The 12-month project, developed and led by Dr Madhumita Pandey, Sheffield Hallam University's Gender Justice Hub Lead, aims to address the attitudes, behaviours and social norms that contribute to violence before harm occurs focusing on issues including online misogyny, consent, and digital safety.
The project will train and support Hallam placement students as Gender Justice Ambassadors, who will work alongside local schools, colleges, charities and community organisations to deliver education, awareness raising and community engagement activities.
Dr Madhumita Pandey said: “Young people have an important role to play in challenging the attitudes and everyday behaviours that allow violence against women and girls to persist. Through the Gender Justice Hub, we are equipping Hallam students with the knowledge, confidence and support to lead these conversations with their peers and in local communities. This project brings together education, specialist expertise and student leadership to promote positive relationships, safer digital spaces and greater gender equality.”
The Ambassadors will each concentrate on one of three specialist areas: Digital Defenders will focus on online misogyny, AI-enabled harms, image-based abuse and digital safety. Healthy Relationships and Consent Champions will focus on consent, healthy relationships, bystander intervention and violence prevention, and Menstrual Justice and Body Autonomy Advocates will focus on menstrual health, challenging stigma and taboos, body autonomy and gender equality.
The project aims to draw on expertise from organisations such as IDAS, Rape Crisis Centre, Menstruation Matters, Catcalls of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University’s Report and Support Team to train and prepare the Gender Justice Ambassadors for their outreach roles. With this training and ongoing support, ambassadors will work towards delivering workshops, developing awareness campaigns and signposting young people to appropriate support services.
The project will culminate in a public-facing event, Digital Defenders and Community Changemakers: A Showcase, celebrating student-led initiatives and bringing together community stakeholders to promote safer, healthier and more inclusive communities across Sheffield.
The funding was awarded by the Violence Prevention Partnership (VPP) which is comprised of South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), local authorities, South Yorkshire Police and representatives from young people and local communities.
The VPP had invited applications to fund community schemes across South Yorkshire that met at least one key theme:
- Reducing / preventing knife crime
- Reducing violence against women and girls under 25
- Coaching and mentoring to reduce violence
-
Activities to divert people away from violent crime
- Reducing youth violence among key groups
