26th Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International Conference

Registration is Open

Gender-based violence remains a pressing health, social and human rights issue. In the context of shifting global politics and policies, the need for prevention, advocacy and action to address violence and reduce its harmful effects has never been greater.

Nurses and health professionals have important roles to play. The most effective responses to violence must be grounded in evidence and understanding, foster collaboration within and across sectors, and consider the complexity and diversity of those affected by violence, their communities and society as a whole.

This conference provides a forum for nurses, social workers, counselors, physicians, advocates, community activists, policy makers, researchers and educators to share their work and engage in dialogue about innovations in research, practice, education and policy that can support prevention, advocacy and action to create a violence-free world.

Join us for an impactful and insightful conference dedicated to tackling the critical issue of gender-based violence in one of Canada's most beautiful and popular travel destinations - Niagara-on-the-Lake!

For More Information about NNVAWI: www.nnvawi.org

Announcing Plenary Speakers and Pre-Conference Workshops

OCTOBER 6th Plenary: Dr. Colleen Varcoe, RN, PhD

Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia School of Nursing
OCTOBER 7th Plenary: Dr. Lori Heise, PhD

Senior Associate, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
OCTOBER 6th Preconference (0900 – 1200h)

Presenters: Jacquelyn Campbell, Michelle Patch, Richelle Bolyard, Annie Lewis-O’Connor

“With Her - For Her”: Using the Danger Assessment to Communicate Risk of Homicide and Plan for Safety
Accurate and trauma-informed risk communication is essential in supporting the safety of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly within health care, criminal justice, and IPV service agencies. Despite widespread adoption of tools like the Danger Assessment (DA), practitioners often need more support to learn how to skillfully use these tools in survivor-centered, non-triggering ways.
Plan
This workshop, led by the creator of the Danger Assessment (DA) and a team of experts, shifts the focus from the “science of risk assessment” to the practical, trauma-informed skills needed to effectively engage in risk assessment, communication, and safety planning with IPV survivors. Aimed at nurses and domestic violence advocates, the session will introduce participants to varied versions of the Danger Assessment, and offer new strategies for using the DA calendar, risk factors, and danger levels to support safety planning with survivors from diverse backgrounds. Specific issues addressed in this session include the neurobiology of trauma and the implications for risk assessment; the use of culturally appropriate adaptations of the DA (for Indigenous, immigrant, and LGBTQ survivors); safety planning and suicidality; and system-level integration of the DA in healthcare. Attendees will have opportunities to develop and deliver risk messages based on the DA and leave with tools and resources for use in practice. Those not yet certified in the Danger Assessment will be eligible for certification and given information about how to obtain the additional training they need online.
OCTOBER 6th Preconference (1300-1600h)

Presenters: Alisa Velonis, Patricia O’Campo, Nicholas Metheny

Using group concept mapping in gender-based violence research
Effectively capturing diverse perspectives—especially those of marginalized individuals—is a major challenge in gender-based violence (GBV) research and service planning. Traditional methods often risk amplifying the voices of those in power while overlooking the insights of survivors and community members most affected. Group Concept Mapping (GCM) is a participatory and structured method that captures and organizes ideas from diverse communities of participants in ways that can be immediately applied to action and problem solving.
Plan
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the step-by-step process of Group Concept Mapping (GCM) and how it can be useful to advocates, program planners, evaluators and researcher who want to generate, organize and present ideas that reflect the collective thinking of diverse participants. Participants will design a GCM project - rom brainstorming and idea refinement to data visualization and interpretation, using groupwisdom™ software. The session will consider the method's relevance for survivor-centered GBV research, including ethical and practical considerations. Attendees will leave with a working knowledge of GCM, examples of its application in real-world GBV projects, and resources to design and implement their own GCM initiatives. No quantitative research background is required, and all participants will receive a comprehensive GCM workbook and additional tools.