Two instructors at the University of Windsor have created a resource designed to better equip educators with important tools for teaching students about gender-based violence.

Catherine Vanner, a professor in the Faculty of Education, and her project partner, postdoctoral fellow and sessional instructor Salsabel Almanssori, developed the Gender-based Violence Teaching Toolkit, offering resources and lesson plans to align with curriculum expectations in several subjects. They worked with Bachelor of Education students Keith Trent-Rennick and Alexandra Lai, both of whom have since graduated.

“With the toolkit, teachers do not have to try to fit in a lesson about gender-based violence in addition to what they already have to teach. It specifically addresses the curriculum requirements they’re responsible for meeting. The kit also includes corresponding assignments that align with the lesson plan, allowing teachers to follow it comprehensively,” Vanner explained.

She noted that while the curriculum has a course that explicitly includes the topic of consent, other aspects of gender-based violence are optional to teach in the classroom.

“For example, in Grade 10 history and civics, gender-based violence issues are listed as possible topics, but it’s up to the teacher to decide what to cover from a range of options. Our hope is that with these ready-to-go lesson plans and the support on how to carry it out, teachers will be more likely to include these topics in their teaching,” Vanner explained.

“By gender-based violence, we mean a whole range of connected issues — any kind of physical, sexual, or psychological violence based on perceived gender, gender identity, or gender expression. It covers topics including human trafficking, intimate partner violence, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, transphobia, and homophobia.”

Vanner felt developing the toolkit and encouraging teachers to discuss these issues with their students was important, as gender-based violence is a societal issue that also affects children and teens.

“Some might say children are too young to learn about these issues. Unfortunately, the reality is that many children are already experiencing a lot of this. One local school board requested we include human trafficking as a topic because they were seeing it happen here, targeting high school students in our community,” Vanner said.

“Gender-based violence is a real issue in our lives and communities. While it’s important to teach about self-protection, which our toolkit also includes, it’s crucial to address it as a significant social issue affecting so many people in our community.”

She was inspired to develop the toolkit during her postdoctoral research, where she interviewed teachers about what their gender-based violence teaching already looked like and how it could improve. Teachers cited a need for more resources, education, and professional development opportunities to better tackle the subject, Vanner said.

She and Almanssori consulted with school boards, teachers’ unions, social workers, and other experts, and hosted a two-day workshop to present the toolkit to educators. First, they trained teachers on the different components and then received their input for any improvements before releasing the final draft to the public.

“Our goal is to have resources that both incorporate the knowledge and experience of the teachers I’d interviewed, along with the calls for more resources and more support,” Vanner said. “A teacher is going to have to work to adapt something to be specific to their context, school, class, and students, but we wanted to minimize the work that fell on the teachers, and to try to make it as accessible as possible to teach these really important subjects alongside other more conventional parts of the curriculum.”

In addition to lesson plans for students in Grades 8 to 12, the toolkit includes notes on inclusive language, creating a classroom agreement, and setting up expectations for students, as well as guidance on reporting gender-based violence and disclosures of abuse. Vanner said they are in the process of having materials translated into French as well.

The toolkit can be downloaded online through the Gender-Based Violence Teaching Network, which also offers additional resources and information.

Faculty, alumni, and students of the University of Windsor and School of Creative Arts will take center stage at the “Old Towns Jazz Day and Sandwich Market” on Sunday, Aug. 18.

Organized by the nonprofit Windsor Jazz Concerts Series led by producer Hugh Leal (BA 1973, BComm 1978), and with the University of Windsor Alumni Association as its lead sponsor, the event showcases top local jazz musicians for free admission performances in co-operation with the Sandwich Town Business Improvement Association’s market.

“The Old Towns Jazz Day is a new initiative by the nonprofit Windsor Jazz Concert Series to put a spotlight on Windsor’s excellent jazz musicians and our ongoing Mackenzie Hall Jazz series, now in its 13th year,” says Leal. “We hope Windsor music lovers will come out to our community event and support local talent.”

