by Ellena Danielians, W2A Student Intern Youth dating violence and gender dating violence continue to be significant safety and public health concerns. Wisdom2Action (W2A) is committed to addressing this growing issue through collaborative initiatives to intervene in the work to prevent youth and gender-based interpersonal violence. Through the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC), W2A is actively engaged in building community responses to 2SLGBTQIA youth dating violence. The Health Perspective program comprises two evidence-based interventions: the W2A SAFER project, and the CBRC Do You Mind? program into one enhanced intervention that addresses gender-based violence and dating violence. The program will be delivered

by Ellena Danielians, W2A Student Intern 31 March 2026 marks the 16th annual International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). The day is dedicated to celebrating the contributions made by transgender people as well as raising awareness about the discrimination and violence that community members experience. There are many false and harmful myths about trans people that villainize the community. These false depictions have led to an intensified anti-trans legislation that targets the rights, freedoms and healthcare access negatively affecting trans people’s lives. Not all trans people experience harm in the same way. Black and racialized trans women and Two Spirit

by Ellena Danielians, W2A Student Intern 8 March 2026 marks the 115th annual International Women’s Day (IWD) to recognize the achievements of women while shedding light on further efforts towards gender equality. The determination to achieve women’s equalparticipation in society and to bridge the gap in justice and equity for women has been demonstrated since IWD’s creation in 1911. At a time when volatile global politics question the dignity, rights, and safety of women, it is critical to resist absurd and unreasonable claims that diminish fairness and impact of women’s autonomy, individuality, and aspirations. Wisdom2Action (W2A) is committed to gender

Ellena has recently joined the Wisdom2Action team as a communications intern through her program at York University that offers fieldwork experience for final-year students. She is based in Toronto, Ontario, in the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabe, and the Wendat peoples. Ellena is in her final year completing her Bachelor’s degree in a double-major in Political Science and Communications & Media Studies at York University, with plans to pursue graduate studies in public policy. She is currently a peer mentor…

Hawthorne Armstrong has recently joined the Wisdom2Action team through the International Youth Internship Program (IYIP), which is funded by Global Affairs Canada and managed by Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC) and Marine Institute / Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUN). They are based in Windsor, Ontario on the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations — the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples, as well as many others. They are Haudenosaunee, specifically Onyota’a:ka, from the Oneida Nation of the Thames. Hawthorne has…

Preventing and Addressing Gender-based Violence (GBV) against 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth using Arts-based Activism Project by Vic Davie Wisdom2Action recently hosted the Creative Resistance: Arts & Activism Against GBV Youth Summit, a two-day event featuring two keynote speakers as well as panel discussions and multiple skills-building workshops. The event began with an opening ceremony led by Grandmother Liz and her granddaughter, Winona. Grandmother Liz spoke about missing and murdered Indigenous women, led the participants through a smudging ceremony and Winona shared their knowledge through songs and drumming. This was followed by the event’s first keynote, entitled “Building Community Through Arts-Based Action” by