushi in the International Student Centre (Cumberland House) Baldwin Room (33 St. George Street). It’s healthy, easy, and ready just in time for lunch. Only $8!

3pm-4pm: Take a yoga class and learn how to breathe again in the Multifaith Centre (Koffler House) Multipurpose Room (569 Spadina Ave). Beginner to advanced participants are welcome. Only $5!

7pm-8pm: Stay active and learn cool new dance skills at a hip hop dance class in the Hart House Activities Room. Only $5!

Attend two events for only $10, or three for $15!

*Spaces are limited, so get your tickets soon.*

Tickets will be sold TODAY in the MedSci building in front of Starbucks from 11am-12pm and 1pm-5pm. Look for the Heart & Stroke banner and red Heart & Stroke T shirts. If you are unable to pick up your ticket during this time, please email heartandstroke.uoft@gmail.com for pick-up arrangements.

Come out for a fun and exciting fitness day and support the Heart & Stroke Foundation! We hope to see you there!

I’m hoping to maintain my peace of mind during exam season this year, and while I know those moments of panic are unavoidable, there are certainly a lot of opportunities on campus for students to relax and defeat the stress plague, if only momentarily.

Hart House offers a variety of programs to soothe the stressed student:

• Massage Mondays – Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like. Free massages, because U of T knows – you deserve it.
• Lunchtime Crafts – Personally, I find arts and crafts to be really relaxing – though, of course, I have never produced anything presentable. Distract yourself with a little A&C, and who knows, maybe you will produce a great work!
• ThursTeas – Enjoy a warm cup of tea at Hart House while chatting with some new friends or reading a (non-school related, perhaps) book.
• Let Shakespeare distract you with the production of Macbeth playing at Hart House Theatre until November 26.
• Jazz at Oscars – This free event every Friday night brings all sorts of different music to the Hart House Arbor Room. Be entranced by live music to distract yourself from stress. The monthly Sunday concert in the Great Hall might also be of interest.

It’s difficult for students to keep up exercising during exam time, but sometimes going to the gym is exactly what you need to wake you up and keep you studying productively. Both the Athletic centre and Hart House offer a wide variety of drop-in fitness classes. The AC has free yoga among its repertoire, certainly a relaxing pastime.

The Multi-Faith Centre offers a variety of yoga and meditation courses over the term, designed to help you relax and find peace of mind.

The Angela Grauerholz exhibit is still on the University of Toronto Art Centre until November 26, and the centre remains open until December 10, for your perusing pleasure. Take your mind off exams by taking a brief tour through this great U of T resource.

Every Friday night at Innis Café, story tellers come deliver tales for “1001 Friday Nights of Storytelling”, a tradition which has been running since 1978. A well-told story could be just the right thing you need to wind down and distract yourself from the looming stress of exams. Innis Town Hall also has inexpensive movies playing throughout the exam period, which may also serve as a welcome distraction.

Exam period is one I clearly characterize as bleak, but I think there are definitely ways to limit your stress. You do yourself a disservice by climbing under a pile of books in a library for a week and not facing the light of day until you are forced to enter the outside world in order to walk to your exam destination. Taking some time during the exam period to not study for exams will make the time you spend studying all the more productive. It’s always a pleasant feeling to realize that the world is going on when you feel like it’s ending, so allow yourself to bear witness to that comforting truth by taking a break. Whether it’s a yoga class, or just a walk around our beautiful campus, indulge yourself this exam period, if only for a moment.

SAVE THE DATE!
You’re invited to Journalism for Human Rights’ (jhr) annual HOLLERDAY: a day dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence in the DRC.

When: Tuesday, November 15th from 5-10pm
Where: East Common Room, Hart House
Why: STOP RAPE IN THE CONGO!

This event will feature an interactive HOLLERDAY wall, a workshop, speakers and an education centre featuring different campus groups giving their perspective on the topic of sexual violence in the DRC.

Why do we care about this particular issue? Stories like Clementine’s (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8677637.stm) serve to remind us that this issue is not one that can be ignored and people like her cannot just be left behind or forgotten.

HOLLERDAY is jhr’s chapter flagship awareness building event for 2011.  Students from  universities across Canada participate collectively in a day of action to “holler” about human rights issues.  2011’s focus is human rights issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Students will use their voices publicly through creative expression about human rights.

Here is the Facebook event – check it out! https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=267179723316093

About jhr: We are a collective of inspired, approachable and enthusiastic individuals. We are worldly without pretense, knowledgeable, inclusive, inquisitive and most importantly – we passionately believe in positive change. Our entrepreneurial, can-do spirit is focused on making positive contributions to the quality of life of others as well as achieving success and fulfillment in our own lives.
jhr is Canada’s largest international media development organization. Our goal – to make everyone in the world fully aware of their rights – is as unique as it is powerful. jhruoft.org

Change calls for action. That’s why hundreds of people will lace up their sneakers on Saturday, November 12 and literally take steps toward change by participating in the Covenant House Step Up for Street Kids 5K walk, an event that raises money and awareness in support of homeless youth.

