Past Events
Presentation at Traffic Jam 2026:
Sexual and Reproductive Health Promotion: an upstream response to sexual violence against children and youth.
Children and young people in our communities deserve access to comprehensive sex education to ensure healthy physical, emotional, and relational development. It's also an important upstream approach to preventing sexual violence.
According to Statistics Canada, almost 1 in 10 children experience some form of sexual violence before age 15, and young people age 12-24 experience the highest rates of sexual assault, sex trafficking, and intimate partner violence. We've never seen more loudly and publicly than in this current moment how widespread and normalized sexual violence is at the highest levels of power globally.
We need to - and we can - do better for our young people in schools, in health care, and in our communities.
Hope and Healing 2025
In 2025 we had the privilege of co-organizing the Hope and Healing fundraiser with Sarah Tunstall for the Ottawa Coalition to End Human Trafficking. This event celebrates the healing power of art in the lives of survivors of human trafficking, and showcases their artwork, spoken word poetry, and musical talent. All proceeds from art sales are provided directly to the artists.
We were honored to support this amazing community event alongside many local businesses that donated raffle prizes. Stay tuned for event information for 2026!
Photography was generously provided by Strast Media.
Trauma Talks Panel with
Marita had the privilege of participating in a panel with a group of survivors and providers to talk about the impacts of child sexual abuse and other forms of sexual violence. We talked about the unique impacts of trauma and some of the ways we can begin to make change by starting conversations earlier in our families and communities. We also highlighted the importance of education for everyone from children to health providers and had some fantastic audience questions and conversation. You can read more and see the full live recording at the Voice Found website using the links below.