The BRAVE Model
Your friends need you to be BRAVE
Most people tell a friend before they tell anyone else that they have been sexually harassed or assaulted. The BRAVE Model© is five simple steps to respond with care.
When a friend tells you they’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted, it’s normal to be unsure of how to respond. The BRAVE Model© exists because that moment matters, and you deserve to be ready for it
Five simple steps to support a friend who tells you they were sexually harassed or assaulted.
Free. Self-paced. Built with and for Ontario youth.
[Start the course]
This resource discusses sexual harassment and assault. If you need support right now, Kids Help Phone is free and available 24/7. Call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868.
-
Not because they don't care. Because they don't know what to say.
Your friend texts you something you weren't ready for. You start typing. You delete it. You start again.
Be BRAVE gives you the words.
-
Camilla is 16. Her best friend Jordan just texted her something she doesn't know how to answer.
[film embeds here]
Five minutes. Created by Ontario high school students like you, this video can be watched on your own or with someone else.
-
One handout for each step. Take them one at a time, or all five.
B: Begin by listening. Listen. Let them decide what to share and when. Allow for silence and pauses. [Handout]
R: Respect confidentiality. Their story is their own. Keep their story between the two of you. [Handout]
A: Ask what support looks like to them. Ask what they need and let them decide what happens next. [Handout]
V: Validate them. Remind them they are not alone, it is not their fault, and that you believe them. [Handout]
E: Empathize. Have compassion for them as well as care for yourself. [Handout]
Supporting someone is heavy. Looking after yourself is part of the model, not an extra. [Self-care resources]
[Download all five]
What you'll come away with
What to say, and what not to say, when a friend discloses
How to support someone without taking over their story
How to look after yourself while showing up for others
You are not expected to be a counsellor, an investigator, or a fixer. You're expected to be a friend. That's what this teaches.
Made by students
Ontario high school students built Be BRAVE through the Consent Futures Fellowship, working with mentors and animators. Twenty-five students join each year, from Catholic and public boards and from urban, northern, rural and remote communities.
They shaped the story, the characters and the script, then tested the course and said what worked, what felt off, and what was missing.
“Working on the BRAVE Model has been a significant experience as I get to pour all my creativity into that project while continuing to be a part of something bigger and make change.”
Consent Futures Fellowship participant, 2025
[Join the Fellowship]
Want a session at your school?
You can ask us to come. Student trustees, council members and club leads have brought Be BRAVE to schools across Ontario.
You will need your principal's permission. Put in a request and we will send you a short outline you can take to them.
[Request a session]
Get the certificate
The Be BRAVE e-learning course is free and self-paced. Work through real scenarios, build your skills, and get a certificate at the end.
[Start the course]
Where to get help
Free. Confidential. You don't have to be in crisis to reach out.
Kids Help Phone. 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868. Free, 24/7.
Suicide Crisis Helpline. Call or text 988. 24/7.
Provincial, French-language, Indigenous-specific and local services are on our support page. [Find support]
Are you an adult in a position of trust or authority? BRAVE is for students supporting each other. If a young person discloses to you, you have different responsibilities. See The CARE Model©.
[CARE for schools] [CARE for parents and caregivers]
The BRAVE Model©. All rights reserved. Possibility Seeds | HighSchoolToo.ca
Funded by the Government of Ontario as part of Ontario-STANDS, Ontario's Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
A new BRAVE resource is coming fall 2026
Possibility Seeds has received funding from the Ontario government to build an interactive learning resource for youth and educators about supporting a peer when they disclose sexual harassment or assault. Built with and for Ontario youth, it gives you the information and skills to be there for a friend.
The Be BRAVE learning resource is free, self-paced, and designed with and for young people. You'll work through real scenarios, build your skills and leave knowing exactly how to show up for a friend. Including:
What to say (and what not to say) when a friend discloses
How to support someone without taking over their story
How to look after yourself while showing up for others
This is how we take care of each other
The BRAVE Model© was created in 1998 by educator, survivor and advocate Farrah Khan. It started as part of a zine she created for concerts and community events about sexual assault.
It grew into something bigger. Today, it’s a trauma-informed framework used across Canada with campus communities, youth programs, unions, and government agencies.