A.A.S.K. Montreal @aaskmontreal-blog - Tumblr Blog

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Come join us tomorrow and sunday 4-6 pm EST for our conversations surrounding accessibility, accountability, and call-out culture!

https://aasklongtermlongtable.tumblr.com

#metoo #beyondthehashtag #htmlles

Resources shared at our ‘Introduction to Sexual Violence and Accountability’ workshop

We want to thank Shayna Hadley and Mariana Aguilera for facilitating this workshop and for sharing these resources with us. We will be donating a portion of what we have raised to Missing Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women . * This will be updated on our budget spreadsheet.

* Like Missing Justice, we recognize that the causes of racialized and sexualized violence, disproportionally affecting Indigenous communities, are linked to Canada's colonial policies of the past and present.

TRANSFORMATIVE AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE https://batjc.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/tj-ca-one-pager.pdf http://aorta.coop/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Destabilizing-Rape -Culture-and-Tranformative-Justice.pdf

SUGGESTIONS TO PEOPLE CALLED OUT FOR ABUSE BEHAVIOR http://fruitiondesign.com/dealwithit/02wispy.php

KIMBERLḖ CRENSHAW'S TALK ON INTERSECTIONALITY https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?language=en DIRECT SUPPORT: SEXUAL HEALTH, PEER SUPPORT, & INFORMATION Center for Gender Advocacy: Support andAdvocacy , Safer Sex Resources Head and Hands: Preventative, Inclusive, Non-Judgmental, and Holistic Support for Youth (under 25). Medical, legal, and social resources (counseling) available. P10: Drop-In for Youth Queer (14-25). South Asian Women's Community Center: Supportive of trans and gender neutral folks. Native Women's Shelter

OTHER RESOURCES FROM PREVIOUS CONSENT WORKSHOPS Wispy Cockles: Deal With It Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, and Jeanne Segal: Emotional and Psychological Trauma: Dealing with it and moving on JM Baker: Rapists explain themselves on Reddit, and we should listen University of Michigan: Sexual Assault Kai Cheng Thom: #NotYet: Why I Will not Publicly Name Abusers Ashley Fairbanks: It's not call-out culture that is toxic . Tara Culp-Ressler: What Affirmative Consent Actually Means Amanda Aguilar Shank:Beyond Firing: How do we create community-wide accountability for sexual harassment in our movements? French & Ravens Bases of Social Power Sean Illing: What everyone gets wrong about misogyny Riley H: Callout culture is not toxic. Tu es.

Introduction to Sexual Violence & Accountability Duration: 3 hours Facilitators: Shayna Hadley and Mariana Aguilera Location: Le Frigo Vert (1440 rue Mackay)* Cost: Sliding scale suggested donation 5-20$ but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. If interested in attending please RSVP by messaging us through email at aask.montreal.info @gmail.com. We have a limited number of spots. This workshop is designed mainly for people who want to understand more about what sexual violence is and for people who have been called out or know someone who has been called out for causing harm. *Some of the content in this workshop may be triggering to people who have experienced sexual violence.* Discussions and activities are designed to promote exploration to ways of being more accountable to partners, lovers, friends, and the community. These are challenging topics and the facilitators will work to create an environment that allows for open dialogue. Though the workshop is designed with specific goals and activities, the facilitators do not come to the space as experts but instead as guides for community members to create their own solutions. Some of the content has been designed specifically for the Montreal Arts/ Music community and some of it is from workshops given at Concordia's Sexual Assault Resource Center. *Le Frigo Vert is an accessible space with a wheelchair ramp. Refreshments will be provided. The event will be hosted in English, however, whisper translation can be provided if needed. ~

