Farrah Khan on “Building Consent Culture in the Workplace” | NSB Engage Virtual Webinar

Now that offices and social settings are opening up, we could all use a reminder on how to set boundaries and practice consent with friends, coworkers, and anyone else we engage with.

This is especially true as many organizations shift from remote to in-office working environments. Not sure if your colleague is comfortable with a hug or handshake? Struggling with how to ask your manager to wear a mask at work?

Farrah Khan shares how the pandemic has underscored the importance of practicing consent throughout our daily lives, both in-person and online. In her entertaining and informative style, Farrah shares how we can best set & communicate boundaries and practice consent, and how organizations can create safe environments for their teams. In addition to prevention, Farrah will discuss how organizations and individuals can address and respond to harm when it does happen.

She notes that we’ve seen higher rates of workplace harassment reported during the pandemic. As people reorient to in-person office culture after an extended period of restrictions, remote work, and reduced communication about what is and isn’t appropriate, this is an important time to revisit how to make our workplaces safer.

Takeaways from her webinar:

Ask, listen and respect boundaries of your staff/team.
Learn the B.R.A.V.E. model (Believe, Respect, Ask, Validate, and Empathize)
How to communicate your boundaries and practice consent with others.
ABC’s of Community Care: Assess for safety, Be with others, Care for the survivors
Understanding workplace sexual harassment

Farrah Khan has spent two decades raising awareness about the intersections of gender-based violence and equity through education, policy, and advocacy. She is a member of the Government of Canada’s Advisory Council on the Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, former co-chair of the Ontario Government Provincial Roundtable on Violence Against Women, board member of Girls Guides of Canada and currently the manager of Consent Comes First at Ryerson University. Farrah is also the founder of Possibility Seeds Consulting where she is currently co-leading the development of Courage to Act, the National Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence At Post-Secondary Institutions.

In 2018, Farrah was appointed to the Gender Equality Advisory Council for the G7 Summit. She addressed an audience of world leaders insisting that any discussion about a thriving, sustainable and peaceful world is not possible without taking concrete action on gender equity.

Currently, Farrah works at Ryerson University as the Manager of Consent Comes First, Office of Sexual Violence Support and Education where she supports community members affected by sexual violence, creates educational programming and aids in shaping campus policy and procedures. There she has developed innovative educational tools including a bystander intervention program and a colouring and activity book for survivors and allies entitled, We Believe You. The colouring book has been used and adapted by sexual assault crisis centres, universities and governments including the government of Nova Scotia.

Farrah regularly contributes to national media including the CBC, New York Times and the Globe and Mail for her expertise in addressing gender-based violence. She holds a combined double major from York University in Women’s Studies and Environmental Studies and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto.

View Farrah Khan’s profile or request more information about hosting them as a speaker.