Professional Respect Training Days

Professional Respect Training Days are facilitated by Rachel Harrison and Mel Calvesbert, specialist sexual harm prevention advisors in Aotearoa New Zealand.The facilitators are experienced specialists and they ensure that discussions are safe, constructive and respectful.

Content includes:

• Definitions of sexual harassment and sexual harm within your country’s legislation

• Obligations and legal requirements for workplaces

• Guidance for receiving disclosures of sexual harm and supporting survivors

• Options and pathways for reporting sexual harm and support services available

• Strategies for preventing sexual harm and fostering a respectful work environment

• Practical tips for bystander intervention

The day is available for hosting in your city. The package includes:

• Specialist sexual harm prevention and response facilitators on-site and in-person

• Liaison with local specialist sexual harm services

• Tailoring for localised region

• Fully-designed localised resource hand-outs

POA [please contact hello@equaliserglobal]

Precise costs will vary depending on seasonal variations in airfares and accomodation prices, itinerary matching and other localised variables. Package prices will include getting the Facilitators to your city (including travel, accomodation & per diems) mentoring, research, and ongoing support post-event. Cities are responsible for all event costs (location, catering, stationery, etc), the cost of contracting local staff, and any marketing and communciation costs.

About

The Professional Respect Training was developed by Rachel Harrison and Melanie Calvesbert through their work with SoundCheck Aotearoa, a New Zealand charity organisation on a mission to create a safer and more inclusive culture for their music community.

Rachel Harrison lives in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and works with organisations and communities across Aotearoa to help prevent sexual harassment, sexual violence, domestic violence and child abuse.

Rachel believes that harassment, violence and abuse are preventable and that the best solutions are tailored to each specific community and workplace, making use of their strengths and minimising specific risk factors.

Rachel started at Auckland Rape Crisis in the 1990’s, and since then has worked at Netsafe, the Hauraki Family Violence and Child Abuse Prevention Services Hauraki. She is now self-employed and works with a range of public and private sector organisations including ACC Injury Prevention, the New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Rugby, BNZ, and the Screen Women’s Action Group, music community and live performance sector (Equity) as they work toward making their communities safe and free from harassment and abuse.

Melanie Calvesbert was born, grew up and lives in Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington). She is Pākehā and in October 2022, made the leap to self-employment. The primary focus of her work is to support communities and organisations as they seek to both respond well and prevent all forms of sexual harm including sexual harassment in workplaces and child sexual abuse.

Since 2023, Mel has been the Sexual Harm Prevention & Response Advisor (SHAPRA) for the Music Industry.

Prior to this, Mel worked at the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) as one of their team of regionally based Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Advisors (SAPRAs) and then as the Manager for the SAPRAs. 

Prior to the NZDF Mel worked for the most part in NGOs who have a focus on the response to sexual harm, including WellStop and the Wellington Sexual Abuse HELP Foundation.

Rachel Harrison & Mel Calversbert