As a member of our community, you may have heard us describe the work we do as ‘Supporting Survivors and Shifting Society’.
We often talk about how we support survivors through our direct services, like counselling, our 24-hour Crisis Line, and police and hospital accompaniment programs.
But what about the Shifting Society part? How we do that, and why is it an essential component of ending gendered violence?

Well, we Shift Society primarily with our Educational Outreach Program!

Through our Educational Outreach Program, we work with a variety of community organizations like schools, businesses, service providers, artists, and more, to educate them on the root causes of gendered violence, and to support them to enact change in their communities. Educational Outreach can look like; tabling at an event, guiding conversations in a workplace on a specific topic such as decolonization, or half-day workshops in classrooms on how intersecting forms of oppression, like race, class, and ability,  impact experiences of sexual violence.

We believe that Educational Outreach is integral to supporting survivors because it is the most effective way to create a future free from violence. When we change minds, we change actions. With ongoing and effective Educational Outreach we believe that we can not only prevent sexual assault from happening, but we can also create a safer, more supportive society for survivors of sexualized violence. 

Today, I want to introduce you to the person behind the WAVAW’s Educational Outreach Program, Sonmin Bong!

Sonmin has been Shifting Society with WAVAW for 4.5 years as our Volunteer and Educational Outreach Coordinator. Earlier this week, Sonmin sat down with me to discuss what brought her to WAVAW, what keeps her in the work, and what the Program means to her. I was, and am always, inspired by Sonmin’s intellect and insight, so I knew I had to share the best bits of our conversation with you.

Natti: Sonmin, what brought you to WAVAW?

Sonmin: I was looking for a feminist community. I felt like as a feminist,  gender-based violence was a cause I always cared about deeply. I wanted to be more involved with this issue, and I felt like WAVAW was a great place to do that, and WAVAW’s trans-inclusive policy was one of the deciding factors for how I ended up here.

Natti: What Keeps You In The Work?

Sonmin: Honestly, my vision for this work is about ‘how do we get as many people on board as possible’ because for actual social change to happen every one of us has to play a role in achieving our vision of a future free from violence. Sometimes that vision can feel overwhelming, but even within the time I have been at WAVAW – the way people are talking about sexual violence has changed significantly. Instead of asking “what is rape culture,” people are asking “what can I do to help end rape culture.” Having those conversations, and instilling confidence in other community members to step up and make a change, is what I find very exciting and invigorating.

Natti: What would you want our community to know most about the Educational Outreach Program?

Sonmin: That without Educational Outreach, we would only be addressing half of the problem. We would not be working to address the root causes of violence, and would not be working towards a future free from violence.
I also want them to know that when they support Educational Outreach, they are investing in long term societal change. A conversation I have with a high school student today may impact their actions 10 years down the line, and that is how we Shift Society Together.

I hope you enjoyed Sonmin’s interview as much as I did, and please visit our website for information about how to bring Educational Outreach into your community!

In Solidarity,

Natti S.
Pronouns: She/her