Introduction à la violence sexuelle et à la responsabilisation Durée: 3 heures Duration: 3 hours Animateurs: Shayna Hadley et Mariana Aguilera Lieu: Le Frigo Vert (1440 rue Mackay)* Coût: Don suggéré entre 5-20$ mais personne ne sera refusé pour manque de fonds. Si vous êtes intéressé.e à participer, veuillez RSVP en nous envoyant un courriel à aask.montreal.info @gmail.com. Nous avons un nombre limité de places. Cet atelier est conçu principalement pour les personnes voulant en savoir plus sur ce qu’est la violence sexuelle, pour les gens en ayant été accusés ou connaissant quelqu’un en ayant été accusé. Le contenu de cet atelier pourrait être “triggering” (déclencheur d’inconfort) pour les gens ayant eu une ou des expériences de violence sexuelle. Les discussions et les activités de cet atelier sont conçues pour encourager l’exploration de manières d’être plus responsable envers nos partenaires, nos amants, nos amis et notre communauté. Ces sujets sont parfois difficiles et les animateurs travailleront à créer un environnement permettant un dialogue ouvert. Bien que l’atelier soit conçu avec des buts et des activités précises, les animateurs tiennent à se présenter non en tant qu’experts mais en tant que guides qui aideront les membres de la communauté à créer leurs propres solutions. Certaines parties du contenu ont été pensées spécifiquement pour la scène des arts et la communauté musicale de Montréal, d’autres nous proviennent d’ateliers organisés au Sexual Assault Resource Center de l’université Concordia. *Le Frigo Vert est un espace accessible avec une rampe pour les fauteils roulants. Des rafraichissements seront offerts. L’événement sera présenté en anglais, mais des traducteurs chuchotants seront présents.

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/694515194254464/ ---- Topics to be covered: 1. Defining sexual violence exploring the continuum and problematizing myths 2. Deconstructing perpetrator's personal narratives regarding sexual assault 3. Responding to a friend or community member who has done harm of a sexual nature 4. Exploring personal accountability

Updates and Budget Statement

A little over a year and a half ago, we received $3200 from a crowdfunding campaign. We would like to update the community on where these dollars have gone and where we intend for the remaining money to go. The following spreadsheet details our expenses to date: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/103NlGtytNLzyQ8GZwY6cD_ygmk_wBWPqiTPhQoOSqlM/edit?usp=sharing

We would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to the community for allowing the July 2017 Narcan (Naloxone) Workshop to be conducted by a white facilitator with dreadlocks. We are sorry that we did not prioritize people of color in our community and failed to consider their safety while we were booking this event. We will be diligent in future vetting of all workshop facilitators to ensure that we do not make this type of mistake again. As a response to our mistake we have taken an internal Anti-Oppression workshop with CoCo and we will be matching our original donation to Plein Milieu NARCAN training of $150 with a donation to Black Lives Matter Montreal, who have been doing important work within the Montreal community empowering black voices. We will continue to practice anti-oppression in both our internal and external actions and we encourage the community to reach-out and continue conversations with us in this regard.

Il y a un an et demi, au terme d’une campagne de socio-financement, nous avons reçu un total de 3200$. Nous aimerions aujourd’hui vous laisser savoir où cet argent a été utilisé et où nous prévoyons utiliser le reste des dons.

Nous aimerions prendre ce moment pour nous excuser formellement à la communauté pour l’atelier Narcan de juillet 2017. Il a été noté que la conférence a été donné par une personne blanche arborant des dreadlocks. Nous sommes désolé de n’avoir pas pensé à prioriser l’opinion et la sensibilité des personnes de couleur de notre communauté et que nous n’avons pas su considéré leur confort en donnant cet événement de cette façon. Dans le futur, nous serons plus diligent lorsque nous choisirons nos facilitateurs d’ateliers. Nous pourrons ainsi assurer que ce type d’erreur ne se répète pas. En réaction à ces critiques, nous avons organiser et assister à un atelier de contre-oppression avec l’organisation CoCo et nous engageons à faire un don correspondant à notre don originel à Plein Milieu (150$) à l’organisation Black Lives Matter Montréal, qui continue de faire du travail important pour la communauté noire. Nous continuerons à mettre en place et pratiquer des tactiques de contre-oppression dans notre communication interne et externe et nous encourageons toute les personnes de la communauté qui désirent continuer la conversation à ce sujet à nous contacter.