Among the SoCA faculty performing on Sunday are vocalist Shahida Nurullah, pianist Michael Karloff, and trumpeter Bob Fazecash (BMA 1977, BMus 1979, BEd 1980). The members of the SoCA top jazz students combo include Jospeh Maceroni on drums, Calvin Sulja on bass, Jared Aitken on guitar, and recent grad Colin Gronert (BMus 2013) on saxophone.

Both groups representing Windsor’s Young Jazz Leaders feature music grads: The Coffee House Combo includes saxophonist Sebastian Bachmeier (BMus 2019, BEd 2021), keyboardist Andrew Adoranti (BASc 2021), vocalist Natalie Culmone (BA 2021), bassist Alex Leite (BMus 2021), drummer Vanessa Harnish (BMus 2008, BEd 2009), and Fazecash on trumpet. The Austin DiPietro Quintet features DiPietro (BMus 2018) on trumpet along with his Wayne State University grad school classmates Ryan Billson on tenor sax, Trevor Lamb on bass, and Ian Blunden on guitar, joined by SoCA faculty members Nurullah and Karloff.

They will each perform a one-hour set in the headline concert at 3:30 p.m. in the Court Auditorium, Mackenzie Hall, 3277 Sandwich St. Admission is $35 at the door or $30 in advance; phone 519-255-7600 to order advance tickets.

The market promises 20 vendors of crafts and food from noon to 5 p.m. in Mary E. Bibb Park at 3261 Sandwich St., on the north side of Mackenzie Hall.

The rest of the concerts are free to attend:

• Ryan Fontaine Trio with vocalist Sarah Fontaine (BMus 2009), noon to 1:15 p.m. on the patio at the Sandwich Brewery, 3232 Sandwich St.
• Kevin Grenier Quartet with vocalist Christine Chemello, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the gazebo in Mary E. Bibb Park.
• Top jazz students combo, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at St. John’s Anglican Church, 3305 Sandwich St.
• Speakeasy Trio with saxophonist Ray Manzerolle, pianist Michael Karloff, and cellist Mike Karoub, 2 to 3 p.m. in the gazebo.

Capping the day is a move to Walkerville for a Jazz ’n’ Brews afterglow hang at the Walkerville Brewery, 525 Argyle Rd. Ray Bower (BComm 197) and his quartet with guest vocalist Tom Hogarth (LLB 1978, BComm 1983, MBA 1987) are up from 6 to 7 p.m. The Russ Macklem Quartet, whose recording The South Detroit Connection earned a Juno nomination for best jazz album of 2024, will play from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the Windsor Jazz Concerts Series website.

Lancer golf head coach Adam Wagner says he is thrilled to be able to support Canadian student-athletes competing in the FISU World University Championships in Kuortane-Seinäjoki, Finland, Aug. 27 to 30.

FISU is the acronym of the Fédération internationale du sport universitaire or International University Sports Federation.

This is the second time in three years that Wagner has represented Canada at the event. Joining him on the coaching staff is Kevin Corriveau from St. Clair College and Tara Savoie from the University of Waterloo.

“It is an honour and a privilege to have this opportunity to represent my country, the University of Windsor, and all of Windsor and Essex County in this international event,” Wagner says.

Read the full story at goLancers.ca.

Registration is now open for Fall GATAcademy 2024, a three-day online professional development event open to both new and experienced graduate assistants (GAs) and teaching assistants (TAs) at the University of Windsor.

From Tuesday to Thursday, Aug. 27 to 29, each day will feature four online workshops; two in-person workshops and a networking event are slated for Wednesday, Sept. 4.

A series of interactive workshops led by experienced professionals from across the campus wil cover such topics as using Brightspace, sparking student engagement, best practices in grading and feedback, running effective labs and tutorials, and a more.

The sessions will be presented online through Microsoft Teams. Registration is free; get all the details on the GATAcademy website. Registrants will receive the link by email on the Friday before the event.

The SoCA Armouries is the setting for the inaugural Windsor International Black Film Festival this weekend.

Held in partnership with the Black Scholars Institute, the event will feature screenings of a mix of film shorts and features on Saturday, an opening session Friday with brief comments by BSI director Camisha Sibblis, and an awards presentation Sunday.

See the full festival schedule on its website.