Why walk the walk? The 2,000 or so kids who sleep on Toronto’s streets are 2,000 or so good reasons. And last year, about 4,000 kids found shelter and support at Covenant House, an organization that relies on donors for more than 80% of its $18.8-million operating budget. Covenant House provides 24/7 crisis care 365 days a year, as well as services like education, health care, counselling, and employment assistance.

Kids who make it out there are the lucky ones. The street is a perilous place for young people, many of whom are desperate and alone after fleeing or being forced from homes where they’ve experienced abuse or neglect. Sometimes kids just fall in with the wrong crowd and end up trapped in a cycle of substance abuse and crime.

Just about anyone can wind up on the street. Homeless youth come from every part of the country and every background. About half come from middle- and upper-class homes – like Michelle, the leader of the Covenant House Step Up team. Michelle is a former resident who was able to turn her life around because of the support she received at Covenant House.

Michelle grew up in the GTA, got good grades, and didn’t get into trouble until she got to high school, where she met a new crowd and started using drugs. Once she was hooked, Michelle began to steal from her family to get her fix. She shares more about her story here.

Thankfully, Michelle found her way to Covenant House, where she spent a year getting back on track. Now she’s a college graduate looking for work in community support services. Michelle is dedicated to supporting the people and the place that helped her find her way through troubled times.

If you can’t walk the walk this year, you can still step up by sponsoring Michelle and her team. The event takes place on Saturday, November 12 at 3pm at Yonge and Dundas Square. For more information, check out http://www.covenanthouse.ca/walk or visit Covenant House on Facebook and Twitter.

On October 20th, from 7-9pm at the Isabel Bader Theatre, VUSAC’s Education and Equity Commission and Invisible Children are screening ‘Tony’, a 50-minute documentary that will open your eyes to a world of terror in Northern Uganda.

Northern Uganda has been a war zone due to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) for the past 25 years. The LRA is largely comprised of child soldiers who were violently abducted from their homes.

Watch the movie, discuss the content, meet the Invisible Children staff, and buy some Invisible Children gear to support their work.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook.

Days later, my friends and I received emails informing us of the volunteer time and location: 7pm to 11pm at the Coach House. The Coach House? Where in the world is that? We wondered the same thing. It’s a small structure in the middle of a parking lot behind the Faculty of Law building, across from Queen’s Park. We had received word to meet at Hart House beforehand to figure out what we were supposed to. After scarfing down sandwiches from Timmy’s and racing across campus, we eventually found ourselves in a room filled with high school children covered in gold glitter and wearing aprons. It turns out these were some kids from Parkdale who were volunteering at the artisan farmer’s market in the courtyard. They were supposed to encourage people to eat crickets (which were being cooked and served there), seeing as crickets are the food of the future… according to the exhibit. I’m not quite sure where the glitter came into play but, when it comes to Nuit Blanche, I’ve learned not to ask.

Eventually we were directed to the right people, given volunteer tags, and sent on our way to the Coach House. The exhibit we were volunteering at was called ‘All That is Solid Melts into Air’ by Mark Boulos. Here is the description from the Nuit Blanche website:

Two films projected on opposing walls feature intensely conflicting, yet inextricably intertwined forces: one shows frenzied stock traders at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange speculating on the futures of oil; the other shows guerrilla fighters in the Niger Delta preparing for battle against oil companies that extract and export oil from their land.

It was actually quite an interesting piece that seemed to invoke mixed emotional reactions from the audience.

Basically, our job was to make sure there weren’t too many people in the film room at one time, answer questions, and keep track of how many people came in and out. After the first 20 minutes or so, we noticed that the few people who were coming through seemed to have a hard time finding the place; they tended to walk down an alley and hop a fence just to get to the door. That’s when we realized that someone should be out there, guiding people in. The building is sort of hidden and the map in the Nuit Blanche booklet was not particularly helpful.

We started taking shifts, with someone staying inside the toasty-warm and brightly-lit room while two others directed people through the bushes and around a building to the Coach House. Despite the chilly weather, it was a fun four hours. Standing outside, we were able to watch some intense people watch the films while, at the same time, we could talk to friends, fellow students and/or family members that showed up over the hours. At slower times, we kept ourselves entertained by partaking in a slightly altered version of Sheldon Cooper’s ‘Soft Kitty; and texting people to come see the exhibit. At one point, while resting inside, we had a lovely conversation with an Italian woman about the beauty of her mother tongue and about her daughter, who is a professor of Rehabilitation Sciences here at U of T.

Overall, the volunteer experience was fun.  The time went by pretty quickly and there were still hours left afterward to go and enjoy the rest of what the city had to offer. Unfortunately, we never managed to visit the Parkdale kids and eat some crickets. But, then again, there’s always next year.