Previous Events and Workshops:

June 2017 - Panel Discussion Community Level Responses to Gender-Based Violence

https://www.facebook.com/events/119423108644921/ July 2017 - Narcan Workshop

https://www.facebook.com/events/328649910899486/

December 2017 - Consent Workshop https://www.facebook.com/events/1522994237783598/

Upcoming Events and Workshops - Dates TBD

Consent Workshop Series with Shayna and Mariana

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/shayna-hadley-b70b35139

Anti-Oppression Workshop (specifics to racism)

Please message us or use our anonymous message box on our tumblr (https://aaskmontreal.tumblr.com/) to let us know what kind of workshops you would like to see in our communities!

as a female victim of childhood sexual abuse and, as a young adult, rape, it took me a long time to break the cycle and i know i have been abusive to male partners in the past and i question the levels of consent in some of these instances. i feel like there are no resources for me and i am afraid of talking about it for fear of persecution. what do you do if you are a female abuser and what do you do if you are an abuser whose victim has not come forward?

Thanks for taking the time to write this post, share your story and ask us such important questions. First of all, you should not feel alone. Unfortunately, many people who are abused repeat this cycle to others and this does not only apply to male survivors/abusers. The number of questions we’ve received in our anonymous box on this subject can attest to a fraction of the much larger number of people who are struggling to answer similar questions.

Unfortunately we are not professionals, trained mediators, social workers or experts in restorative justice. We don’t feel we have the expertise or experience to address this very complicated issue. We recognize that the popular discourse around consent has been gendered and that it is difficult to speak about these issues as both a survivor and abuser. However, we encourage you to reach out to professionals within the community that are accessible here in Montreal as well as attend workshops around consent. We recently hosted our first workshop, which we encourage anyone to attend (regardless of their background), and we will be hosting more in the future. The Centre for Gender Advocacy does great work as well and offers confidential peer support which operates on principles of empowerment, harm reduction and self-determination (more information: http://genderadvocacy.org/services/peer-support-advocacy-and-referrals/). The Argyle Institute offers sliding scale therapy, and Head and Hands offers free therapy for those 25 and under. (See links below.)

We recognize that many people may have similar questions with regard to what an abuser should do if a survivor has not come forward. We believe in survivor-oriented accountability and so we discourage any actions taken that may put the survivor at risk. Every case is different and it is important to speak to those around you as well as professionals in this instance to find out the best way to move forward in your specific situation.

Every accountability and healing process looks different, as everyone’s situation is so different - we encourage you to reach out to any of these resources and hope that they offer you the support and guidance you need.

Centre for Gender Advocacy:

http://genderadvocacy.org/services/peer-support-advocacy-and-referrals/

Argyle Institute:

https://argyleinstitute.org/

Head and Hands:

http://headandhands.ca/programs-services/social-services/

Hi, I am a female DJ from Montreal currently living abroad, however I do come back often to visit. Would it be possible to be added to the list? I am familiar with many artists on this list and have been playing for ten years approx. My styles range from synth wave to experimental techno. It would be great to know how my name can be added. Thank you;). Amanda/Mour

Hey there! We are slowly updating this list but for now you can send us an email with your name. You can also write us an anonymous message with the name of your project and we will be happy to add you :).

I have not observed, in abusers who have been called out, either publicly or through rumour, any real movement toward rehabilitation. Quite the opposite: shunning traumatizes abusers, and all their subsequent actions are a method of negotiating that trauma. Any rehabilitation is an affect for them to stop feeling suicidal, to hold on to some social capital. It creates a cycle of abuse, not resolves. Can AASK speak to the efficacy of a call-out vs. other forms of accountability processes?

Members of AASK are not in any way trained in accountability processes and emergency responses to call-outs and can only speak from our experiences and self-education. We believe that community safety is a communal responsibility. To us this means that when harm is done, it is up to the community to respond, hold one another accountable and facilitate healing. When thinking about practicing restorative justice the “efficacy” of call-outs is often brought up. We believe it is up to survivors of abuse to determine what works for them and that the community is then responsible to assist in these actions and to remain survivor-centered. The majority of victims of abuse come from marginalized groups and have been conditioned to put others needs before their own. In the instance of choosing between a call-in and a call-out, this could result prioritizing the abuser’s feelings above their own, and perpetuating existing forms of oppression. Often these system of oppression contribute to future abuse. Part of the power of call-outs is that they ignite public discussion and acknowledgment of flaws in the culture, that something is not okay and that we want the future to look different. In addition to showing the frequency of abuse and disempowerment present every day in our communities, they often show what resources are lacking i.e. accessible counselling and therapy, trained mediators, harm prevention work.

