Action Plan IMPACT: Expanded SVPRO ramps up awareness and prevention efforts in visible ways!

The following article has been distributed to faculty, staff, and students by UPEI Communications.

UPEI’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SV-PRO) was an “office of one” until the UPEI Action Plan called for the creation of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights (EDIHR) department.  

To support the implementation of the new EDIHR department that would now include the SV-PRO, the positions of Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Officer and Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator were posted and hired in Year 1 (2024–25) of the Action Plan. Kelly Robinson and Pam Atkinson joined Candice Perry, Sexual Violence Response Navigator, in these roles, and the trio has been advancing the mission of the Office at a furious pace ever since!  

The SV-PRO is a safe and confidential space for students, staff, and faculty who have experienced sexual violence to obtain support. The Office is committed to fostering a culture of consent on campus by not only supporting survivors but also by providing the University community with education and awareness around issues of sexual and gender-based violence.  

In addition to training, presentations, and distributing information, SV-PRO has been creating this awareness through holding events that result in highly visible exhibits or by posting colourful and/or “catchy” educational materials that people can’t miss! 

Here are some (yes, there were more!) of the creative campaigns and activities that were implemented in 2024–2025:

• SV-PRO Washroom Signage: In advance of the 2025 school year, SVPRO worked with partners to install discreet signage in every washroom and bathroom stall on campus. This initiative was completed to help better ensure every campus member and visitor knows about SV-PRO and available support. The 4”x 4” signs visually reconfirm the University’s commitment to a safe learning and working environment.
• SV-PRO Video: A short video was developed from the ground up, outlining SVPRO services. The video was shot in June 2025 for use in the 2025–2026 year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFWUMyZavng
• SVPRO and Residences: SVPRO provided Halloween poster displays for each residence building as well as treat bags with messages of consent and healthy relationships for Residence holiday events. SV-PRO also provided door hangers with comprehensive information about services and supports available for Survivors of sexual violence.
• SV-PRO and Athletics and Recreation: As well as the comprehensive training of the varsity teams, SV-PRO also provided training to staff on responding to disclosures as well as developing TV slides and posters to educate on and prevent leering/staring.
• SV-PRO Displays:
  • Sexual Assault Awareness Week display: Robertson Library and SVPRO partnered on a week-long display. This display included the activity Love Letters to Survivors which allowed campus members to share messages of compassion, community, and care to Survivors at UPEI.
  • Hallowe’en Eight-Poster “Creepy” campaign: This year’s campaign included a series of eight posters that were displayed in Residences, the W.A. Murphy Student Centre, Robertson Library, and on the EDIHR bulletin board.
  • Red Dress Day: SVPRO created a display outside the EDIHR office and issued a call to departments across campus to hang red dresses to recognize Canada’s National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S+). We delivered printed red dress flyers to post if areas didn't have an actual dress to display.
• SVPRO Events: We hold and collaborate on events throughout the year to increase the SVPRO’s visibility; to allow campus members to meet SVPRO staff and feel comfortable; and to share key messaging about consent, respect, and healthy relationships. Events that have been held since August 2024 that included a visible display:
  • Community Quilt for Gender-Based Violence Prevention (November 2024): Students, staff, and faculty were invited to paint small canvases with messages about gender-based violence or healthy relationships that were then made into a “quilt” in a large frame. The quilt now hangs in SV-PRO.
  • 16 Days of Activism flag event (November 2024/2025): Nursing students working with SV-PRO developed and hung red flags and green flags across campus, outlining “red flag behaviours” and “green flag behaviours.”
  • Love & Sex Week events (February 2025): Collaborating with the UPEI Student Union, SV-PRO co-hosted Sex Toy Bingo, provided SV-PRO-branded valentines for Valentine’s Day, and hung posters on consent across campus.
  • Consent in Every Corner Collage event (March 2025): Students, staff, and faculty were invited to be creative in collage-making as they shared perspectives on consent, boundaries, and respect across campus. This was in collaboration with the UPEI Student Union.
  • Scatter Stones (September 2025): Students, staff, and faculty were invited to paint stones with messages of consent, respect, and community that were then scattered across campus to be enjoyed by all campus members. This was in collaboration with the UPEI Student Union and Campus Life.
  • Photovoice Exhibit (September 2025): Women’s Network PEI and SV-PRO partnered to offer a creative, community-based space for survivors of gender-based violence and individuals navigating life after trauma. Participants were guided through a process of reflection, story-telling, and visual expression, culminating in a photography exhibit. It was displayed at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre and later at the Robertson Library.
  • Threads of Consent (October 2025): In collaboration with the UPEI Student Union, this was a time for students, staff, and faculty to paint squares on consent at Hallowe’en. Collaboration with the Student Union.

Other ways to learn how the SV-PRO is making a visual IMPACT and creating awareness about issues around sexual and gender-based violence, follow the Office on Instagram @upeisvpro or visit upei.ca/svpro

We will be telling more stories of important progress on the UPEI Action Plan on a regular basis, under the “Action Plan IMPACT” banner. Articles will share how the Action Plan implementation activities are being operationalized, becoming entrenched in our culture, and living on long past the plan, making real IMPACT. 

To submit your own Action Plan IMPACT story, contact communications@upei.ca.