About this Event
About Voices for Change 2026
Voices for Change 2026: Ending Gender-Based Violence Among Refugees & Newcomers is a two-day, community-informed hybrid conference convened by Hope for Refugees International during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
Taking place on November 27–28, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day, the conference will bring together refugees and newcomers, people with lived and living experience, community and grassroots organizations, service providers, researchers, practitioners, advocates, policymakers, students, and humanitarian actors to learn, connect, share knowledge, and advance practical solutions to gender-based violence (GBV) and human trafficking.
Grounded in experiences from the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario, Voices for Change will connect local realities with conversations across Canada and the global humanitarian context, recognizing GBV as a global human rights issue.
What to Expect
Over two days, participants can expect keynote and plenary conversations, panel discussions, interactive workshops, concurrent sessions, community conversations, research and practice presentations, posters, creative presentations, networking opportunities, and a Community Resource & Connections Hub.
Conference conversations will explore the intersections between GBV, human trafficking, forced displacement, migration, housing insecurity, poverty, employment and economic security, mental health and healing, racism and discrimination, immigration status, 2SLGBTQI+ experiences, access to justice, prevention, positive masculinity, and community transformation.
The conference will centre lived and living experience, community knowledge, frontline practice, research, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration.
Six Conference Themes
The program will be organized around six interconnected themes:
- GBV, Human Trafficking & Forced Displacement
- Housing, Poverty, Employment & Economic Security
- Survivor-Centred Support, Mental Health, Healing & Resilience
- Intersectionality, Equity & Access to Justice
- Prevention, Positive Masculinity & Community Transformation
- From Local Action to Global Humanitarian Response
Community Resource & Connections Hub
Voices for Change is about more than conversations. Our Community Resource & Connections Hub will create an interactive space where participants can discover organizations, programs, services, resources, and community initiatives.
The Hub will help participants build connections, strengthen referral pathways, discover available supports, exchange resources, and develop partnerships that can continue beyond the conference.
Who Should Attend?
Voices for Change welcomes refugees and newcomers, people with lived and living experience, GBV and anti-trafficking organizations, settlement agencies, women's and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations, social workers, counsellors, healthcare and mental-health professionals, housing and homelessness organizations, legal professionals, researchers, students, community leaders, government representatives, policymakers, humanitarian practitioners, advocates, and allies.
You do not need to be an expert in GBV to participate. The conference is intended to bring together different forms of knowledge and experience in a respectful, inclusive, survivor-centred, and community-informed environment.
Registration
The conference will be delivered in a hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual participation.
In-Person:
163 Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Virtual:
Online via Zoom
Registration Fees:
- Refugees & Newcomers: $25 — subsidized registration
- Other Canada-Based Participants: $50
- International Participants: $350
Registration includes access to conference sessions and conference materials. In-person registration also includes lunch and coffee/tea breaks on both conference days.
Participants are responsible for their own dinner. Those travelling to Toronto are responsible for arranging and covering their own travel, accommodation, local transportation, travel documentation/visa requirements, and other personal expenses.
Join the Conversation. Be Part of the Change.
Voices for Change is built on a simple principle: communities should not only be invited into conversations about gender-based violence—they should help shape those conversations and the solutions that emerge from them.
Join us for two days of people, knowledge, connection, learning, resources, and action as we work together toward safer, stronger, more inclusive communities.
November 27–28, 2026 | Toronto + Online
Convened by Hope for Refugees International
For questions, contact us on [email protected]
Event venue & nearby stays
163 Queen St E, 163 Queen Street East, Toronto, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.