When we know what we need we are better prepared to facilitate these things for the future.

Every accountability process is contextual and will look different.

i was called out by an organization as abusive and banned from at least 20 spaces in montreal. when i asked the centre for gender advocacy for help they said i was banned. the organization who banned me did not give me any information on what i did or who i abused. i don't know why i was banned, i genuinely don't know what i did, i don't know how to be accountable, i don't know what to do.

Hi there! Unfortunately we are not professionals, trained mediators, social workers or experts in restorative justice. We don’t feel we have the expertise or experience to address this very complicated issue.

As survivors and friends of survivors, we can say that the survivor may not be interested in speaking with you directly about their trauma. Please respect their wishes and do not get in touch with past partners whom you might have harmed, or ask them to relive their trauma - they need to be given space both emotional and physical to heal. Take this time to educate yourself about abuse and accountability, revisit your past actions, call a helpline, talk to a therapist, and talk to your friends. If you are based in Montreal, we’d recommend reaching out to the CIDS in Laval who works with abusers and people who have caused harm http://cidslaval.com/cids-cisd/ as well as the Argyle Institute, who offer a sliding scale therapy. With both there is a waiting list though, so please call sooner rather than later.

i'd love to see some workshops that focus on restorative justice for victims of assault, but with the intended audience of perpetrators. as a victim of sexual assault, i've felt helpless in terms of getting any kind of closure from legal venues regarding the violence that's been done. i feel like responsibility to change is incumbent on perpetrators of violence, and it would make me feel safer to know there was an active resource towards teaching solution based accountability for abusers.

Thanks for taking the time to write us! We’re currently working on a workshop about consent. While in an ideal world, the workshop would reach an audience before they actually cause harm, it will also be aimed at perpetrators, their friends, and the community surrounding. We’re also at the very beginning stages of working on a larger panel or community discussion that will involve local venues and promoters to speak on issues such as assault as well as safety, access, and responsibility. It is hoping through these trainings and discussions that we can help foster and facilitate and environment where we can start speaking on these issues as well as to continue the dialogue and conversations.

We over at AASK just wanted to say that our first hosted workshop "Drug 101 Workshop & Naloxone Training" went extremely well and we are looking forward to the second training in August! Thank you so much PLEIN MILIEU for providing the training and resources.

for those who cannot make the workshops note: training is offered every Tuesday at the Plein Milieu's reception. For more information, http://www.pleinmilieu.qc.ca/

#naloxonemontreal #pleinmilieu

To our community

We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to encourage us, volunteer and share their skills, resources and support.

We would like to be transparent regarding the fact that we are not professionals, trained mediators, social workers, experts in restorative justice or an emergency response team. We recognize our limitations and boundaries as a collective and as individuals. Our aim is to bolster our communities by focusing on self-education and skill-sharing.

A.A.S.K. Montreal is a relatively new and small (but growing) grassroots team of volunteers comprised of musicians, concert-goers, promoters, DIY venue operators, survivors, QBIPOC and allies. We formed in response to ourselves and others feeling overwhelmed by the oppression, discrimination and abuse witnessed and experienced within our communities. We are fueled by our need to find and develop resources to educate ourselves and others on navigating and actively combatting a variety of deeply complex and pervasive issues. We are a slow-going, but ever-chugging train. We would like to acknowledge how much of the groundwork laid down for collectives like us has historically been done by queer, trans, Black, Indigenous and activists of colour.

We have begun by hiring facilitators from organizations with professional experience in these fields to hold workshops that can facilitate dialogue and create positive change. We are working on a resource list for survivors. We use our social media platforms to share resources directed towards persons who cause harm to help them understand their behaviour and work towards accountability. Please check back in for updates!

As a collective, we are unable to facilitate or participate in call-outs or act as an emergency response team. Our focus as a collective is to work towards self-education and skill-sharing. We are currently re-working our mandate to be clear about our capabilities, however, we encourage survivors and allies to take whatever steps necessary to raise awareness and share their stories.

