MODELSS
Moving On: Digital Empowerment and Literacy Skills for Survivors (MODELSS), is an intervention research project designed and developed by MediaSmarts and several partner organizations in the violence against women (VAW) sector across Canada. This program empowers survivors through two types of program content:
1. Digital triage handouts: important online safety, security, and well-being information in a printable format to assist survivors in crisis and their families.
2. Resilience workshops: a series of six workshops designed to educate and empower survivors to confidently participate in online communities (for example, through safe and secure job searching, social media use and online banking and shopping).The workshops are one hour long each and include hands-on activities and videos and cover the following topics:
- - Introducing Online Basics
- - Introducing Online Safety
- - Introducing Online Privacy and Security
- - Advancing Your Online Privacy and Security
- - Online Relationship Safety
- - Digital Storytelling
To date, MediaSmarts has trained over 18 facilitators from partner organizations working in the VAW sector across Canada to pilot and evaluate this program beginning in Fall 2024. If you’re interested in hosting a workshop in your organization, or for more information, please contact info@mediasmarts.ca.
Website: MediaSmarts
Moving On: Digital Empowerment and Literacy Skills for Survivors Needs Assessment Report
Watch this project's Knowledge Hub Presents event!
An introduction to MediaSmarts' interventional research project "Moving Forward: Digital empowerment and literacy for survivors". This project aims to adapt, deliver and evaluate digital media literacy resources for survivors of technology-facilitated violence and abuse (VAFT) and the violence against women (VAW) practitioners who support them. This presentation is part of the Knowledge Center's Present series, and the recording is available. The presentation will address the project's trauma- and violence-informed perspective, its qualitative methods, key outcomes and ongoing resource development.
Dr. Kara Brisson-Boivin is the Director of Research at Mediasmarts, Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy. Kara is responsible for the planning, methodology, implementation, and dissemination of key findings from original MediaSmarts’ research studies as well as evaluations of MediaSmarts’ programs. Kara researches the various impacts of digital technology and culture on digital citizenship, digital well-being, and online resiliency for Canadians broadly and youth in particular. Kara works with a number of academic partners on tri-agency funded research projects, private and public sector groups, as well as federal departments on online issues including; digital equity and inclusion, digital well-being and online resilience, privacy, online hate, mis/dis information, and algorithms and artificial intelligence. Kara brings to MediaSmarts extensive publication experience in academic journals, magazines, news op-eds and research blogs; and a background in presenting research to key stakeholders on parliamentary committees, at academic conferences, invited talks, panels, keynote addresses, and in media interviews.
Khadija Baig
Khadija Baig is a Research and Evaluation Associate at MediaSmarts. She is responsible for supporting the entire research process: conducting literature reviews, preparing research ethics’ applications, designing qualitative and quantitative research instruments and mixed-methods studies, designing and conducting internal program evaluation, conducting statistical (quantitative) and thematic (qualitative) analysis of data, writing research reports, and knowledge dissemination. Khadija holds a Master of Computer Science (M.C.S) degree from Carleton University, Ottawa. She is also a Research Associate at CHORUS (Carleton’s Human Oriented Research in Usable Security), from the School of Computer Science at Carleton University. Khadija brings extensive research and publication experience to our team and she has designed, lead, and collaborated on research involving usable online privacy and security. Her research interests include: the privacy complications of DNA (genetic privacy), the privacy of vulnerable populations, accessible privacy and security, and the spread of antagonistic content online.
Vanessa Turyatunga
Vanessa Turyatunga is a Research and Evaluation Associate at MediaSmarts. She is responsible for supporting the entire research process: conducting literature reviews, preparing research ethics’ applications, designing mixed-methods studies, designing and conducting internal program evaluation, conducting statistical (quantitative) and thematic (qualitative) analysis of data, writing research reports, and knowledge dissemination. Vanessa holds a Master’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of Ottawa, and is currently conducting her PhD in Anthropology at Carleton University, Ottawa. She brings extensive publication and knowledge mobilization skills, as well as interdisciplinary, community-based and participant-focused research and program coordination experience to our team. Vanessa's research interests include: participatory action research, empowerment-based research methods and trauma- and violence-informed digital media literacy education.
