Students as Agents of Change: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education
11 June 2026, 15:00 – 18:00 CEST
online
Free of charge, upon registration
About the training
This interactive training aims to support students in understanding gender-based violence in higher education and identifying how they can actively contribute to prevention and institutional change. The session combines key concepts, practical examples and participatory exercises to help participants reflect on their role as students and identify concrete actions they can take within their institutions. It is designed to go beyond awareness-raising by encouraging participants to connect what they learn to their own institutional context and to explore how students can contribute to change in practice.
Learning objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Understand gender-based violence and the continuum of violence in academia and become familiar with the UniSAFE 7P framework
- Identify different roles students can play in addressing gender-based violence (e.g. awareness-raising, advocacy, policy engagement)
- Leave the session with at least one concrete takeaway, action idea or next step relevant to their own context
Who is it for?
This training is open to students of any level (Bachelor, Master, PhD) across Europe who are:
- Interested in gender-based violence and institutional change but not necessarily experts on the topic
- Active or interested in student organisations, unions or networks
- Involved in inclusivity, equality or diversity-related initiatives
- Motivated to contribute to change within their institution
The training will be conducted in English. A good level of English is required.
The training is limited to 30 participants.
Facilitators
Luka Lešić
Juliette Font
Juliette is an education and gender policy analyst with a background in social science research and public policy, including a Master’s degree from Sciences Po Paris. Since 2021, she has been actively working to combat gender-based violence in higher education, notably as a leader of the #sciencesporcs movement.
She later served as Research Director and Board Member at the Observatory on Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education from 2022 to 2025, where she led award-winning research recognised by the Fondation des Femmes in 2023. She has also contributed to international research on education and gender with UNICEF, UNESCO and the International Youth Council on Gender Equality, and has been engaged with Women Against Violence Europe since 2024, advocating for the rights of young women and students.
Johanna Onnemaria Oovel
Johanna is currently completing her Master’s thesis in Gender Studies at Central European University in Vienna. She has worked as a student organiser for the past three years, during which she served as President of her university’s Student Union Executive Board and held responsibilities related to community engagement and issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
She has been engaged with the Student Community of Practice at GenderSAFE since its inception, alongside her advocacy for local sustainability measures under the umbrella of the Plant Based Universities campaign at CEU.