As individuals, we support whatever forms of amplification deemed necessary to encourage healthier and safer communities. We ask for patience and understanding of the limitations and boundaries of the individuals in our collective and ecourage the use of our Ask/Suggestion box on our website at https://aaskmontreal.tumblr.com/ or our e-mail [email protected] instead of contacting our volunteers directly. For urgent matters and information, we encourage you to consult the Centre for Gender Advocacy http://genderadvocacy.org/.

WE STAND WITH AND BELIEVE SURVIVORS.

Kindly,

A.A.S.K. Montreal

Drug 101 & Naloxone Training

Information en français ci-dessous AASK Montreal is teaming up with PLEIN MILIEU to host a Drug 101 workshop and naloxone training. Naloxone is a medication used to block the effects of opioids. It can help prevent an overdose. With the growing fentanyl drug crisis, having the training and the naloxone kit with you at an event could save a life. At the end of the workshop, you will receive a coupon to pick up a naloxone kit.

*******Please note that if you sign up, you commit to picking up the kit within two days following the workshop, otherwise the coupon expires.******** We'll be hosting two workshops: July 10th, 7PM August 10th, 7PM The workshop is free but we will be taking PWYC donations to go towardsPlein Milieu. Space is limited! To attend, you must sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScl4Fy9bi4uTw8pQMOdSJrZrpEoPhxkPTe5Qb9Mp5eiFy0ZlA/viewform?usp=sf_link Space is first come, first serve! We'll be hosting this in the basement of Sala Rossa (4848 St Laurent Blvd). You need to go up a flight of stairs and down two flights to access the room. If you have any issues with accessibility, please reach out to [email protected]. Email us at the address above if you have any other questions. ********************************* AASK Montréal s’allie avec Plein Milieu afin d’accueillir un atelier Drogues 101 et une formation sur la Naxalone. La Naxalone est un médicament utilisé afin de bloquer les effets des opiacés. Elle peut aider à empêcher un surdosage. Dans le cadre de la crise croissante liée à la présence de fentanyl dans les drogues le port d’un kit de naxalone sur vous à des événements ainsi que la formation adéquate pourrait vous permettre de sauver une vie. A la fin de l’atelier, vous serez en mesure de récupérer un kit Naxalone grâce à un coupon.

*******Cependant, le coupon expire après deux jours, il faut donc vous engager à aller chercher le kit juste après l’atelier si vous vous inscrivez!******* Il y aura deux ateliers: 10 Juillet, 19H 10 Août, 19H L’atelier est gratuit mais nous acceptons les donations qui iront à Plein Milieu. L’espace est limité. Pour assister, inscrivez-vous ici: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScl4Fy9bi4uTw8pQMOdSJrZrpEoPhxkPTe5Qb9Mp5eiFy0ZlA/viewform?usp=sf_link C'est premier arrivé, premier servi! Nous accueillons cet atelier au sous-sol de la Sala Rossa (4848 Boulevard Saint-Laurent). Vous avez besoin de monter une volée d’escaliers et d’en descendre deux afin d’accéder à la salle. Si vous avez des questions au sujet de l’accessibilité, contactez-nous à [email protected] Écrivez-nous si vous avez des questions additionelles.

How do you plan to address problems in the community with Alcohol / Substance abuse, social hierarchies, elitism, exclusiveness and white privilege? These aspects are really the elephant in the room in this community and has driven a lot of people away (including myself) from it in the past. There is a wealth of creative talent in this community that is often overlooked by those on a social ladder. It would be incredible if you could find ways to combat this and create a fostering environment

Hey there!

First, we want to thank you for your patience and for sending along a question. We are currently in the middle of organizing future workshops and are really excited to announce them very soon! The questions asked raises some very important points. We recognize the systemic and structural problems that can and do cause harm such as abuse and that many of these issues are interrelated. White privilege, exclusiveness, elitism, and social hierarchies are all subjects we would like to address through different public workshops to start providing opportunities for these important discussions to happen.

