The AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) has temporarily suspended operations in its education department for the summer, as part of a broader effort to restructure and revamp its programming for the next academic year.
The restructuring, announced on the SASC website, comes in response to a noticeable decline in demand for workshops and programming throughout the past year.
AMS Senior Communications and Marketing Manager Eric Lowe said in a statement to The Ubyssey that “the decision to temporarily close the education department and re-strategize was due to a significant decline in the number of workshops requested and delivered this past year."
"We believe education is a key component to reducing incidences of sexualized violence, and the reduction of workshops last year was a concern.”
While specifics are still under review, the restructuring may include changes to staffing, curriculum and outreach strategy.
“We are re-evaluating our strategic approach to the education branch of our services, and this is an opportunity to re-think our curriculum and outreach to align with best practices,” Lowe commented. “Through these changes, our current staffing model may change, but current staff have been given pathways and opportunities to return to their roles.”
Despite the changes, Lowe said that survivor support remains unaffected. The education department does not work directly with survivors, and SASC’s support and advocacy services continue to operate without disruption.
“Survivors remain the SASC’s top priority, and we carefully considered impact to survivors before initiating these changes,” Lowe wrote. “Our support and advocacy department continues to operate as normal.”
The education department, which traditionally hires and trains student educators during the summer months, will not be onboarding staff as usual this season. However, Lowe noted they are confident in their ability to adapt.
“Students get involved with the SASC throughout the year, and we have successfully onboarded and trained students whenever they start. While hiring and training student educators over the summer is ideal, we will plan accordingly to effectively train and integrate new student staff into the education department when the time comes,” Lowe stated.
The summer was strategically chosen for this pause due to historically low demand during the season.
“Last fiscal year, zero external workshops took place between the months of April and September,” Lowe said. “We have intentionally chosen this time of the year to critically think through the role, scope, and work of the education department.”
Lowe said that student voices remain central to the redesign. “Every decision made by the SASC team is made in collaboration with students and is informed by the survivors who access our service.”
While a firm date has not been finalized, the department is targeting a relaunch in the fall.
“This is a tentative target as we want to ensure the new structure meets the needs of UBC students and is set up for success before relaunching,” Lowe noted.
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