About Us
The Courage to Act Foundation is a national non-profit focused on addressing sexual and gender-based violence in experiential learning opportunities (e.g. co-ops, internships, placements, labs, etc.).
At the Root
Women and gender-diverse students deserve to learn, work and thrive in their careers. However, they are at a high risk of being subjected to sexual violence or harassment when they pursue science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) professions. We are working to remove barriers at the root in STEM co-ops, internships and other experiential learning opportunities.
Our Growing Roots
Our work builds in part on the 2022 Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning Project, led by systems-change consultancy Possibility Seeds (licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.). Through our research, programs, and resources, we build on this foundation while advancing an independent stream of work focused on emerging needs and lasting systems change.
We are working toward safer learning and working environments for women and gender-diverse learners in STEM experiential learning programs. We hope you will join us!
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Creating and adapting evidence-based resources and strategies to meet the specific needs of STEM programs, workplaces, campuses and communities.
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Delivering practical learning opportunities and professional training for post-secondary students, staff, administrators, career centres, and employers across Canada.
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Scaling efforts to introduce and amend policies and legislation, informed by research and input from our partners.
Why we do this work
We imagine and work toward environments where the following statistics are no longer prevalent in Canadian post-secondary spaces:
1 in 2 post-secondary students have been subjected to at least one instance of sexual harassment in internships, co-ops, and other experiential learning settings
71% of students either witnessed or were subjected to unwanted sexualized behaviours in a postsecondary setting.
1 in 10 women were subjected to sexual assault in a post-secondary setting
Women with disabilities are twice as likely as women without disabilities to have been sexually assaulted
47% of post-secondary students witnessed or were subjected to discrimination based on gender, gender identity or sexual orientation in the past year
19% of women aged 15-64 reported they were subjected to at least one type of harassment in the workplace.
13% of men aged 15-64 reported they were subjected to at least one type of harassment in the workplace in the past 12 months (2020).
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1 in 2 post-secondary students have been subjected to at least one instance of sexual harassment in internships, co-ops, and other experiential learning settings (Possibility Seeds, 2023).
71% of students at Canadian postsecondary schools either witnessed or experienced unwanted sexualized behaviours in a postsecondary setting (Burczycka, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, 2020, p. 3).
1 in 10 women experienced a sexual assault in a postsecondary setting during the previous year (Burczycka, 2020, p. 3).
Women with disabilities are twice as likely as women without disabilities to have been sexually assaulted (DisAbled Women’s Network, 2019).
47% of students at Canadian post-secondary institutions witnessed or experienced discrimination on the basis of gender, gender identity or sexual orientation in the past year (Burczycka, 2020, p. 4).
19% of women aged 15-64 reported they experienced at least one type of harassment in the workplace in the last 12 months (Statistics Canada, 2018a).
13% of men aged 15-65 reported they experienced at least one type of harassment in the workplace in the past 12 months (Statistics Canada, 2018a).