As a group of women and non-binary artists, musicians, and concert-goers, who also are learning how to understand, approach, and navigate through these subjects, we both feel the pressing and important need to start communicating with each other as a community. It is hoping that through providing workshops and discussions we can help provide a platform for these topics to be safely navigated and explored. We also understand that these conversations need to happen more than just once and we hope to foster a community that is committed to attending recurring workshops, discussions, and events.

Thank you!

AASK is thrilled to announce that we have surpassed our fundraising goal of $3000. We'd like to send heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated funds and shown their support. With these funds, we are currently planning workshops to address consent and forms of oppression within the local arts community. We are actively working with local organizations involved in work around consent and gendered violence to develop trainings and compile resources that we hope will prove valuable to Montreal's creative communities. Follow us at the links below for updates on these activities and more. We're excited to see these ideas become a reality, and we extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has contributed so far. We urge everyone to stay tuned and to attend the future workshops we will announce in the coming weeks. www.aaskmontreal.tumblr.com www.twitter.com/aaskmontreal www.facebook.com/AASKMontreal www.instagram.com/aaskmontreal

Le francais suit! A.A.S.K. Montreal (Artists and Allies Seeking Knowledge/Know-how) is a new not-for-profit community and volunteer driven initiative whose aim is to create a space for all to learn skills and contribute towards positive change. This is intended for anyone who cares about the phy...

Help us raise 3000$

#montrealmusic #anti-oppression #workshops #fundraising

Hello pals and neighbours!

We are in the infancy stages of a community initiative called A.A.S.K. Montreal (Artists and Allies Seeking Knowledge/Know-how) whose aim is to help musicians/promoters/venues/collectives, show-goers, and anyone else who wants to proactively address discrimination and oppression in Montreal music and arts communities to receive safety training and anti-oppression education for "safer spaces"....behold our first fundraiser! Each band is being paid a small honorarium and the rest of the door proceeds will go towards paying facilitators to develop entry-level and accessible workshops.We believe that everyone has a right to feel safe, and we would like to facilitate that to the best of our abilities. Please come by and offer your support! Bar Le Ritz PDB (179 Jean Talon West, Montreal, Quebec) is wheelchair accessible, with a metal ramp on the inside of the front entrance. The bar is located on the ground floor, its entry facing direction onto Jean Talon Ouest. Washrooms are also wheelchair accessible and gender-neutral. $5-$20 PWYC NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of funds) ** First band will REALLY AND TRULY scout's honour start at 10 PM to facilitate you going to other awesome shows on this night ** PETRA GLYNT https://petraglynt.bandcamp.com/ NENNEN https://nennen.bandcamp.com/ SACCHARINE *premier show ~ live premiere* https://saccharinesaccharine.bandcamp.com/ & DJ sets by DJ EEJUNGMI https://soundcloud.com/eejungmi Sivani DJ DJ Joni Mitchell DJ Marie Lies https://soundcloud.com/marieelies DJ JD http://lovingecho.tumblr.com/post/122402799173/driving-down-the-kosmische-coastline-summer-mix + more! Salut amis et voisins ! Nous sommes aux commencements d’une initiative communautaire qui s'appelle A.A.S.K. Montreal (Artists and Allies Seeking Knowledge/know-how) dont le but est d’aider les musiciens/promoteurs/salles/collectifs, spectateurs, et n’importe qui voulant résoudre de manière proactive la discrimination et l’oppression dans les communautés de musique et d’arts de Montréal, afin de recevoir des formations en sécurité et une éducation en anti-oppression pour des espaces “plus sécuritaires”... voici notre première levée de fonds! Chaque groupe sera payé un petit honoraire et le reste des recettes serviront à payer des facilitateurs afin de développer des ateliers accessibles. Nous pensons que chacun à le droit de se sentir en sécurité et nous voudrions promouvoir cela le mieux possible. Venez s’il-vous-plaît et montrez votre soutien! Bar Le Ritz PDB est accessible en fauteuil roulant, avec une rampe en métal à l’intérieur de l’entrée. Le bar est situé au rez-de-chaussé, façant la rue Jean Talon Ouest. Les toilettes sont accessibles en fauteuil roulant et de genre neutre. 5-20$ contribution volontaire, personne ne se verra refusé à l'entrée Le premier groupe commencera à 10pm pile !

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