What if young people could step into an unhealthy relationship and learn to recognize the warning signs firsthand?
For many young people, early romantic relationships are shaped by confusion, pressure, and blurred boundaries around consent. The YWCA of Montreal therefore created a new virtual reality (VR) experience to address these issues, with a specific focus on consent within romantic relationships.
Do You NO the Limit? 2 – In Relationships places participants in the heart of an unhealthy relationship through an immersive experience. Through real-time decision-making, they are confronted with complex realities, including situations of psychological and sexual violence, control, and manipulation.
By experiencing situations where control, manipulation, and violence gradually take hold and become normalized, participants strengthen their ability to identify the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship and act with greater confidence.
Learning Objectives of the Immersive Experience:
- Recognize signs of psychological and sexual violence;
- Demonstrate empathy toward survivors;
- Set and respect personal boundaries;
- Challenge toxic behaviors and build healthy relationships;
- Access support resources for themselves and others.
Experience Details:
- Format: A virtual reality kiosk set up directly at your location. Your community can enjoy an interactive VR experience, a facilitated discussion with a trained professional, and a feedback survey (snacks and goodies included).
- Duration: 3 hours total (flexible), with each individual experience lasting 15 to 20 minutes, allowing approximately 40 participants to take part.
- Audience: This experience is designed for organizations serving youth aged 16 and older:
- Educational institutions: Cégeps, universities, trade schools, etc.
- Training centres: Vocational training centres, francisation (French-language learning) centres, etc.
- Non-profit organizations: Community organizations, youth centres, specialized support centres, etc.
- Ideal for:
- Violence prevention awareness weeks;
- Consent awareness campaigns;
- Programming offered by student services, student life, or equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) offices;
- Activities organized by student residences, youth centres, or youth-serving organizations.
- Orientation, welcome, and integration activities;
- Mental health awareness weeks;
- Price: Social and flexible pricing to support our essential services for women and youth.
More Than an Experience: A Comprehensive Awareness Program
Do You NO the Limit? 2 – In Relationships includes:
- A promotional toolkit featuring customized posters, email banners, and ready-to-share content for your social media channels;
- An awareness toolkit with customizable content that can be shared throughout your community;
- An activity report based on participant survey responses, allowing you to evaluate the effectiveness of the immersive experience while identifying awareness-related issues, concerns, and needs specific to your environment.
Virtual Reality 2.0
After more than nine years of delivering Do You NO the Limit? and reaching 5,500 young people across Quebec, we recognized that certain blind spots remained. In response, we enhanced the experience to better meet the evolving needs of today’s youth by offering:
- The option for participants to choose both their own gender identity and that of their partner, ensuring representation of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities;
- A trauma-informed design that promotes safety, comfort, and accessibility;
- An interactive format featuring real-time decision-making and multiple storylines.
Book Your VR Experience
Interested in learning more about Do You NO the Limit? 2– In Relationships? We would be pleased to discuss this experience with you, explore how it can be adapted to your unique context, and answer any questions you may have.
Contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 514-866-9941, ext. 432.
References
Institut de la statistique du Québec. (2024, décembre 17). Fichier maître de l’Enquête québécoise sur la santé des jeunes du secondaire (EQSJS) 2022-2023. Tiré du Rapport de l’onglet Plan national de surveillance produit par l’Infocentre de santé publique de l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec. Violence sexuelle subie
