SafeWalk returns with earlier starting hours and new safety workshops for students this fall.
After a summer break, SafeWalk is back to help anyone who does not feel safe walking alone in the evening.
A free Student Association (SA) service available to all George Brown students, staff and visitors, SafeWalk has served the school for more than two decades.
The service provides walk accompaniment within a two-kilometre radius of campus buildings during evening hours.
“If you don’t feel comfortable walking alone at night, you don’t feel safe, or you just don’t want to walk alone, you can call or text or WhatsApp one of us,” said Chris Yalousakis, SafeWalk coordinator.
Students can visit a SafeWalk desk, call, text or WhatsApp 1-888-210-7233, or book a walk in advance through https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/zGNUnURqJA.
This year, SafeWalk will begin operating at 6:30 p.m., 15 minutes earlier than last year. Yalousakis said the change came after noticing students were often waiting around campus after classes ended before the service opened.
SafeWalk will continue to operate at St. James, Casa Loma and Waterfront campuses, with the Waterfront team also covering Limberlost Place, Daniels and the Theatre School.
The service runs until 10 p.m. at Waterfront and until 10: 30 p.m. at other locations.
SafeWalk also offers internal walks for students who want to move between buildings or locations on campus. Yalousakis said these requests have become more noticeable as students spend time on campus later in the evening, when fewer people may be around.
“No distance is too short, but there is a two-kilometre maximum,” Yalousakis said.
SafeWalk extends beyond its walk accompaniment services.
Throughout the year, SafeWalk offers workshops and training aimed at helping students feel more prepared and confident in different situations.
Students can register for returning workshops such as first aid, Understanding and Managing Aggressive Behaviour (UMAB), along with harm reduction and naloxone training.
This year, staying safe on your bike will be a spotlight for new workshops as the CycleSafe series kicks off.
Riding with Confidence a workshop which teaches users how to ride safely, took place Sept. 29 at the Waterfront campus. The session focused on helping students feel more comfortable cycling in the city, including planning routes, riding safely and navigating bike lanes.
Happening later in the semester CycleSafe will feature a session that will focus on students who work as delivery-app partners.
The workshop will be led by Toronto cycling lawyer and advocate David Shellnutt and will cover road rules, cyclists’ responsibilities and what students should know when interacting with police.
Yalousakis said the session was created with George Brown’s student community in mind, particularly students who rely on delivery work as a source of income.
“You don’t know some of the rules of the road, what you have in terms of responsibilities, how to interact with the police if they do talk with you,” Yalousakis said. “These are things that can get complicated really quickly.”
In November, SafeWalk will also host a gender-based violence workshop with METRAC, giving students a chance to learn more about safety and violence prevention.
Yalousakis said the workshops are intended to give students practical skills and a greater sense of confidence. Reflecting on last year’s self-defence workshop, he said the participants described the experience as empowering.
Students can find information about upcoming workshops and registrations through SafeWalk’s Instagram, @gbcsafewalk, which links to its showpass page.
Whether students are heading home after an evening class, moving between campus buildings or looking to build practical safety skills, SafeWalk is continuing to make safety and support more accessible across George Brown.
