Shift2Learn

Location: Calgary, AB

Scope/Scale: Local, Provincial, National, International

Type of Org: Social Enterprise

Scope of Work: Primary prevention, Knowledge translation, Capacity building, Policy and systems change

Organization Description: Shift2Learn is an online learning platform dedicated to enhancing the capacities of leaders and practitioners in advancing primary prevention efforts to stop the perpetration of violence. Our overall goal is to build a skilled primary prevention workforce that can stop violence before it happens. We do that by offering self-paced online learning so that practitioners, policy makers and anyone interested in violence prevention can acquire knowledge and capacities to create the social conditions that prevent violence and build equitable communities.

Engaging Men and Boys Work: Lana Wells is a co-founder of Shift2Learn and a founder of Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence at the University of Calgary where she has been engaged in advancing the field of engaging men and boys in violence prevention and gender equality for the last 14 years. Shift has developed men and boys’ government action plans, community action plans, built programming targeting men and fathers, and designed and tested behavioural approaches within male-dominated settings, all with the focus to engage and mobilize men and boys in violence prevention and gender equity efforts. In the past few years, Shift has focused on synthesizing best and promising practices while working alongside the anti-violence sector and two orders of government (federal and provincial) to integrate evidence into their decision-making. At Shift2Learn, we integrate all that knowledge and evidence into our online modules so that the workforce (policy makers, practitioners, etc.) can acquire knowledge, skills, and capacities to create the social conditions to prevent the perpetration of violence and build equitable communities.

One of Shift2Learn online modules is called Breaking Barriers Together: A Guide to Engaging Men in Gender-Based Violence Prevention. This e-learning provides a strong case on why it is important to engage and mobilize men in gender-based violence prevention. It also highlights key barriers impeding men’s participation while also offering 13 pragmatic tips to overcome these challenges, with an emphasis on the importance of framing calls to action that are strength-based. Powered by academic and community research, this module was developed to support practitioners, policy makers and advocates who have become interested in working with men to advance violence prevention. It will be of interest to individuals getting started in their work with men and want to apply research-based practices to their approach.

Links / Resources: Website .