\u201cIt was a movement started by a group of men in Ontario in 1991 as a response to the horrible events in 1989,\u201d explained Shona White, assistant manager of marketing and communications at SAITSA.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe massacre in Montreal was a direct attack on feminists and women in general.<\/p>\n
“The White Ribbon Campaign was started by pro-feminist men as a way for men to pledge to stand against violence against women and girls,” White said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is to promote healthy relationships and gender equality.”<\/p>\n
Through a letter in the student newspaper The Weal, SAITSA expressed condolences on behalf of 6,000 SAIT students for those killed at Ecole Polytechnique.<\/p>\n
In 1990, SAITSA initiated a joint project with Campus Development to honour the 14 women who were killed, and a plaque dedicated to the victims was placed on the west side of Heritage Hall.<\/p>\n
On the first anniversary of the massacre, SAITSA held its first white ribbon ceremony to honour the victims.<\/p>\n
Twenty-eight years later, SAITSA continues to honour the victims and to educate students every year on the resources available to them on and off campus.<\/p>\n
The event started out as the White Ribbon Ceremony, but a few years ago, SAITSA wanted to elevate that by bringing awareness to other types of campaigns around the issue of violence, such as the REDress Project<\/a>, the Moose Hide Campaign, and the\u00a0I Believe You campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n So the student association decided to add the event SAITSA Stands Up Against Violence to coincide with the White Ribbon Campaign.<\/p>\n The objective of the event is similar to the Mental Health Awareness Expo held in October. However, Stands Up focuses more specifically on the different types of violence.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want students to become aware of the resources available to them both on and off campus if they ever need to access them,\u201d said White.<\/p>\n SAIT Student Development and Counselling, Chinook Lodge, the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services, and the Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse were all on hand for the event.<\/p>\n A SAITSA banner was also on display during the event, for students to take a picture of, and to pledge to never condone violence against anyone.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never know when you may need this information,” saoid White, prior to the event.<\/p>\n “Hopefully never, but there will be so many helpful resources in one place, which can basically act as a tool belt for anyone in that situation that needs to find help.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/20171115-S4-SAITSA-Stands-Up-Against-Violence-CF-0004-1.jpg\")