CONTACT US
Jeff Perera: jeffrey.perera@ryerson.ca
whiteribbon@ryerson.ca
@ryewhiteribbon
Facebook: Ryerson White Ribbon Campaign
Our Mission
The Ryerson White Ribbon Campaign (RWRC) works to engage men in ending men’s violence against women and inspire them to be the best versions of themselves. We don’t seek to blame or shame men, but encourage them to become part of a change affecting the lives of both men and women.
RWRC is a coalition of Students, Staff and Faculty that seeks to engage men at Ryerson to critically examine their roles and responsibility in the issue, and then recognize the many ways in which they can become part of change and part of the solution.
Write us at whiteribbon@ryerson.ca for more information on our upcoming workshops or events
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ryewhiteribbon
Facebook: search ‘Ryerson White Ribbon Campaign’
The ‘Pledge’
Wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls. and is a way of saying, “Our future has no violence against women.”
Working with the Women’s Movement
In order to achieve gender equality and prevent male physical and sexual violence, more men HAVE to participate in the process and act as allies to women, who have been on the forefront of addressing these issues for years. In working to engage men and boys, we honour the pioneering work and ongoing leadership of the women’s movement. We stand in solidarity with the ongoing struggles for women’s empowerment and rights in our commitment to contribute to the efforts to achieve gender equality. By working in close synergy with women’s rights organizations at Ryerson, we aim to change individual men’s attitudes and practices, and transform the imbalance of power between men and women.
Men’s Role and Responsibilities
Men’s violence against Women is a complex, complicated and wide-ranging issue involving a multitude of factors embedded in culture, economy, law and our cultural constructions of masculinity. Accordingly, men must both be addressed and involved in the effort in order to make the comprehensive social changes necessary to end this violence. By accurately naming it men’s violence against Women, we can begin a process of men’s accountability and responsibility. Men’s violence against Women is neither exclusively a woman’s issue nor a men’s issue, but a society wide issue.
It is as much about women’s empowerment and reclaiming safe space as it is about reconstructing masculinity and dismantling male privilege. It is as much about support and intervention for women, as it is about education, awareness and prevention for men. Consequently, work with men and boys must be gender transformative: including discussions about gender norms and how these influence behaviour, and critical debate and analysis of these norms and influence on behaviour.
Men are more likely to change when we focus on what is strong with them, not what is wrong with them, when we demonstrate positive examples of masculinity rather than highlighting only the negative. The work of the Ryerson White Ribbon Campaign is to be a catalyst for social change, within individuals, communities, organizations and nations.
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at our workshops or events!
Yours Truly,
Jeff Perera
Founder and Chairperson of the RWRC
For more information or to get involved write us at whiteribbon@ryerson.ca
Ryerson White Ribbon Campaign 
1 Trackback or Pingback for this entry:
[…] Ryerson White Ribbon Campaign co-chairperson Jeff Perera will be reprising his TEDx Ryerson talk ‘Words Speak Louder Than Actions’ at the ‘Behind the Masc‘ performance with world-renown poet and spoken word artist Carlos Andrés Gómez. Carlos’ powerful event will be the keynote performance at the ‘What Makes a Man…’ White Ribbon Conference at Ryerson University. […]